Marathon Training: March 2012

Thursday, March 29, 2012

6.5 Mile Beach Run

Well, I sacrificed my Interval Training run today and replaced it with a 6.5 mile run on Grace Bay Beach in Providenciales, Turks and Caicos. Ok… Ok… it was a tough sacrifice but running on the sand turned out to be a fairly good workout for me! Yes, the weather was gorgeous and I was able to listen to the waves of the aqua colored Atlantic Ocean rushing to shore - not a bad deal at all.

This is my first time to this island and it really is quite lovely. I am staying at the Royal West Indies Resort at Grace Bay and have the pleasure of being right on the beach. This will be my home away from home for the next week so I expect to get several more quality runs in along the shore. Also, I want to venture out and run the flat roads – hope to get a nice Long Run logged before the end of the weekend.

Happy and Safe Running Folks!
John

Sunday, March 25, 2012

Bucks 5K Series Opens With a New PR!

Today was opening day for the 2012 Bucks 5K Series with the Central Bucks Family 5K Race in Doylestown. It was an overcast day with spotty drizzling rain and temps in the low 50's at the start of the race. I had my best performance ever for a 5K - coming in at 23:34 - that's a 7:35 pace! Certainly not elite status (Ha!) but faster than I would ever have imagined being able to run a year ago. I keep going back to the importance of speed training which I added to my training regimen in December. Mixing it up with interval training has really helped me run stronger and faster!

Next up in the series is the New Hope-Solebury Spirit Run on April 22 and then I'll be running the St. Luke's Half Marathon in Allentown, PA on April 29, followed by the Broad Street (10 Mile) Run in Philadelphia on May 6 - Yes, Running season has begun!

Happy and Safe Running!
John

Saturday, March 17, 2012

10K Irish Sprint Run

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

In honor of St. Patrick's today, I ran the 10K Irish Sprint Run in Quantico, VA, an event sponsored by the Marine Corps Marathon organization. It was a very early day for me – woke up at 4am, left the hotel at 4:45am, arrived at the host hotel and then hopped on a bus to Prince William State Park where the event took place. It was a bit chilly prior to sunrise but temperatures were close to 60 degrees at the race start time (8:00am).

Parts of the 10K course were very flat but other parts were quite challenging – especially the hills on the leaf covered trails. I found myself really concentrating on my footing on both the uphill and downhill segments to make sure I didn't land the wrong way and either twist an ankle or have some other calamity. I am happy to report that I finished injury free!

My finish time was 54:54. I missed a PR for a 10K by 13 seconds but that is OK because this was by far the most challenging 10K course overall that I've run thus far. And, if I were to rate the overall quality of my race today, it ranks right up there. I felt in control and very strong. I felt especially strong during the last 1 ½ miles of the race. I was able to pass quite a few runners who were bent over with slouched shoulders and breathing heavily – they were out of juice while I was kicking it in to the very end!

The best part of running this race was receiving a Golden Ticket for admission into the 37th Marine Corps Marathon which will be on October 28, 2012. And, YES, I already cashed in my golden ticket and registered for the MCM earlier today so I will be Washington bound in October!

Happy and Safe Running Everyone!
John

Sunday, March 11, 2012

10 Mile Long Run Followed by an Hour Massage

I saved my long run for Sunday this week since today's weather was forecasted to be nicer than Saturday. And… it was! Temperatures reached a beautiful 62 degrees this afternoon – although, my run was early this morning when it was just below 40 degrees with clear blue skies and a light breeze. I've been building up my mileage for my long runs and today I reached the 10 mile mark. It was not one of my best runs. I took several walking breaks but hung in there. My determination was strong enough to guide me to the end.

My reward was an hour massage after I had a quick recovery breakfast and then a very restful nap later this afternoon. I am feeling much better in this early evening and am looking forward to my REST day tomorrow!

Happy and Safe Running Folks!
John

Sunday, March 4, 2012

Steady Mileage

In spite of the winter months, I've been managing to log some steady mileage so far this year, averaging about 32 miles per week. My typical weekly schedule has been something like this:

Day of Week	Activity	Typical Mileage
Monday	REST	0.0 Miles
Tuesday	Easy Run	5.0 Miles
Wednesday	Easy Run	6.0 Miles
Thursday	Interval Training	6.5 Miles
Friday	REST	0.0 Miles
Saturday	Long Run	8.0 Miles
Sunday	Easy Run	6.5 Miles
	Total	32.0 Miles

Running 5 days a week has been working well with my schedule since I've been traveling for business most weeks this year. So, my 2 travel days (Monday and Friday) also turn into my 2 Rest days – Perfect!

Also, I am reaping the benefits of my weekly Interval Training as I feel much stronger during my Long Runs on Saturday. Having a Rest Day between my Interval Training and Long Run days seems to be a key factor for me as well. Especially being an older runner, recovery is key to staying injury free and that is how I want to be.

Happy and Safe Running!
John

2012 Races

5K: BCRR Cham-Pain (1/1/12) - 24:33
5.3 Mile: BCRR Predict Your TIme (1/8/12) - 42:30
8 Mile: BCRR Polar Bear (1/15/12) - 1:08:10 PR
4.6 Mile: BCRR Honest Abe (1/22/12) - 42:53
9.3 Mile: BCRR Terrible Tyle (1/29/12) - 5.3 Miles - 46:35
5.3 Mile: BCRR Pick Your Way (2/5/12) - 42:57
Half Marathon: BCRR Eenie-Meanie-Minie-Moe (2/12/12) - 1:58:38
4.6 Mile: BCRR Staggered Start (2/19/12) - 35:45 PR
10K: MCM Irish Sprint 10K (3/17/12) - 54:54
5K: Central Bucks Family YMCA (3/25/12) - 23:34 PR
5K: New Hope - Solebury "Spirit" Run (4/22/12) - 24:45
Half Marathon: St. Luke's (4/29/12) - 1:55:38 PR
10 Mile: Broad Street Run (5/6/12) - 1:25:13 PR
5K: Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure - Phila (5/13/12) - 24:46
5K: Doylestown Red, White, Blue (5/26/12) - 24:04
5K: Chalfont Challenge (6/9/12) - 26:31
6 Mmile: Princeton Healthcare 10K (6/10/12) - 49:40 PR
Half Marathon: 1/2 Sauer, 1/2 Kraut, 1/2 Marathon (6/16/12) - 1:57:11 2nd Place Male 55-59
5K: Herb Kahl Memorial (6/24/12) - 24:32
5 Mile: Run the Gates (6/3/12) - 40:40 PR
10K: Revolutionary Run (7/4/12) -52:36 PR
Half Marathon: Rock 'n' Roll Chicago (7/22/12) - 2:08:26
Half Marathon: Rock 'n' Roll Providence (8/19/12) - 1:59:25
Half-Marathon: Rock 'n' Roll Philadelphia (9/16/12) - 1:57:42
18Mile: LBI 18-Mile Run (10/7/12) - 2:48:30 PR
13K: Hatfield OctoRun (10/21/12) - 1:08:55 PR
Marathon: Marine Corps Marathon (10/28/12) - 4:36:54
5K: BCRR Covered Bridge (12/9/12) - 26:26
5.3 Mile: BCRR Jingle Bell (12/16/12) - 42:23 PR

2011 Races

5K: Central Bucks YMCA (3/20/11) - 27:17:18
Half-Marathon: FirstWatch Sarasota (3/13/11) - 2:06:12
5K: New Hope-Solebury Run (4/3/11) - 26:34:54
5K: Bridge Valley Trailblazer Race for Autism (4/16/11) - 27:42:31
10Mile: Broad Street Run (5/1/11) - 1:35:54
5K: Cornerstone Race (5/7/11) - 25:55:87
5K: Race for the Cure - Phila (5/11/12) - 27:19
5K: Doylestown Red, White, Blue (5/28/11) - 26:18:94
10K: Princeton Healthcare 10K (6/5/11) - 54:42:82 PR
5K: Herb Kahl Memorial Scholarship (6/26/11) - 25:13 (3rd Place Male 50-59)
5K: Chalfont Challenge (6/11/11) - 26:04:17
5K: Run Over (Pancreatic) Cancer (7/2/11) - 24:51 PR
Half-Marathon: 13.1 Minneapolis (8/21/11) - 1:59:48
Half-Marathon: Rock 'n' Roll Philadelphia (9/18/11) - 1:59:02 PR
5K: Chestertown 5K (9/24/11) - 25:25 (1st Place Male 50-59)
18Mile: LBI 18-Mile Run (10/9/11) - 3:08:30
13K: Hatfield OctoRun (10/23/11) - 1:10:57 (2nd Place Male 55-59)
Marathon: Philadelphia Marathon (11/20/11) 4:23:46 - PR
5K: BCRR Covered Bridge 5K (12/4/11) - 26:29
5.3Mile: BCRR Jingle Bell 5.3 Mile Race (12/11/11) - 43:39

John's Book Reviews

The Orchardist by Amanda Coplin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

It’s been a while since I’ve been ‘wowed’ by a book so it was with great pleasure that I recently finished reading The Orchardist by Amanda Coplin. Set in the 1800’s in the Pacific Northwest, the characters in this story represent what would be considered an ‘unconventional’ family by some standards in our current society – a family created out of horrific circumstances when 2 young (and pregnant) girls (Jane and Della) come upon William Talmadge (“Talmadge”), a loner who tends to and nurtures his orchards of apricots, apples and plums. Talmadge’s family roots are similarly tragic – he and his sister, Elsbeth, were orphaned as youngsters. And, at the age of 16, Elsbeth walked into the woods and never returned, leaving Talmadge alone and left to wonder what became of her. This lack of closure regarding his sister’s disposition is a key driver to the relationship he develops with Jane and Della - that of a nurturer and always wanting to provide a sense of comfort and belonging.

The complexities of the relationships that Talmadge has with Jane and Della, as well as Jane’s eventual daughter, Angelene, are compounded by the circumstances that drove Jane and Della to escape their painful upbringing and living environment. Trust and a willingness to be nurtured are not always welcome and these are the forces that drive the conflicts between what Talmadge wishes for the girls and the final outcome of the tragic events that continue to shape their lives.

(view spoiler)

Although it is still early in the year, I think it’s going to be hard for me to come across another book in 2013 that is so beautifully crafted and inspirational. Bravo to Amanda Coplin for this splendid novel!

View all my reviews