6 Miles at 10:11 Pace

For this morning's Easy Run, I decided to follow through on my planned change in strategy and decided to slow things down a bit. For the past couple of weeks, I've been running my easy runs at about a 9:30 pace. So, this morning, I put on the brakes and brought my pace down to 10:11 and I have to admit I felt much better after my run and throughout the day. Maybe it didn't hurt that I also had a little more than 7.25 hours of sleep last night (compared to my usual 6 hours per night)!

Anyway, I'm going to keep true to following a slower pace for the next 2 weeks as I lead up to the Philadelphia Rock 'n' Roll Half-Marathon which is Sunday, September 18. Once I have that behind me, I'll add speed workouts once a week to my training program in prep for the Philadelphia Marathon on November 21!

Happy and Safe Running!
John

Training Paces

I've been reading a lot lately to help me set a realistic finish time goal for my first full marathon. My biggest fear is overtraining at the expense of risking an injury that will sidetrack me from being successful. Today I came across this really useful tool, Runners World Training Calculator which advertises itself to be One Tool for All Your Training Needs. What a fantastic resource! Not only did it summarize for me the target paces for my different type of runs (Easy, Tempo, Max, Speed, and Long), it also highlighted for me that I have, in fact, been overtraining.

Based on my half-marathon performances thus far (2:03:15, 1:59:23, and 1:59:48), I can comfortably say that my target time for the Philadelphia Marathon should be between 4:10 and 4:30. With that said, my recent training paces have been more aligned with a 3:50 finish time which is not realistic at all. And, I do think I am beginning to feel the consequences (right Achilles, left knee).

So, this week (Week 5), I will implement a new strategy going forward with my training program. Tomorrow is an Easy Run day and I will be slowing things down a bit and will look forward to new results!

Training Run	4hr 30min	4hr 15min	4hr 10min
Easy Run	11:28	10:52	10:40
Tempo	9:36	9:05	8:55
Max	8:41	8:12	8:03
Speed	8:03	7:36	7:27
Long	11:28	10:52	10:40
	12:53	12:13	12:00

Week 5: Marathon Training

Training For:
Philadelphia Marathon
Sunday, November 21, 2011

Week 5:
August 29 – September 4, 2011

Day	Date	Session
Mon	Aug 29	45 min, Zone 1 – 2
Tues	Aug 30	60 min, Zone 2
Wed	Aug 31	REST
Thu	Sep 01	60 min, Zone 2
Fri	Sep 02	45 min, Zone 1 – 2
Sat	Sep 03	120 min, Zone 1 – 2
Sun	Sep 04	REST
Total		5.50 hr Run

Mon and Fri:
Optional Cross-Train Days

This is Sunday so that means a new week of training starts tomorrow morning. Week 4 comes to a close and will be remembered for 2 interesting events that were contributed by Mother Nature! On Tuesday, the Philadelphia area was rocked by an earthquake whose epicenter was in Virginia and yesterday, Hurricane Irene pounded us with high winds and heavy rains. We are still experiencing wind gusts but the rain is finished. The weather forecast for the coming week looks absolutely splendid – temps in the low to mid 80's each day with lots of sunshine. Week 5 will be a great week for my early morning runs!

Today is a REST day for me and I am having a bit of a sluggish day. I did not sleep well last night as I was keeping my eyes and ears open for the weather reports due to the storm that was in full force. I hope to get a good night's rest tonight so I can get back to logging my miles tomorrow morning.

Happy Running Folks!
John

Long Run – High Humidity

This morning I ventured out early to get my long run in before the onslaught of Hurricane Irene on the eastern seaboard. I targeted 12 miles and I managed to accomplish just that but it was a struggle towards the end. I felt very well rested and strong as I started but the high humidity took its toll. 12 miles in 1:59:42 – that's a 9:59 pace. Ironically, that's just 6 seconds shorter than my time in last week's Minneapolis 13.1 race!

Tomorrow is a rest day which I will take full advantage of – also, we'll be in the midst of Hurricane Irene where 7 – 12 inches of rain are predicted for my area. I've put together a survival kit of candles, flashlights, non-perishable food and water which should keep me functional should power go out.

This finishes week 4 of my 16-week training program – that means I'm 25% done – Yeah! My next race is the Philadelphia Rock 'n' Roll Half-Marathon on September 18.

Safe Running Folks!
John

Week 4: Marathon Training

Training For:
Philadelphia Marathon
Sunday, November 21, 2011

Week 4:
August 22 – 28, 2011

Day	Date	Session
Mon	Aug 22	45 min, Zone 1 – 2
Tues	Aug 23	60 min, Zone 2
Wed	Aug 24	REST
Thu	Aug 25	60 min, Zone 2
Fri	Aug 26	45 min, Zone 1 – 2
Sat	Aug 27	105 min, Zone 1 – 2
Sun	Aug 28	REST
Total		5.25 hr Run

Mon and Fri:
Optional Cross-Train Days

Ok, here we are in week 4 of my 16-week program and this represents my last week of base training. Total running time this week will be 5.25 hours with a long run on Saturday with a duration of 1:45. I feel as if I am a week ahead of my program already since I ran the Minneapolis Half Marathon yesterday in 1:59. It's nice to know I'm a wee bit ahead of the game J

Next week begins the strength training phase of my program where I'll add an extra run to my schedule that is designed to push me outside of my comfort zone. Hill workouts, tempo runs, and fartlek runs are all good choices for building strength. Also, I'll continue with my circuit training at the gym to help build up my core strength.

Looks like it's going to be a beautiful week here weather-wise so I am already looking forward to my early morning runs.

Happy Running Folks!
John

Minneapolis 13.1 in Under 2 Hours

Well, I just 'squeaked' in under the 2-hour mark during this morning's 13.1 mile race in Minneapolis. My final time was 1:59:48 which was 25 seconds short of my PR. Although a bit disappointed, I am very pleased that I came in under the 2 hour mark. It was an early start time this morning at 7am and temperatures were in the upper 60's with cloudy skies and a little bit of humidity.

This race was very well organized with music and cheering crowds along the way and lots of water stations. The friendly Minnesota crowds really made the runners feel at home by cheering us on calling out our names (our bibs included our names) which was a very nice touch.

I have to admit that around mile 10, I really felt that I was going to come in around 1:58. I must have miscalculated along the way. I was running at full speed for the last 800 meters or so and my lesson learned is that I need to kick in the final sprint sooner rather than later. Oh well, I'll have a chance to test that strategy when I run the Philadelphia Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon on September 18!

It was a beautiful day here in Minneapolis. After my race, I treated myself to a leisurely lunch along Nicollet Mall and then took in a Twins game at Target Field. Unfortunately, the Twins lost to the NY Yankees, 3-0.

Happy Running Folks!
John

Minneapolis Bound

I am getting accustomed to travel delays on my jaunts around the country to run my races. Trying to get from Philadelphia to Minneapolis this evening has turned into quite a challenge. Thunderstorms rolled through Philadelphia at exactly the same time we started to board our flight to Minneapolis. Exactly 3 ½ hours later (after sitting on the tarmac), we had lift off and began our trek to the upper Midwest.

Sitting on the tarmac this evening, I had flashbacks of February 2010 when I was traveling to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina to run a half-marathon. I was traveling to South Carolina from Dallas, where I was on business, which happened to coincide with extremely rare blizzard conditions and ultimately delayed my flight more than 10 hours, 8 of which were sitting on the tarmac in Dallas! After finally arriving in Myrtle Beach, the half-marathon was eventually cancelled because of snow. No, I am not kidding. It was one of my most miserable travel adventures ever!

But, things are looking much better now. I'm in transit to Minneapolis and the weather forecast is looking very nice for the weekend. I've already drank 1 Liter of water – making sure I hydrate well since I tend to get fairly dehydrated when I travel by air. I'm just hoping it isn't too late to find some food once I get to my hotel tonight – it will be close to 11PM so I'm not sure what will be available. I may to have to resort to one of my 'Gu's' to get me through the night!

Safe Running Folks!
John

Week 3: Marathon Training

Training For:
Philadelphia Marathon
Sunday, November 21, 2011

Week 3:
August 15 – 21, 2011

Day	Date	Session
Mon	Aug 15	30 min, Zone 1 – 2
Tues	Aug 16	60 min, Zone 2
Wed	Aug 17	REST
Thu	Aug 18	60 min, Zone 2
Fri	Aug 19	30 min, Zone 1 – 2
Sat	Aug 20	90 min, Zone 1 – 2
Sun	Aug 21	REST
Total		4:30 hr Run

Mon and Fri:
Optional Cross-Train Days

It is already Week 3 of my 16-week training program for the Philadelphia Marathon. I'll be mixing it up a bit this week as I will be traveling to Minneapolis to run the 13.1 Half-Marathon there on Sunday, August 21. Although I was originally planning to taper this week, I've changed my plan and will be treating this like any other training week and the race will be my long run for the week. Today is my mid-week REST day (Yeah!) so other than some good stretching, I am planning to take it relatively easy on this Wednesday.

It is a beautiful summer morning here (60 degrees) so I'll be puttering in the garden this morning with my coffee before I head out to the office.

Happy Running Folks!
John

Countdown to Minneapolis 13.1

Just 6 days to go for the Minneapolis 13.1 race! I am really looking forward to being back in Minneapolis. It is so hard for me to believe that I finished graduate school there in 1981 – Yes, that is 30 years ago. How is that possible? Anyway, it will be so nice to see the city again and to catch up with my good friend, Jerry, who has remained close friends all these years.

Based on the extended weather forecast, it looks like Sunday, August 21 will be a great day for a race. After isolated thunderstorms in the area earlier in the week, Sunday is looking mostly sunny at this point with a high of 79 degrees and only a 10% chance of precipitation.

I changed my training strategy for this week. Originally, I was going to taper in prep for the 13.1 miles. However, I've decided to treat the race on Sunday as if it was my long run for the week. So, I am pretty much planning to stick to my schedule for the rest of this week.

Have a great running week!
John

Week 2 Summary: Marathon Training

Training For:
Philadelphia Marathon
Sunday, November 21, 2011

Week 1:
August 8 – 14, 2011

Day	Date	Session (Planned)
Mon	Aug 08	30 min, Zone 1 – 2
Tues	Aug 09	45 min, Zone 2
Wed	Aug 10	REST
Thu	Aug 11	45 min, Zone 2
Fri	Aug 12	30 min, Zone 1 – 2
Sat	Aug 13	75 min, Zone 1 – 2
Sun	Aug 14	REST
Total		3 hr 45 min

Mon and Fri:
Optional Cross-Train Days

Day	Date	Session (Actual)	Miles (Actual)	Pace (Min)
Mon	Aug 08	51 min	5.15	09:54
Tues	Aug 09	51 min	5.40	09:31
Wed	Aug 10	0 min	0.00	NA
Thu	Aug 11	40 min	4.50	08:53
Fri	Aug 12	51 min	5.15	09:58
Sat	Aug 13	127 min	12.52	10:08
Sun	Aug 14	0 min	0.00	NA
Total		5 hr 20 min	32.72

Another week of training completed! This was week 2 of 16 for my marathon training program and although my miles and running time were comparable to week 1, I incorporated some new components into my program. On Thursday, I went to the track and ran intervals for the first time (4 x 400 repeats) which felt great. And, on Saturday, I met up with some Facebook friends (Lynn and Vicki) to do a 12 mile run along the Delaware River canal between Yardley and Fort Washington, PA. The >12 mile long run was over 2 hr and 07 min so I felt that was good prep workout for the half-marathon that I'll be running in Minneapolis next weekend. Bring it on!

So, my total running time for week 2 was 5 hr 20 min and my distance was 32.72 miles.

Tomorrow begins week 3!

Happy Running,
John

Interval Training Tomorrow

Although I've read all about the benefits of Interval Workouts and how they help improve your speed, I've always shied away from including them in my workouts. However, after attending Running Camp in July where we actually went to an outdoor track and did interval training, I feel much more confident and comfortable with including these workouts in my program. I've already scoped out 2 local high schools that have tracks so I will be heading to one of them tomorrow morning to complete my first solo interval training workout!

Here's my plan:

• 10-minute warm up run around the track
  
• 4 x 400 intervals
  
  • Run 400 meters (1 lap) hard
    
  • Jog 400 meters (1 lap) for recovery
    
  • Repeat 4 times
    
• 10-minute cool down run around the track
  

Trying a New 5-Mile Route

As I become more comfortable with the roads in my community for my morning runs, I wanted to explore roads that are less traveled. This morning, I ended up on Mill Creek Road and wasn't exactly sure where it was going to end up so I turned around and headed back to more familiar territory. Using this helpful tool that I use on www.runningahead.com to track my workouts, I was able to map a new ~5 mile route that includes Mill Creek Road which I really like because it is off the beaten path from the heavier traffic.

I'm going to give this new route a test run tomorrow morning!

Happy Running!
John

Week 2: Marathon Training

Training For:
Philadelphia Marathon
Sunday, November 21, 2011

Week 2:
August 8 – 15, 2011

Day	Date	Session
Mon	Aug 8	30 min, Zone 1 – 2
Tues	Aug 9	45 min, Zone 2
Wed	Aug 10	REST
Thu	Aug 11	45 min, Zone 2
Fri	Aug 12	30 min, Zone 1 – 2
Sat	Aug 13	75 min, Zone 1 – 2
Sun	Aug 14	REST
Total		3:45 hr Run

Mon and Fri:
Optional Cross-Train Days

Ok, week 2 of my 16 week training program for the Philadelphia Marathon has begun! It was already 72 degrees and moderately humid when I headed out the door at 6:30am this morning. I managed 5.15 miles in 51:06 minutes – that's a 9:54 pace and is pretty consistent with my recent easy run paces. My plan for this week is to target between 4.5 and 5.5 miles for my easy runs and then an 8-mile long run on Saturday!

Happy Trails,
John

Week 1 Summary: Marathon Training

Training For:
Philadelphia Marathon
Sunday, November 21, 2011

Week 1:
August 1 – 7, 2011

Day	Date	Session (Planned)
Mon	Aug 1	30 min, Zone 1 – 2
Tues	Aug 2	45 min, Zone 2
Wed	Aug 3	REST
Thu	Aug 4	45 min, Zone 2
Fri	Aug 5	30 min, Zone 1 – 2
Sat	Aug 6	60 min, Zone 1 – 2
Sun	Aug 7	REST
Total		3 hr 30 min

Mon and Fri:
Optional Cross-Train Days

Day	Date	Session (Actual)	Miles (Actual)	Pace (Min)
Mon	Aug 1	53 min	5.62	09:30
Tues	Aug 2	59 min	6.12	09:47
Wed	Aug 3	0 min	0.00	NA
Thu	Aug 4	61 min	6.25	09:48
Fri	Aug 5	43 min	4.40	09:42
Sat	Aug 6	103 min	10.30	10:22
Sun	Aug 7	0 min	0.00	NA
Total		5 hr 19 min	32.69

Today was my last running day for Week 1 of my Marathon Training program – Yeah! My focus on running all summer has put me a bit ahead of the start of the program so I was able to surpass the first week's objective, capturing a total of 5 hr 19 min of running over a distance of 32.69 miles. My longest distance run this week was 10.3 miles.

Since the Minneapolis 13.1 race is in 2 weeks, I will be pushing pack a bit and taper my runs over the next 10 days to make sure I'm ready for Minneapolis.

All-in-all, I feel as if I've had a successful week. My only complaint is an unhappy back right now – nothing my Sunday afternoon massage won't be able to cure tomorrow!

Happy Running,
John

10.3 Mile Long Run

Saturday morning and it is long run day. Woke up around 5am, read for an hour and a half and then prepared my gear for a long run. I mapped out a new route last night and everything went as planned. I stuck with keeping hydrated (every 15 minutes) and re-fueled after 45 minutes. Total running time was 1:43:33 and that gives me a 10:03 pace. I wasn't trying to break any records but wanted to come in right around a 10 minute mile. Since my racing goal is between a 9:15 and 9:45 minute mile, I think I am right on track with my plan.

It was 68 degrees when I headed out the door at 7am and the humidity was a factor this morning. Just finished my re-fueling breakfast (yogurt, banana, dried apricots, flax seed and almonds) and now it's time to hit the shower and get cleaned up!

Happy Trails,
John

Keep Your Back and Hips in Shape

3 Back and Hip Exercises for Runners | Active.com

A strong upper and lower back as well as strong hips will help you run more efficiently and stronger. Read how back extensions, planks, leg lifts and hip flexor stretches will help you keep these muscle groups in shape and ward off injury.

Perfect Morning for a Run

Have you ever noticed that some morning runs turn out to be little gems that you weren't expecting? Last night when I retired for bed, I was completely exhausted and was ruminating whether or not I should run this morning. After all, I am planning my 10-mile long distance run on Saturday. Did I really need to run on Friday? I actually slept in a little later (5:30am instead of 5:00am) and still wasn't convinced that I should lace up the running shoes when I awakened. But, after 2 cups of my Morning Joe, I decided to get outside and pound the asphalt and what a great run I had! The weather was perfect (62 degrees, blue skies, no humidity) and I scaled down my distance to 4.4 miles. I definitely could have gone longer but I didn't want to overdo it in prep for my long run tomorrow.

So, my lesson learned from this morning is to stick with my plan. I am in my first week of training for the Philadelphia Marathon and today's plan called for a 30-minute run. All week, I've been adding approximately 15-minutes to my scheduled runs so that's exactly what I did this morning, finishing my 4.4 miles in 42:51. For an easy run, that gives me a 9:43 minute pace which is about 30 seconds slower than my target marathon pace. That puts me right on target.

For a morning that started off questionable, I was able to stick with my plan and took advantage of the beautiful summer day with a great run. Now, that's what I call a Perfect Morning!

Safe Running Folks,
John