Marathon Week 3 – Completed!

I finished up my 3^rd week of marathon training with a 9 mile long run this morning. My goodness it was warm! I started out at 7:30am and it was already 70 degrees. My 90-minute 9-mile run left me thoroughly soaked in sweat and quickly reminded me of my half marathon run in Chicago last weekend under similar conditions. This really has been a brutal summer weather wise and not so ideal for training because of the warm temperatures. All-in-all, I ran a total of 26.25 miles for week 3 and my total time was about 13% higher than my target:

Date	Target Time (minutes)	Actual Time (minutes)	Distance (miles)	Weight (pounds)
7/23/2012	0	0	0	168
7/24/2012	30	40	3.1	168
7/25/2012	60	66	5.25	169
7/26/2012	60	65	5.5	169
7/27/2012	30	40	3.4	169
7/28/2012	90	95	9.0	169
7/29/2012	0	0	0
Total:	270	306	26.25

 

Looking back on the past 3 weeks, I consistently 'over' ran based on my time targets but this week represented my closest time to target so I feel like I am pretty much on track. One thing I want to consider for week 4 is to begin adding one speed training session to my program. I'll be looking at my week 4 plan later this weekend to figure out my plan of attack.

Aside from training, my next race will be the Rock 'n' Roll Providence Half Marathon on August 19 so that is 3 weeks away! Hard to believe at that point, I will be finishing up week 6 of my marathon training!

Happy and Safe Running Folks!
John

Marathon Training Week 2

Date	Target Time (minutes)	Actual Time (minutes)	Distance (miles)	Weight (pounds)
7/16/2012	30	45	3.75	169
7/17/2012	45	66	5.5	-
7/18/2012	0	0	0	-
7/19/2012	45	65	5.3	-
7/20/2012	30	0	0	-
7/21/2012	75	54	4.25	-
7/22/2012	0	128	13.1	168
Total:	225	358	31.9

Two weeks down and 14 more to go!

Last week was my 2^nd week of training for the Marine Corps Marathon and I probably overdid it – spending 59% more time running than my program allotment. Knowing that I was running a half-marathon on Sunday, I should have tapered a bit in the earlier part of the week but I didn't. Perhaps that is why I had a lackluster performance at yesterday's Rock 'n' Roll Chicago Half Marathon although the extreme weather conditions had to be a contributing factor.

For week 3, I need to get back on track and not overdo it. Over training can be as bad if not worse than under training!

Safe Training Folks!
John

Chicago – Done!

To say this morning's Rock 'n' Roll Chicago Half-Marathon was a challenge would be an understatement. Although race time was 6:30am, the temperature was already close to 80 degrees and there was no breeze to speak of. I knew I was in trouble when I reached my 10-mile target time (1:35) at the 9-mile marker. I was averaging a 9:15 minute mile at that point so I knew I would be close to 10 minutes off of my overall target time. There wasn't any way I'd be able to beat my PR of 1:55.

All in all, I finished in 2:08:26 (that's an average 9:48 pace) which, coincidentally, is my worst time ever for a half-marathon – Yikes! However, the weather conditions for this race were the most extreme of all the half-marathons I've run so I know that was a huge factor. After mile 9, I literally took walking breaks after each water station which were 1-mile apart.

Disappointed, YES, but having just reviewed the results on-line, I still managed to place in the Top 3^rd in my age group (Male 55-59) so that tells me I didn't fair too badly amongst my peers. It was a very tough race and I knew I was overheated – thus, I made sure to stop at every water station and took in both water and Gatorade.

Highlights of this race were sponges soaked in ice cold water at around mile 11 and washcloths soaked in ice cold water at the finish line – what a relief they provided!

Oh, and my favorite tee-shirt was worn by a young woman and it read "Just give me my medal and no one will get hurt". That really made me chuckle and it came at a great time during the race to uplift me a bit and stop focusing on how terrible I felt. And – it worked for about a mile!

I am now home in Pennsylvania, safe and sound, and have yet another half-marathon experience under my belt. My lesson learned here is that there will be extreme conditions that will influence my performance along the way. Just suck it up and move on!

Safe Running Folks!
John

Ready to Rock 'n' Roll in Chicago!

It's the night before race day and I am getting ready to turn in. I wanted to be in bed by 10:30 at the latest and it is now 10:10 so I am right on schedule.

Running gear is laid out, bib is pinned to my shirt, chrono timing tag is attached to my running shoe. And, oh yeah, coffee maker is all set to go! Since race time is 6:30am, I am planning to have my alarm go off at 4:30am. I scoped out the starting area earlier today and it is only a 10 minute walk from my hotel. So, that's one less thing I have to worry about in the morning - trying to find the venue.

I need to be up and about for at least an hour before I head out in the morning and I especially don't like to feel rushed on race day.

It's going to be another warm day tomorrow - a high of 91 degrees and 75 degrees at the starting line but I am still looking forward to having an awesome time!

Rock on Chicago!
John

It's Chicago Time!

Whenever I'm in Chicago I remember a verse that my parents used to say when we were kids - it went like this: Chicken in the car and the car won't go - that's how you spell Chi-car-go.. It seems silly now but it's just one of those childhood memories I have. So, YES, I arrived in Chicago earlier today, got settled into my hotel room, picked up my race materials for Sunday, took a 3 hour nap and had a relaxing dinner this evening.

Yes, a 3 hour nap - not a 3 hour tour. I couldn't understand why I was so tired but then I reflected on how my week progressed and it became clearer why I was so pooped!

Monday: Worked all day, drove an hour to the Philadelphis airport, flew to Boston.

Tuesday: Ran 5+ miles along the Charles River in high humidity, sat in an all day business meeting, flew from Boston to Kansas City (through Charlotte), Drove an hour to my hotel in Lenexa, KS, got to bed at 1:30am Central time.

Wednesday: Woke up at 6:00am, went to work, hosted a retirement luncheon for one of my Director's, attended meetings during the afternoon.

Thursday: Drove back to the Kansas City airport, flew back to Philadelphia, drove an hour home, unpacked, did laundry, and packed for my trip to Chicago.

Friday: Woke up at 4:30am, drove to the Philadelphia airport, flew to Chicago, took the train from the airport into the city, checked into my hotel, walked for a couple of hours around the city.

Whew! I think my 3 hour nap was justified.

Tomorrow I am planning to get in an eary morning run and then do some touristy stuff - not exactly sure yet.

Race time is 6:30am on Sunday morning so it will be another early start!

Happy Trails Folks!
John

This One’s for You Mom!

Anna Marie Baker
August 10, 1919 ~ July 22, 2006

On Sunday, July 22, 2012, I will be running the Chicago Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon. This date will also be the 6^th anniversary of my mother's passing away. I'm sorry you never got to experience my interest in running, Mom, since I just developed this passion 4 years ago. But, I know you would be proud of me. Your strength and 'steely determination' have stayed with me and have been such an inspiration to help me through the rough spots along the way. I love you and miss you very much.

So, Mom .... this one's for you!!

Much Love,
John

Countdown to Chicago!

Tomorrow I leave for Chicago to run the Rock 'n' Roll Chicago Half Marathon on Sunday, July 22. This will be my 2^nd half marathon in as many months and is part of my lead up to the Marine Corps Marathon in October. I am feeling confident and strong – this is also my 2^nd week of marathon training so I am excited to be able to include this Sunday's race in my training program. This week I traveled to Cambridge, MA and Kansas City, MO for business so I was able to log some training miles in different states – another way for me to keep motivated!

Sunday's weather forecast for Chicago is a high of 93 degrees which will be a challenge. (However, it will be cooler than the 105 degrees I experienced in Kansas City yesterday). The mid-west USA is really burning up this summer!! So, my plan is to stay hydrated on Friday and Saturday leading up to the race on Sunday.

I've wanted to run a race in Chicago for some time now so I am really looking forward to this weekend. Once I have this one under my belt, I'll know if I want to return for a full marathon sometime in the future.

Happy and Safe Running Folks!
John

Week 1 Marathon Training Completed

Date	Target Time (minutes)	Actual Time (minutes)	Distance (miles)	Weight (pounds)
7/09/2012	30	42	3.25	170
7/10/2012	45	55	4.50	-
7/11/2012	0	0	0	-
7/12/2012	45	60	5.25	170
7/13/2012	30	51	4.25	169
7/14/2012	60	82	8.25	169
7/15/2012	0	0	0
Total:	210	290	25.5

Monday, July 9 marked the beginning of my 16-week training program for the Marine Corps Marathon which will be on Sunday, October 28 in Arlington, VA and Washington, DC. Since my on-going base mileage and time was longer than what was targeted for the week, I came in ahead of schedule, logging a total of 25.5 miles and 290 minutes (4 hours, 50 minutes) which is a little more than 33% more than target. I feel confident that is OK since I actually tapered back a bit over the past month. With the weekly progression of incremental time and miles, I should be 'on target' within the next couple of weeks.

All of my running during the week was indoors on the treadmill so it felt really good to get outside this morning for my 8.25 mile long run. I explored a different section of the new Route 202 road and trail way (which is not 'officially' opened yet!) and felt like I had a good run. I came across several other runners early this morning and I couldn't help but wonder if they were beginning their training programs for a fall marathon. Since it was fairly humid, I made sure to bring along my water bottle and belt which came in handy. I try to hydrate every 20 minutes during my long runs.

My post run recovery meal this morning was 3 egg whites, 1 egg yolk, English muffin and 1 tablespoon of creamy peanut butter. (I actually prefer crunchy but there wasn't any in the house).

As part of my training program this year, I want to monitor my weight because I have added about 5 pounds over the last 6 months. Admittedly, I have gotten 'sloppy' with my eating habits so now is the time to focus on eating healthier to ensure I am fueling my body properly. Let's see how this part of the training goes!

Tomorrow (Sunday) is a rest day but I do plan to get to the gym to continue with my strength training. I had really slacked off on my strength training so I am consciously making the effort to stay on top of it throughout this marathon training program.

So… all in all, I think I had a good kick-off for my training for this year's Marine Corps Marathon!

Safe Running!
John

Let the Training Begin!

It is hard to believe that my 16-week training program for the Marine Corps Marathon begins tomorrow! I know how quickly the time is going to fly by remembering back to last year when I trained for the Philadelphia Marathon. I feel so much stronger and confident this year. It's amazing what a difference 1 year can make- especially when I continue to see progress with my endurance and speed.

One of the best things I did last year was to run with the Bucks County Road Runners, a local running group in my area. There was a Winter Series of about 10 races with varying distances ranging from 3.1 to 13.1 miles through Tyler State Park which has some very challenging hills! Running Tyler gave me the confidence to tackle the hills that are in my own local community and housing development. Running with a couple hundred fellow runners each Sunday through the winter in all types of conditions was a great experience!

So, here I am on the eve of my training program feeling pretty relaxed knowing that I will definitely be challenged along the way but know that I have the stamina and determination to stay committed and focused. October 28 will be here soon enough and I will be Ready!!

Best wishes to all of you out there who are also starting their training programs for the fall lineup of Marathons!

Happy and Safe Training!
John

July 4 Revolutionary Run 10K

Another holiday…. another race… and another PR! This year I participated in the 10K Revolutionary Run in Washington Crossing, PA on the 4^th of July. It was a challenging day due to the weather conditions – about 74 degrees and humid at race time (8:30am). I definitely took advantage of all of the water and Gatorade stations to keep myself hydrated and managed to achieve a new PR for a 10K: 52:36. That's an 8:28 minute mile so I was very pleased to be able to come in under 8:30 (just by a nose hair!). Overall, I placed 222^nd out of 599 runners. And, I placed 43^rd out of 94 runners in my age group (50-59).

Next up is the Chicago Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon on July 22^nd!

Safe Running Folks!
John

June Highlights

Reflecting on my running accomplishments each month is yet another way for me to stay motivated and inspire me to set new goals. When I look back at June, although I intentionally reduced my total mileage, I ran 5 races (2 5K's, 5 miler, 6 miler and a half marathon) and managed to achieve 2 new PRs (40:40 for a 5 Miler and 49:40 for a 6 Miler). Additionally, I placed in the Top 10 in my age group for 2 of the races, including placing 2^nd in my age group for a Half Marathon!

June was a challenge for me. I was recovering from a strained right hamstring that I injured while almost wiping out during a morning run but I stuck with it. Knowing that I had to pull back and let my body heal, I added more rest days to my schedule and I am feeling much stronger now that the healing process is over. Also, it gave me the opportunity to add strength training to my circuit which I had neglected for too many months!

Now that June is over, I will get serious about my marathon training! My 16-week program begins one week from today on July 9. This will prepare me for the Marine Corps Marathon on October 28. I haven't targeted a finish time yet but I am certain I will blast away my 4:23:46 finish in last year's Philadelphia Marathon. Based on my improved performance this past winter and spring, I am confident that I will be able to shave off at least 20 minutes on my total time. Although, it would be really sweet if I was able to come in with a sub-4 hour finish!

As I begin to prepare for my 2^nd marathon race, it still amazes me when I reflect on my accomplishments over the past 4 years. Never understanding the potential that I had hidden deep inside me, I feel truly blessed that I was able to build the self-confidence to believe in myself and go after something that I only dreamed of in the past. Making those dreams reality takes commitment, focus, stamina and confidence!

Fun Running!
John