The Road to Boston (week 11 of 16)

This is the month that will either make or break my Boston race, so it's time to pull out the stops, knuckle down and do some hard work.  I'm finally back home for a decent stretch, and newly armed with a couple of new workout dvds.  Bring it on.

Saturday March 10th
5:10am, 45F and rainy.  Did 18 miles in 2:34:37 (8:35 average).

Sunday March 11th
5:30am, 55F, pouring rain and stormy.  Since this clocks went forward last night, this was a particularly early start.  Had a point in this run where I could have cut it short to 7 miles, but happy to report I kept with my original plan and continued for the extra mile.  Yay me!!!  8 miles in 1:06:54 (8:21 average) - not bad for a recovery run.

9pm.  50 minutes of core work.  Gavin joined in with me, and we had a good time working out together.
 
Monday March 12th
9pm.  60 minutes of circuit training.  Earned a good bit of sweat equity for Boston tonight with a good hard workout.  Sweated through my shoes for the first time since running through last summer's heat.  Concentrated on lots of variations of squats, lunges and jumps.  Really pushed it, and it felt great.  Tired but happy.

Wednesday March 14th
5am, 68F and muggy.   Was supposed to run 10 yesterday, but was awake with a "not quite feeling himself and wants his dad" Dylan instead.  Wanted to make up for it by meeting James for a pace run this morning.  Did 7 miles in 54:50 (7:50 average).  Not as fast I would have liked, but I'll still take a sub-7.

5pm.  Did an hour of kettlebell swings, squats and holds.  Legs like rubber, back really tight, sweat pouring off, sweated through my shoes again.  Paying my entry fee for Boston right here.

Thursday March 15th
 5am, 68F and muggy.  7 miles with Clea this morning.  Legs still sore from last night, but got better the further we went (possibly fueled by the conversation about closets and cockney rhyming slang).  Ran 58:44 (8:23 average).

The Road to Boston (week 10 of 16)

6 weeks to go, and I really don't feel prepared at all (so what else is new, right?).  My running does not seem anywhere near as easy as it was a few short months ago, and my focus has wavered (plus I've been eating way too much junk stuff on all my travels).  On the other hand, I probably don't want to be smooth sailing this far out.  If I play it right, I can run myself into form and straight into the start line at Hopkinton.

And I'm still contemplating what to do after Boston.  Part of me wants to sign up for another race (like the super fun BCS marathon I ran last December), while another part of me wants to give it a break for a while.  Good angel, bad angel.  Jekyll and Hyde.  Right now the powers of light and darkness are in perfect balance.

Though as my plans to run a marathon with my brother in the UK this summer fell through, I guess I don't need to make a decision for a while anyway!!!

Saturday March 3rd
5:10am, 55F and windy.  Met Clea for 18 miles, with a guest appearance by Megan in the middle of the run.  Sore hamstring because I was stupid and did a boat load of leg curls last week on an already dodgy hamstring.  No monster Stratford hills today (thank goodness), but still enough inclines on Scenic and Jefferson to keep me interested.  Finished in 2:36:11 (8:41 average), with the highlight being a quick stop to check on a "drunk as a skunk" yuppie sprawled across the trail.  At the risk of sounding old, man I do not miss the party scene at all!!!

Sunday March 4th
5:30am, 48F.  7 mile Shoal Creek recovery run with Clea.  We kept a good pace and equally good conversation to finish up in 57:37 (8:14 average).  Big day as I rushed home to celebrate Gavin's birthday.  Good thing I clocked up the miles this weekend, as we all enjoyed Cheesecake Factory cheesecake.  I only wish I hadn't looked at the nutrition label!!!

Tuesday March 6th
5am, 58F and humid.  Met James for our 7 mile pace run.  He's training for London and me for Boston, so we're right at the same point in our training.  Which means we were both tired from 18-20 mile runs this weekend.  Still, we managed 7 miles in 53:55 (7:42 average), which is not bad at all.

9:30pm.  Traveling again at another client site.  After a 4 hour drive to North Texas after work, needed something to loosen me up.  In the absence of a good single malt, that something turned out to be Bob Harper's 15 minute "yoga" abs workout.  Now I'm ready for bed, with the best intentions of getting up for an early morning run in a bid to avoid the runner-unfriendly local motorists, thus saving wear and tear on my middle finger.

The Road to Boston (week 9 of 16)

Ok, completely disorganized this week, but greetings from Little Rock, AR.  Man am I ever racking up the air miles and hotel points these days!!!  Been slacking on the blog front after some late night work sessions, but sneaking in a few minutes to get it done.

Bad news this week when I heard my little brother had to pull out of what would have been his debut marathon at London due to injury.  Tried to convince him to run his first marathon with me when I'm over in the UK this coming summer, but it's not to be.

Oh well, take care of yourself and heal up quickly bro.  I am not accepting that as an excuse when I nail your ass at a park run this summer.

I am reading "Bounce: Mozart, Federer, Picasso, Beckham and the Science of Success" by Matthew Syed.  It is a fascinating book that delves into the psychology and similarities of the most successful people in sports, music etc.  There are some real insights into human behavior, though I think it's telling me I'm not much good at anything because I'm lazy.  To be fair, it's probably right :-)

Saturday February 25th
5:15am, can't remember what the weather was doing.  13 miles, annoying hamstring injury, the hills of Stratford, 1:56:07 (8:54 average).  On the plus side, I got home in time to watch the Wales rugby team win the Triple Crown by beating England, and the Marathon Talk technical shirts arrived from the UK (Boston race shirts for Clea and myself).

Sunday February 26th
5:30am, no idea about the weather.  Weird run - seemed to get more into it as it went along.  7 miles in 57:45 (8:17 average)
pm. 1 hour of strength circuits.  A rare chance to work out with Nancy.  Oh man, she ground me into the dirt!!!

Monday February 27th
In Little Rock.  The hotel I am staying at has free access to a gym across the road, and very nice it is too.  Found myself working out on the 29th floor in front of floor to ceiling windows with magnificent panoramic views of downtown Little Rock.  Did the elliptical, the stair climber, the bike and then beasted my legs with 5 sets of 15 reps of leg extensions, leg curls and weighted squats.  Oh boy, those leg curls did nothing for my sore hamstrings.

Tuesday February 28th
Drama at the gym tonight as some guy collapsed and had to be carted out by the EMTs.  Spent a bit extra time on the eliptical as I watched events unfold.  Did more leg extensions, but my hamstring was in full rebellion mode as soon as I tried the leg curl machine.  Gave up and went to eat Chinese instead.

Wednesday February 29th
Happy leap day.  Back in the gym tonight - more bike, elliptical, stair climber and weighted squats.  Also did weighted core rotations and lat pulldowns.  Then I had a go on the heavy bag (pretended it was some of my clients - haha), and had a great time with the battling ropes, making them dance for me.  Never used them before - they were fun.  And tiring.  Will have to get me some!!!

Thursday March 1st
Last night at the panoramic gym as I fly back to Austin tomorrow.  Did the elliptical, the bike, the old "rubber legged" workout, and threw around the battling ropes with somewhat of a spring on my step.  Spent quite a bit of time chatting with the receptionist in the hotel.  She was flirting big time, which explains the spring in the step!!  Useful things these British accents :-)

The Road to Boston (week 8 of 16)

I'm counting this as the mid-term break.  I did not run a step last weekend - a combination of thunder and lightning, Brownwood duty and plain old lack of motivation did me in, and I did nothing at all.

And what's up with the motivation?  I have no idea, but it's suddenly gone South.  Nancy is putting me to shame - she gets up at 4:30 most mornings to work out (and you can tell because she's looking really good), whereas I have to drag my lazy butt out of bed to grind out runs that are nowhere near as easy as they seemed a month ago. I have a nagging fear that I have peaked, and I'm now on the slippery downslope.  The good part of that is that I have more than enough time to regroup, come again and peak once more for Boston.

And another spanner in the Boston wheel is a lot more business travel coming up.  In the next month I will be heading out to Virginia, Arkansas and North Texas.  I will have to keep my discipline, zip up the old man suit and just get out there and do it.

In other news, I am reading "Into the Silence" by Wade Davis (author the "The Serpent and the Rainbow").  It is the story of George Mallory - taking apart the legend that surrounds him, and going into painstaking detail, not only about his legendary Everest expeditions, but also the motivations and political posturing of the age.  It delves into the Great War, along with the implications and attitudes of the Raj and the British Empire.

The human cost of trench warfare is unimaginable, and described in vivid detail.  I remember my grandfather telling me stories of being in the trenches when I was a boy, but I didn't truly appreciate it then.  Now that I would, he's no longer here to tell them - funny how that works.

While fascinating, it is a huge book.  I am a fast reader, but I have been working on it for weeks and am still nowhere near half way through.  It is one of those that I may need to break up and come back to in bits.

Anyway, on to the training log.

Saturday 18th February
Woke up to thunder and lightning and the prospect of a trip to Brownwood.  Not motivated.  The zipper on the man suit broke right off, and I lose my 100% Febulous record.

Tuesday 21th February
5am, 48F, foggy and humid.  Finally got my butt back into gear, and met up with James for a pace run.  Dang, I seem to be trying twice as hard only to go a lot slower than I did a month ago.  What's up with that?  Still, we managed 7 miles in 54:47 (7:49 average), while we both enjoyed a good old moan.  Fantastic!!!

Thursday 23rd February
5am, 60F and humid.  Relaxed run around Mueller with Clea - she is recovering from pacing the marathon last weekend, I am carrying a slight hamstring strain.  Knocked out 7 miles in 59:43 (8:32 average).

The Road to Boston (week 7 of 16)

T-minus 10 and counting.  We're down to the last 10 weeks before Boston - technically still base building, but in my periodization plan we're getting close to the time where I will start fine tuning by throwing in some extra midweek pace runs.

Training has been derailed somewhat by all my travel of late, but I am now home for a few weeks in a row.  I will be in Little Rock, AR at the end of the month, but the hotel I am booked at has free access to the 24 hour fitness next door, so that is a great chance to start throwing in some cross training in the final month before Boston.

From here on in, I have a lot of 20 milers planned.  These are mostly psychological - I seem to run better on race day the more 20 milers I have under my belt.

Saturday February 11th
5am, 38F and windy.  Kind of a low energy day - a weird kind of "nothing" run. I did 20 miles in 2:55:23 (8:46 average) which was fine.  I never bonked, but never dropped into the groove either.  Got lucky and Clea jumped in for the first 11 miles - long runs are so much easier with company.  Then had an uphill slog against the wind for most of the rest of the run.  Ah well, no big deal - it's another 20 miles in the books.

Sunday February 12th
5:30am, 29F and breezy.  Lovely cold morning for a nice relaxed recovery run.  Ran the Danish route backwards - 7 miles in 59:58 (8:34 average).

11:30am, 30F and sleeting.  A trail run at Walnut Creek with Gavin, my 6 year old - such fun.  3 miles of tearing around the trails pretending to be Robin Hood and the Sheriff, followed by playing tag at the playground, then a retreat to a toasty warm car and home for hot chocolate.

Tuesday February 14th
5am, 41F and foggy.  Pea soup this morning - unable to even see street names.  Pretty cool actually.  Did 7 mile reverse Danish loop in 56:10 (8:01 average).

Wednesday February 15th
5am, 63F and humid as all get out.  Urggghh, 22F warmer than yesterday morning, and an early reminder of summer running.  Ground out 7 miles in 54:58 (7:51 average) and just glad to be done.

Thursday February 16th
4:30am, 45F and humid.  Early morning run around Mueller with Clea.  Kept it easy as she's pacing the Austin marathon on Sunday (just as well as I was feeling pretty tired anyway).  We managed 7 miles in 57:55 (8:16 average).  Faster than I thought - no wonder I felt tired!!!

The Road to Boston (week 6 of 16)

Well I liked the chatty format of last week's post, so I think I'm going to keep it like that.  What I do not like is the limited amount of distance running I've done in the last two weeks.  That and the fact that I appear to have gained 5lbs (damn you delicious hotel cooked breakfasts)!!!  Still, I am a glass half full kind of guy, so looking at the upside I am simply pulling back to ensure I do not peak too early.  Plus this coming week will be my last travel for a little while, so I can get my runs back to normal.

Having said that....

Saturday February 4th
5am, 55F and stormy.  The value of a good training partner is that they can pull you through tough runs, and that is what happened this morning.  If it wasn't for Clea, I don't know that I would have completed this run. My calves were so tight after last week's treadmill madness.  And that caused my feet to go numb for the first half of this 20 miler.  Fortunately, some good conversation passed away many of the middle miles, and the legs loosened up for the second half.  Cut off by myself to finish out the last 2 miles (which were tough) and finished 20 hilly miles in 2:57:16 (8:51 average) and completely spent.  My legs felt very sore and painful driving home, and they appear to have staged an uprising because I am hobbling around like an old man.  I'm normally nowhere near this stiff after racing a marathon - I guess fueling on Big Mac and fries is not a good idea!!!

Sunday February 5th
5:30am, 45F.  Recovery run after yesterday's 20 miler.  Good to work out some of the soreness, but was getting some serious knee pain out of nowhere.  I swear I'm getting old.  Surprised we managed a fairly brisk 7 miles in 1:00:46 (8:41 pace).

Monday February 6th
7am 40F.  Stretching the legs this morning prior to my flight to Richmond VA this afternoon.  No knee pain today, though the calves are still super tight.  2 miles in 15:23 (7:41 average).

Friday February 10th
7am, 45F.  Pullback week.  Been in Richmond, VA all week, and got back into Austin at midnight last night.  Decided to take a few days off to give my strained calves some time to recover, and it seems to have worked (though I do now have to figure out how to cram in another 3 runs to keep my Febulous 100% going).  Did 2 miles this morning in a pain-free 14:33 (7:16 average).  Looking forward to a solo 20 miles tomorrow.

The Road to Boston (week 5 of 16)

Ok folks, I am declaring this a freeform week.  I am working in North Texas all this week and do not have the luxury of staying in a hotel on a college campus with lots of lovely paths for me to explore, nor the lovely icy weather in which to explore them.  No, I am staying in a hotel (nice though it is) that borders the Interstate, in a town that is not very runner friendly.  The last time I tried running up here, I was urged by several motorists to "get a car you bum".

If I ran here every day, my middle finger would be exhausted.  So I may have to resort to the dreadmill for at least some of my runs.

Anyway, the good news is that I finished out Jantastic with 100% and am now into Febulous.  This works along the same principles - you commit to doing a certain number of runs a week - but now you also have to specify how long each of your long runs will be during the month.

So I've set my goals at 5 runs a week, with long runs of 20 miles, 20 miles, 12 miles and 20 miles.  We'll see how that goes.

Saturday January 28th
Spent the day traveling back from Oregon via Las Vegas (and what a zoo that place is).  Needless to say, no running.  Did manage to finish "Miss Peregrine's Home for Unusual Children" (wonderful read) and got into Blake Crouch's "Run" (very creepy and disturbing, but a great page turner - perfect airplane fodder).  I love my Kindle.

Sunday January 29th
Nancy suggested I have a lie in with the boys as I'd been away all week and didn't get back until late.  Agreed and enjoyed a very pleasant morning before setting out on the road again.

Monday January 30th
On my travels again.  No run today.  Worked late, and then watched the documentary "Ride the Divide" back at the hotel, which left me whelmed.  Not over or under, just whelmed.  Nice music though.

Tuesday January 31st
Hit the dreadmill in the hotel tonight.  Listened to the "Mockingjay" audiobook on my ipod to distract me and could still only manage 2 miles before boredom set in.  Did the 2 miles in 12:26 (6:13 average), and then had a go on the stair climber which was marginally more interesting.  May have to venture back onto the mean streets tomorrow.  Oh, and I finished reading "Run", which really does make you want to hide in your hotel room and never come out!!!

Wednesday February 1st
Ok, I guess this week is designated speed week.  Hopped on the treadmill tonight with the goal of running 2 miles at a sub-6 pace.  That was before I realized the thing topped out at 10mph, thus rendering that goal impossible.  Still, finished the 2 miles in 12:06 (6:03 average), which was just about enough to finish me off too.  Cooled down with a few minutes in the company of my old friend the stair climber while listening to the adventures of Katniss Everdeen on the old ipod.  In non-running news, I watched "V for Vendetta" last night which has left me feeling ever so slightly rebellious, started a new book on the Kindle - "I Sing the Body Departed", and I think I'm going to go out for Indian tonight.  Mr random strikes again!!!

Thursday February 2nd
Tried to kill myself on the treadmill again tonight - 2 miles in 12:02 (6:01 average).  Ouch.  My legs are tighter than Scrooge at Christmas - am looking forward to reverting to longer slower runs again.  On the plus side, I'm headed back to Austin tomorrow.  On the downside, I'm off to Virginia on Monday.  But at least I get to enjoy the weekend at home.  In other news, the Indian I went out for last night was far and away the worst I've ever had, and just a bizarre experience all round.  Played it safe tonight and went to TGI Fridays, where I put away a cobb salad, chicken pasta and a huge slice of vanilla bean cheesecake.  Suitably sated, I am looking forward to a nice night in the company of Messers Miles Davis and Mr Kindle.

Oh, it's also worth mentioning that I have taken the opportunity of being away as a chance to catch up on some of the "Marathon Talk" podcast.  I am now only about a year behind!!!

Good luck to all running the Rocky Raccoon 100 this weekend.  Rather you than me.

The Road to Boston (week 4 of 16)

I am sitting here at my computer watching little Dylan eat my oatmeal as part of his third breakfast.  I have a nicely brewed cup of freshly ground coffee in front of me, I have just showered away the sweat and salt of a very satisfying 20 mile run, and Gavin is waiting for me to finish writing so he can play chess against the computer.

Sometimes, life is good.

But this week is really going to test my resolve.  I am on business trips for the next three weeks running, and week number one sees me up in Oregon in the Pacific Northwest.  I will be on the campus of Oregon State University, so there are probably some good running routes around there.  Except that they are having huge problems with flooding and pouring rain, so much so that the university shut down yesterday (Friday), and many of the roads are closed.

But I still have the carrot of Boston and Jantastic to chase.  So I'm determined to get my runs in, even if I have to do Clea-style "go round and round this loop until I get dizzy" runs.

Because the dreadmill is truly an option of last resort.

Date	Saturday January 21st
Plan	am - 20 miles
Outcome	5am, windy.  55F at the start, dropping to 42F by the end.  Another 20 mile hillfest - Stratford, Scenic, backwards Jefferson (uphill against the wind) and some meandering around the Hyde Park neighborhood.  My legs felt a little tight this morning - not surprising, I am probably a little dehydrated since my parents (visiting from the UK) have been force-feeding me tea all week (I forgot just how much tea British folks drink).  But very pleased that we accelerated after the monster hills, and ran a nice negative split.  Run competed in 2:54:23 (8:43 average).

Date	Sunday January 22nd
Plan	am - 7 miles easy
Outcome	5:30am, 55F.  Recovery run after yesterday's 20.  Uneventful 7 miles in 59:31 (8:30 pace).  Make sure to update my Marathon Talk Jantastic submissions, then off to the airport to rainy Oregon

Date	Monday January 23rd
Plan	am - Nothing
Outcome	6am, 31F and freezing fog.  Exploratory run on the campus of Oregon State University.  Found plenty of paths and parks to crisscross the university, even though I couldn't see much through the fog.  An enjoyable 4 miles in 32:41 (8:10 pace).  It's run to run on a university campus when it's so quiet and nobody else is about.  On the other hand, I discovered I'd packed running shoes, 5 pairs of running socks, 5 pairs of running shorts and only 1 shirt.  Whoops!!!

Date	Tuesday January 24th
Plan	am - 6 miles
Outcome	6am, 39F and driving rain.  A soggy, slippery run through the OSU campus this morning, but very refreshing.  Did 5 miles in 39:31 (7:54 pace).  Good thing too, since the cooked breakfasts at the hotel are no doubt fattening me up!!!

Date	Wednesday January 25th
Plan	am - 6 miles
Outcome	6am, 52F.  What, no rain today?  After yesterday's all-day downpour and warnings of mass floodings, woke up this morning to find it mild and dry.  Even stranger is that apparently Austin is being bombarded with Noah-style rain.  Did 5 miles through the OSU campus in 40:20 (8:04 average).  The highlight was taking a sharp right turn while running through a dark park, skidding on some unseen mud and sliding several yards on my hip.  Ouch - glad nobody was around to see that.

Date	Thursday January 26th
Plan	am - 6 miles
Outcome	6am, 42F.  No rain this morning.  Ran another 5 miles through the OSU campus in 39:03 (7:48 average), then loaded up on a huge hotel breakfast that included toast, Western omelet, waffles, a danish and a cookie.  Do you see why I've run every morning that I've been here?

Date	Friday January 27th
Plan	Nothing
Outcome	6am, 25F and frosty, icy underfoot.  Cranked out another 5 miles around OSU - I've now run every day I've been here.  Cold one this morning - finished with my arms and hands like frozen chicken, and it took a good while of standing under a piping hot shower to defrost them.  Still, managed 5 miles in 38:21 (7:40 average).  Will be sorry to say goodbye to this fun route when I fly home tomorrow.  Maybe I'll sneak in another sly run before I leave for the airport.

The Road to Boston (week 3 of 16)

I hit 50 miles last week, which is something I haven't done in a while.  Consistency is paying dividends, as I had some strong runs in there, including a nice 8 miler done at 7:26 pace.

And with some cold weather forecast for this week, I am very much in my element, and hope to keep putting in some strong runs.

Date	Saturday January 14th
Plan	am - 19 miles
Outcome	5:10am, 25F.  Coldest morning of the winter resulted in me adding a pair of gloves to my standard shorts and t-shirt.  Met Clea at the bakery, and we ran down through UT and along to the trail to the rock to meet Stephanie and Teresa.  Had a relaxed Jefferson run, then Clea and I retraced our steps along the trail, back up Congress and through UT to the bakery.  Enjoyed the run and the conversation, though I did get several odd glances on the trail from folks wrapped up in coats, scarves, hats and looking like ninjas.  We did 19 miles in 2:45:47 (8:43 pace) and I felt very comfortable, though I did discover several blood blisters at the end of my toes post-run.

Date	Sunday January 15th
Plan	am - 7 miles easy
Outcome	5:30am, 30F.  Not as cold as yesterday, we did the Danish loop in reverse with some new variations.  It's amazing how different a familiar running route looks when run in reverse.  Finished out in 58:48 (8:24 pace).  Time for some coffee and biscotti.

Date	Monday January 16th
Plan	am - Nothing
Outcome

Date	Tuesday January 17th
Plan	am - 10 miles (aim for sub-8 minute miles)
Outcome	After a series of late nights working in the garage, I just didn't make it out this morning.  Settled instead for an untimed 2 mile trot around the neighborhood.  Saving myself for taking on the rabbit in tomorrow's speed run.

Date	Wednesday January 18th
Plan	am - 8 miles (aim to get under an hour)
Outcome	5am, 37F and breezy.  Some days you take a beating, and on others you hand them out.  Today I was doing the handing out.  Felt good and comfortable throughout the run and finished the 8 miles in 59:49 (7:28 average).  Was so comfortable that I almost missed ducking under the hour, but made it courtesy of a 6:50 last mile.  Am thinking of making my Marchvellous goal a sub-58 minute 8 miles on this Wednesday pace run.

Date	Thursday January 12th
Plan	am - 7 miles easy
Outcome	4:30am, 45F - positively toasty.  Relaxed 7 mile reverse Mueller loop with Clea.  Lots of good conversation, and we kept up a nice pace - 57:51 (8:15 average).

Date	Friday January 6th
Plan	Nothing
Outcome

The Road to Boston (week 2 of 16)

I had some great runs last week, which left me with confidence rising going into week 2.  Boston (and Jantastic) has given me a stackload of motivation, which translates itself into consistency, which in turn should result in faster times and better running with less effort.

2011 was not a good running year for me, but 2012 is already shaping up to be a huge improvement.

Date	Saturday January 7th
Plan	am - 20 miles hilly run
Outcome	4:30am, 55F and foggy with 97% humidity.  Met James early and we ran downtown to meet up with Clea.  Had another go at the Stratford hills, then did a Jefferson loop, and then another reverse Jefferson.  This was one of those mornings when I felt great, and the hills seemed strangely easy. Which was bizarre since the humidity was high and I was sweating like a pig.  Did 20 miles in 2:48:20 (8:25 average) and felt like I could go a lot further and a lot harder if I needed to.  Wish that happened more often.

Date	Sunday January 8th
Plan	am - 7 miles
Outcome	5:30am, 47F. Nice recovery run - 7 miles in 59:58 (8:34 pace).  I zipped up my man suit and ran 5 times this past week, so my Jantastic week 1 is at 100%.  Now I'm sitting here drinking hot chocolate and contemplating another.

Date	Monday January 9th
Plan	am - Nothing
Outcome

Date	Tuesday January 10th
Plan	am - 10 miles
Outcome	5am, 42F, cold and windy.  Did not get up when my alarm went off at 4am because little Dylan was cuddled up next to me, and I dare any dad to give that up to go run.  But I did get up at 4:30 instead to go run 7.  Legs felt heavy today and it was like I was running in slow motion.  Still, I managed to squeak under an 8 minute mile by running 55:53 (7:59 average) without really pushing.  Pretty happy with that.

Date	Wednesday January 11th
Plan	am - 8 miles (aim to get under an hour)
Outcome	5am, 34F, lovely and cold.  Legs still felt a little dead today, but apparently it didn't matter as I ran the 8 miles in 59:35 (7:26 pace).  Difficult to believe I ran a marathon at a faster pace than that.  James was my rabbit again.  Didn't catch him this morning - that boy was flying.

Date	Thursday January 12th
Plan	am - 8 miles
Outcome	4:30am, 47F at start, dropping to 37F by the end, and really windy.  The cold front blew through this morning, bringing gusty winds with it.  Met Clea for the 8 mile Mueller loop, and we battled the winds for a very nice 1:05:03 (8:07 average).

Date	Friday January 6th
Plan	Nothing
Outcome

The Road to Boston (week 1 of 16)

So here we are in the dying days of 2011.  The week between Christmas and New Year always seems such a strange kind of limbo - a time for dispensing with the old and bringing in the new.

Or combining the two, and resurrecting my old blog training log format for a new training plan.

Because here in late December, April seems such a very long way away.  But it's really only 16 weeks until the Boston marathon.  And what better way to say goodbye to 2011 than by starting Boston-specific marathon training with a bang.

Even if that bang is me struggling my way up a big hill!!!

Date	Saturday December 31st - New Year's Eve
Plan	am - 17 miles hilly run pm - enjoy date night and a Bob Schneider concert with Nancy
Outcome	5:15am, 41F and still. Met Clea downtown to kick off the Boston adventure, and we did 17 hilly miles in 2:30:37 (8:51 average). We ran Jefferson in reverse, then turned around, braved the hills of Stratford and did Jefferson again in the other direction.  A beautiful morning - I felt great, especially on the hills, and good conversation made it go by really quickly.  Nice way to finish out 2011.

Date	Sunday January 1st
Plan	am - 7 miles
Outcome	5:30am, 55F and windy. The Bob Schneider concert last night was awesome, but we didn't get home until gone 2am so it was a real effort of will to get up when the alarm went off at 5am.  Glad I did though, because this was the perfect way to set my stall for the 2012 running year.  Met Clea, and we did 7 miles in 1:00:23 (8:37 pace).  Went home, fell back into bed and slept for a good few hours.

Date	Monday January 2nd
Plan	am - Nothing
Outcome	Followed the plan exactly :-)

Date	Tuesday January 3rd
Plan	am - 10 miles (aim for 7:40 pace)
Outcome	4:45am, 27F, cold and still - great running weather.  Yes, I know I was supposed to do 10 miles, but I didn't get out until late so I ended up running 7.  I also have no idea what my time or pace was because I left my Garmin at home (yeah, I was super organized this morning), but it was cold so I'm sure it was sub-8 pace.  However, it was a beautiful run - I did a variant at the end where instead of turning off on Guadalupe I continued on to Duval and then hit the reward downhill back to the car.  Enjoyed the last of the Christmas decorations, and got the first Jantastic run in the books.  Woo hoo!!!

Date	Wednesday January 4th
Plan	am - 8 miles (aim to get under an hour)
Outcome	5am, 38F, another perfect running morning.  Met James for an 8 miler with the stated intention of going under an hour.  Did it with a 59:41 (7:27 average), with the rabbit finishing about 30 seconds ahead of me.  Kept with him until the last 2 miles when he just took off.  Thanks also to James for planting the idea in my head to get our Wednesday 8 mile times down to 56 minutes.

Date	Thursday January 5th
Plan	am - 8 miles (pace run with Clea)
Outcome	4:30am, 47F.  Got up a little early to check on the BBQ I was smoking overnight, so did the run smelling of mesquite and brisket.  We did 7 miles in 58:27 (8:27 pace). Nice run - had fun planning next weekend's long run route.  Spotted a coyote while driving home through my neighborhood.

Date	Friday January 6th
Plan	Nothing
Outcome	Pending

Three Points of Attack and Training Journal

Runners are such complicated beasts.  We are all different, with many (often conflicting) priorities, motivations and goals.  One of the challenges of coaching (and in my professional life, mentoring or managing) is figuring out how different people respond to problems or challenges, and utilizing that to help them succeed.  Some need carrots, others a big stick, and some a bit of both.

But the most difficult task is often trying to figure out what motivates yourself, and how to harness that and turn it to your advantage.

And I am probably more frustratingly complicated than your average runner.  I don't necessarily run for the love of it - if I had to quit running tomorrow, I wouldn't be heartbroken.  Sometimes it can be hard, and sometimes I really don't like it very much (like yesterday).  But at the same time it can also be euphorically uplifting and inspiring.  I've had runs which have been ethereal, attaining almost spiritual levels of detachment.  I've been privileged to run into many blood red sunrises and sunsets of breathtaking beauty, enjoyed runs lit by huge hunter's moons, and been lucky to have shared many of those runs with some great friends.

So yeah, on second thoughts I would be heartbroken if I had to give that up.

But how do I harness that?  Once you strip away all my complex layers, you're left with one prime motivational factor that I can use, and it is this:  I need and thrive on a challenge.

That's what it's always come down to for me - the exploration of the unknown, the mystery of how far I could push myself in search of a goal.  That is why I started running marathons. That is why I started running ultras, and why I completed two 100 milers.

It is also the reason my motivation to run ultras vanished once that goal was met and the mystery was gone.  I had proven it to myself.  Case closed.  Time to move on.

So to practicalities - sometimes it's good to have a bad race, because it pushes you to prove something to yourself all over.  That's where I am right now - pretty damn mad with myself, and glad I have another marathon in 4 weeks time to redeem myself.

Yes, it's irrational - I still think I made the right choice yesterday.  It was certainly not a PR day, and I had nothing to prove by enduring a sufferfest.  And 1:46 is a respectable enough half marathon time.  But sometimes irrationality is good.  It makes me want to do something about it, and it usurps my natural laziness.

I've been pondering on this all day, and I have come up with three basic areas on which I need to focus.


1. Leg strength.  This is something I definitely need to work on.  My legs are lacking in mileage and endurance.  They got fatigued far too easily on Sunday,  even allowing for the conditions.  Last year I did a lot of cross training using aerobic weights and cycling, and I need to start doing that again.  It makes all the difference to my running.  It also builds confidence, which I thrive on as a runner.  I also need to be more consistent about my midweek runs. Last year, much of my success at White Rock was based on 2 back-to-back midweek runs done at (what turned out to be) marathon goal pace (7:20/mile) - 10 miles on Tuesday, then 8 miles on Wednesday, pushing it on tired legs.

2. Nutrition.  I had thought that one of the benefits of working at home would be that I would be able to devote more time to meal preparation, but it's often had the opposite effect.  I have tended to just work through my lunch, or just grab something easy (and not that good for me).  I need to pay more attention to how I'm fueling the tank.  To run at my best, I need to drop at least 5lbs, and put back some of the muscle I'd built up last year.  Better nutrition will help me get there.

3. Accountability.  Challenge provides motivation, which in turn provides the discipline needed to train consistently, which provides the performance increase which feeds that motivation.  And so the monster grows.  Last year, I added accountability in the form of an online training journal in this blog.  Maybe I need to start that up again (see below).

I think if I can harness each of these three points, I have a great opportunity to run a great race in College Station.  Here's a jumpstart on that training journal.

It's week 1 of 4 for the BCS marathon.


Sunday November 13th
7:30am - ran the San Antonio half marathon in 1:46

pm - 30 minutes of yoga after the boys were asleep


Monday November 14th
7am - 4 hilly miles around my neighborhood (31:47 - 7:57 pace).  Warm and humid, legs felt stiff and sore - did the first mile in 7:20, and got slower the further I went.  Thinking it's time I started pushing some of these runs on tired legs.

Lunchtime - 15 minute abs workout

pm - 30 minute Bob workout 1.  Circuits.  OMG, I haven't done this in months - can't believe how out of shape I am.  Sweated (and whined) like a dog, and you can bet I'm going to be sore tomorrow.  Feel pretty awesome and pumped right now though!!!


Tuesday November 15th
5am - 7 miles (58:41 - 8:23 pace).  73F and humid.  Are we in November or August?  I was looking forward to running in some cleansing rain this morning, instead I got warm and humid.  Legs tired, unable to maintain the pace below 8 minute miles.  Got some work to do, and looking forward to the cooler weather tomorrow.

Lunchtime -  30 minutes of circuits.  Worked up a good sweat

pm - 20 minutes of spinning on the trainer after the boys went to bed


Wednesday November 16th
5:30am - 7 miles (57:05 - 8:10 pace).  59F.  OMG, I am so sore.  My abs are sore, my quads are screaming, my hamstrings are tight, and I could barely get my legs out of bed this morning.  That means that all those weights and core workouts I've been doing are having an effect.  The effect this morning was that this was a really painful run.  Thank you to James for taking it easy on me :-)

Midday - 20 minute strength workout.  Just to ensure I am completely unable to walk tomorrow.


Thursday November 17th
4:30am - 6.6 miles (56:55 - 8:36 pace).  55F and windy.  Met Clea for our usual easy-paced Thursday morning run.  Leg soreness a bit better today, nice run.

Intuition my dear Watson

Had an interesting conversation with Clea during our 16 miler on Sunday, based around a book she recently lent me - Matt Fitzgerald's "Run: The Mind-Body Method of Running by Feel". He does waffle and ramble quite a bit (just spit it out man), but his main point resonates with me.  He argues that running basically boils down to physical and mental confidence - the mental influenced by training experiences, and the physical by physiological feedback from the body to the unconscious brain (a la Noakes' central governor principle). In other words, mental confidence is what the mind thinks the body can do, whereas physical confidence is what the body knows it can do.

(Speaking of Noakes, I am still ploughing through his lengthy tome, but unless I want shoulders like Atlas it does not go well into my carry-on luggage).

Of course, these two concepts are highly correlated, and physical is a prime source of mental confidence, but his other point is that the entire aim of training is to feed both levels of confidence to go out and run the race you want. So that in turn leads on to the idea of intuition-based training - the concept that through experience, most of our knowledge of what works and what doesn't is stored on a subconscious level that we access through our intuition.

And while I am not quite ready to tear up my training plans and run free into the hills on a wild tear, I do think a bit of flexibility and personalization is needed in any set plan ("cheating" as some might say).

I am making my way through the book (devoured large chunks of it during my "airport day from hell" on Sunday), and I'm hoping to garner a lot more insight and food-for-thought from it.

Anyway, our conversation centered on the different ways people approach and run races.  Clea is very methodical and consistent.  She will have a plan, hit split times almost to the second and nail those negative splits.  If it's a good day, she'll speed up in latter stages of a race.  It is a very disciplined approach that works really well for her.

I on the other hand am not wired that way.  I don't have the same discipline, nor the same consistency.  Maybe I'm a bit of a dreamer, or just plain stupid, but I often stand at the start line of my goal races thinking "what if".  What if this is my day, what if this is the day that it all comes together for me.  How would I feel if I took it easy at the start and finished the race wondering what I could have done if I'd really gone for it.

I can tell you - I would kick myself.  But that's what motivates me.

Yes, there have been occasions (and plenty of them) when I've crashed and burned, but I will happily take all of them in return for the feeling you get when you really go for it and it all works out.  You cross that finishing line and it feels bloody fantastic, like you're floating on air!!!

Which just illustrates that different approaches work for different people, and conversely what works for one may not work for another.  We all come from different places, with different life lessons, experiences, hopes, desires and motivations.  And as it is in races, so it is with training - different plans work for different people, and there is no one-method-fits-all approach.  You just need to find what works for you, and have the courage to change it when need be.

And the book makes some interesting points about the role of the subconscious.  When I got my huge PR at White Rock, I ran the first 5 miles much faster than I had planned, but afterwards I realized that on a subconscious level I had been preparing for, and anticipating running at that speed for weeks.  At mile 5 I guess I just let myself in on the secret.  That was one of two key moments during the race.  The other was around mile 12 when I saw someone holding a sign that convinced me I was going to run a Boston qualifying time (somewhat embarrassingly, Clea informed me Sunday it was a quote from Star Wars - apparently I'd been "Yoda"ed).  For the rest of the race, I had no doubt whatsoever that I would nail it, and it really focused me on that one goal.  But would the result have been the same if I hadn't had that moment?  I will never know, but I suspect not.  I don't doubt I would still have run a good race, but I don't think I would have gotten anywhere near the time I did.

And I've always wondered how I was able to predict my finishing times in both 100 milers I've completed to within 5 minutes.  Just coincidence, or the subconscious mind playing its old tricks again?

Interesting things to ponder (and I do so love to ponder).

So putting it all to work.  Well I got back to my hotel this evening, and my intuition was telling me that I had a need for speed.  So I hit the treadmill.  Hard.  Only ran two miles, but I ran them in 11:41 (5:50 pace).

Fueled no doubt by the fact that I can't stand the treadmill.  Still, gotta be happy with that - never gone sub-6 on a run of more than a mile before (especially since I struggle so much with my long runs in this hot and muggy weather - not that I'm going to become a fan of the treadmill any time soon).

Heading out for some good ol' Louisiana cajun cooking to celebrate.

Weight a Minute

Saturday 9th July: 15 miles in 2:10:25 (8:41 pace)

A much better run this Saturday - I ate a banana beforehand, alternated water and gatorade in my handhelds, and was all round a good boy.  The run felt a lot easier, and I had plenty left in the tank, despite the temps being in the 80s at 5:30am.  Just as well because the mileage goes up to 16 next weekend!!!

Weighed myself after the run for the first time in forever, and found I was 155lbs.  And that's after a 15 mile hot and humid run where I could have expected to lose a few pounds.  When I ran White Rock back in December, I was lean and mean at 145.  Surely it can't be all the yummy brisket I smoked the other week?  Or the equally yummy carrot cake I polished off for my birthday?  Or the ice cream I've been enjoying before bed most nights?  No, I blame all the hot hotel breakfasts and restaurant dinners from all the traveling I've been doing recently - those egg and cheese omelettes with sausage gravy are pure evil.

But delicious.

Hee hee, whatever it is I intend to be back down to 145 in time to Rock and Roll in San Antonio come November.  But I also enjoy eating, so I guess I may just have to add in some cross training to make up for it.  It was due to be added back into the schedule anyway - aerobic weights, core training and the bike trainer all made a huge difference to my running last year.

So after we put the boys to bed tonight I hopped back on the bike and did a quick 30 minutes of high cadence pedaling while watching all the spectacular crashes from today's Tour de France.

It's been a busy weekend with very little sleep last night, so I'm off to bed to dream of cheese omelettes with sausage gravy!!!

The Calves are Mooing

Saturday 2nd July: 14 miles in 2:06:15 (9:01 pace)
Sunday 3rd July: 8 miles in 1:10:15 (8:47 pace)
Monday 4th July: 8 miles in 1:10:34 (8:49 pace)

I think I dehydrated myself on Saturday's run because both my calves have been sore ever since, and they're only now getting back to normal.  They felt like they were about to cramp during the last few miles and never did, but I did feel like I was very close to overheating when I got home (for a 14 mile run at 9 minute mile pace?  WTF!!!?).  I hobbled around Saturday afternoon, but managed decent enough runs on both Sunday and Monday, all of them slap bang in the middle of my target pace zone for base building.

The weather helped because it was noticeably less humid than Saturday, which was somewhat of a relief.

Yesterday was my birthday, and the odometer clicked over to 38.  Limping around with sore calves I felt every single one of those 38 years.  And as one of my running friends pointed out, I'm edging ever so slightly closer to the "masters runner" age category.

I think I'm going to make a brilliantly grumpy old man!!!

After my early morning run, I watched the day's action in the Tour de France and then took Gavin hiking at Walnut Creek.  The temperatures had gotten up into triple digits, but we did a good 4 miles with our camelbaks, ran all the fun downhills, chatted our heads off, and enjoyed just being with each other.  After some quality time on the swings, we headed back home to get Nancy and Dylan, and then back to Walnut Creek to go swimming at the pool.

I had a great birthday, though I must admit I crashed hard last night.

More travel on the cards this week.  This time I'm teaching a two day class in North Texas, which means more of those boring treadmill runs.  Boo hiss.

San Antonio Stroll: Week 4 of 23

It's been a tough week, with travel and long hours at work cutting into my training plans. At least I'll be at home this week, so I'll have less excuses. Coming up this week, I notice I've started to add in some midweek 10 milers. Whatever happens on race day, at least I won't be able to claim I don't have a base.

On the other hand, the 6:50 treadmill run this week made me wonder how I could possibly hold on to that pace for 26.2 miles. I'm wondering if maybe the sub-3 goal is a little out of my range. Oh well, I'll still aim for it and see how it plays out.

Saturday

Required Mileage	Required Pace
14 miles	8:30 to 9:00
Actual Mileage	Actual Time/Pace
0 miles	N/A

Notes: Ah, real life intervenes. Had to work today, and if I don't make my early morning run I'm not going to carve out any time later in the day. No worries - we're that far out from San Antonio that missing this run doesn't matter that much.


Sunday

Required Mileage	Required Pace
7 miles	7:59 to 8:30
Actual Mileage	Actual Time/Pace
7 miles	58:40 (8:23 pace)

Notes: 5:30am, 78F and really humid. Felt good, and enjoyed the run.  Maybe I'm acclimatizing to the heat (or maybe that's just wishful thinking).  Thought we were booking it at one point, but turns out we were only doing 8:23 pace.  Go figure :-)


Monday

Required Mileage	Required Pace
4 miles	7:42 to 8:10
Actual Mileage	Actual Time/Pace
4 miles	No idea

Notes: 6:15pm, 102F. Met up with some buddies I haven't seen in a while to run the trails at Bull Creek. It was good to catch up, though it was brutally hot, especially on the ridge.  I didn't take my Garmin, and didn't even start my watch - just enjoyed the run.  I led the way, and felt like I pushed it at some points, but that's probably wishful thinking on my part.  Wore my camelbak, which I don't really like that much because I can't pour water over my head to cool off.  We did cool off afterwards with a few beers and a good old chin wag though.  Good times,.


Tuesday

Required Mileage	Required Pace
10 miles	7:59 to 9:00
Actual Mileage	Actual Time/Pace
10 miles	1:26:22 (8:38 pace)

Notes: 4:20am, 80F and humid enough to drown a cat.  Embraced the idea of base building this morning, and slowed the pace down.  Am very proud of my self restraint, and found a nice little rhythm I could zone out into.  First midweek 10 miler in a while, felt good.  Drenched by the end - shoes and socks felt (and sounded) like I'd been jumping in puddles.  Note to self - 10 miles seems to be about the upper limit of the "one handheld bottle" range in this weather.


Wednesday

Required Mileage	Required Pace
4 miles	7:42 to 8:10
Actual Mileage	Actual Time/Pace
10 miles	1:29:06 (8:54 pace)

Notes: 4:30am, 75F and humid.  Ok, so I switched my days around (and added on a few extra few miles).  As Clea said, "I can't believe you're cheating on your own plan"!!!.  Yes, I will admit it - I am a blatant tinkerer (though I prefer the term "personalizing" - haha).  I will run 4 tomorrow instead of 8, but it's always good to have company for these early morning runs, and as Clea had 10 on the schedule for today, it made sense to jump on in.  Nice run, easy pace, good base building, lots of conversation, happy days.  Still drenched by the end, with soggy shoes and socks - summer in Texas.


Thursday

Required Mileage	Required Pace
8 miles	7:59 to 9:00
Actual Mileage	Actual Time/Pace
0 miles	N/A

Notes: Didn't happen. Was up working on an emergency project until 2am. Glad I switched the mileage around and did 10 for the last two days. Maybe I'll do 4 tomorrow morning.


Friday
Rest Day

San Antonio Stroll: Week 3 of 23

I'm on the road again this week, so my midweek runs will be confined to the treadmill. Since 4 miles seems to be my treadmill patience limit, I have altered my training plan accordingly and simply upped the pace to compensate for the shorter distance.


Saturday

Required Mileage	Required Pace
14 miles	8:30 to 9:30
Actual Mileage	Actual Time/Pace
14 miles	2:02:00 (8:42 pace)

Notes: 5am, 79F and humid.  Did an initial 6 mile extended Enfield before looping back to the rock and joining up with my friends for an 8 mile Jefferson.  Been feeling a bit under the weather for the last few days, and wasn't in the best frame of mind for a long run.  Felt pretty drained by the end and was glad to be done.


Sunday

Required Mileage	Required Pace
8 miles	7:59 to 8:30
Actual Mileage	Actual Time/Pace
7 miles	59:34 (8:31 pace)

Notes: 5:30am, 76F and breezy. The breeze actually helped keep the humidity at bay this morning, and I enjoyed a fun Danish run with Clea. She bought me a copy of Tim Noakes "Lore of Running", which I will enjoy perusing while I'm on the road this week.


Monday

Required Mileage	Required Pace
4 miles (treadmill)	7:00 to 7:30
Actual Mileage	Actual Time/Pace
4 miles	29:31 (7:23 pace)

Notes: Another long day - up at 4am to drive to Lewisville.  I'll sleep well tonight.  Hit the treadmill at the hotel after work and felt tired.  Dialed it back to the lower end of my pace range, then headed out to my favorite local Italian eatery for supper.  Sitting here in my hotel room about to delve into Noakes and watching the sky outside that is promising the mother of all rain storms.


Tuesday

Required Mileage	Required Pace
4 miles (treadmill)	sub-7
Actual Mileage	Actual Time/Pace
4 miles	27:36 (6:54 pace)

Notes: Do I really think I can hold this pace for 26.2 miles?  Hmm, we'll see.  Stranger things have happened....I guess.


Wednesday

Required Mileage	Required Pace
4 miles (treadmill)	7:00 to 7:30
Actual Mileage	Actual Time/Pace
0 miles	N/A

Notes: Didn't leave the client site until nearly midnight. Needless to say, didn't get to run.


Thursday

Required Mileage	Required Pace
4 miles (treadmill)	Sub-7
Actual Mileage	Actual Time/Pace
0 miles	N/A

Notes: Another late work night, followed by a 4 hour drive back to Austin. I am one tired puppy.


Friday
Added a Friday run into the schedule to make up for the days I'd missed this week.  Did 7 miles with Clea in 58:58 (8:25 pace), and got told off for breaking my own training rules and scheduling some fast runs on the treadmill while I'm still in base building phase.  Of course she's right, but sometimes it's so hard to reign in your own ego.  That's the big advantage of having a training partner who can call you out when you do something stupid (of course, for me that's 95% of the time - haha).

This morning, I took a break from shirtless running (all of Austin rejoiced) and wore a new running shirt a manufacturing company sent me.  They wanted me to road test a tech shirt specifically designed for hot conditions.  Yours truly - little welsh boy who runs hot, sweats like a pig and lives in Texas is an obvious test candidate.  It felt ok during the run, but it did retain a lot of moisture and got significantly heavier the further we went (and it was "only" 74F this morning).  When I finished the run, we noticed it was absolutely saturated (see the picture below).  Despite that, I liked the shirt - it has a very smart look and design, and I can see myself wearing it casually, or during winter runs.  It may not be enough to cool my werewolf nature during summer runs though.

San Antonio Stroll: Week 2 of 23

Saturday

Required Mileage	Required Pace
13 miles	8:30 to 9:30
Actual Mileage	Actual Time/Pace
12 miles	1:42:15 (8:31 pace)

Notes: 5:30am, 78F and humid.  Start at 43rd and Duval, down through UT, Town Lake North shore, Scenic Drive to 35th, looping back to Duval.  Whoops, thought I was supposed to do 12 miles today.  Not a bad run, but not great either.  Never got into a rhythm, and never felt I had that extra gear, but as this is base building I'm not worried about the pace.  Got the run out of the way, now we're headed down to Galveston.


Sunday

Required Mileage	Required Pace
8 miles	7:59 to 8:30
Actual Mileage	Actual Time/Pace
6 miles	47:46 (7:57 pace)

Spotted in the harbor on Galveston island

Notes: 8:30pm, 85F and really humid.  You would have thought that spending a few days being salty toasted sea dogs, spending hours in the sea and the hotel pool would have worn out my two boys, but instead it seems to have invigorated them.  I was going to get up early this morning and run, but Dylan beat me to it and I wasn't heartless enough to leave Nancy to chase him around a hotel room for an hour.  So we spent a brilliant day splashing in the waves, swimming in the pool, eating ice cream and exploring Galveston island.  By around 8pm, Nancy thought Dylan was just about out of it, so I took the opportunity to jump out the door and get in a few miles.  I ran the mile or so down to the sea wall, and then ran alongside the ocean for a few miles.  The heat of the day was still in the air, but there was a cooling breeze off the sea that made it slightly more tolerable.  The almost full moon was reflecting off the water, and the seawall was crowded.  I didn't have time for the full 8 miles, so I turned around at 3 miles and retraced my steps.  With about a mile to go, I turned away from the sea and back toward the hotel, at which point I lost the breeze and realized what a warm and muggy night it really was.  Was glad to be done, and pleased I'd managed a sub-8 minute mile run.  Got back to the room to discover both boys still awake and lively.  Decided I needed to cool off, and invited Gavin to come down to the pool with me for another night swim (last night I took both boys for a night swim).  We swam around together, told stories and watched the moon.  It was a great end to a great day.  He's now fast asleep on the pillow next to me.  Think I'll join him.


Monday

Required Mileage	Required Pace
4 miles (optional)	7:42 to 8:20
Actual Mileage	Actual Time/Pace
0 miles	N/A

Notes: Long drive back from Galveston. Took an off day.


Tuesday

Required Mileage	Required Pace
8 miles	7:59 to 8:30
Actual Mileage	Actual Time/Pace
8 miles	1:05:44 (8:13 pace)

Notes: 4:30am, 76F and humid.  Hot and sweaty 8 miles - better get used to it because this is what the next few months will be.  Ran right in the middle of my pace zone - legs felt a little leaden but no problems keeping it going.

Cross Training: PM - did 30 minutes of core work


Wednesday

Required Mileage	Required Pace
4 miles	7:42 to 8:20 (or recovery)
Actual Mileage	Actual Time/Pace
0 miles	N/A

Notes: Skipped - bad wolf*!!!


Thursday

Required Mileage	Required Pace
8 miles	7:59 to 8:30
Actual Mileage	Actual Time/Pace
8 miles	1:05:13 (8:09 pace)

Notes: 4:30am, 78F and humid as all hell.  Twisted my ankle about half a mile into the run, being my typical clumsy old self.  Kept plodding away in the knowledge that the deposits I make now (and for the rest of the summer) can be cashed in with interest come November.  It's kind of sad though that I could run a 7:20/mile marathon 6 months ago, and now I feel I'm pushing and am lucky to break 8.  Dang Texas summertime - that sub-3 hour marathon seems a very long way away right now!!!


Friday
Rest Day



* obscure Doctor Who reference

San Antonio Stroll: Week 1 of 23

Week 1 of my training plan for the San Antonio Rock & Roll marathon. This is going to be a good indication of my commitment to the cause because I'm going to be traveling to Flower Mound all week, which probably means I'm going to have to hit the dreaded treadmill at the hotel. To counter that, I've loaded up the ipod with a bunch of podcasts, including Marathon Talk, This American Life and the Jillian Michaels Show.

I hope it works because I hate the treadmill!!!


Saturday

Required Mileage	Required Pace
12 miles	8:30 to 9:00
Actual Mileage	Actual Time/Pace
12 miles	1:42:39 (8:33 pace)

Notes: 5:30am, 76F, Mueller. A nice breeze this morning, kicked off my season with a relaxed 12 miler with Clea.  Warning to all Austin residents - I suspect most of my runs for the next few months will be shirtless!!!


Sunday

Required Mileage	Required Pace
7 miles	7:59 to 8:30
Actual Mileage	Actual Time/Pace
7 miles	57:28 (8:12 pace)

Notes: 5:30am, 69F, Danish route with Clea.  Another nice run - we picked up the pace the further we went and definitely pulled a negative split.  Once again comfortably in the middle of my pace range without expending too much effort - we never pushed to the extent that we shifted out of conversation zone.  I seem to be in a lot better shape than I was this time last year - this bodes well.


Monday

Required Mileage	Required Pace
4 miles	7:42 to 8:20
Actual Mileage	Actual Time/Pace
4 miles	29:26 (7:21 pace)

Notes: 5:30pm, hotel treadmill at 1.5% incline.  OK, so I cheated and ran faster than I should have, but I hate running on the treadmill so I give it a bit of "hurry up".  Long day today - was on the road at 4:30 this morning to drive to Lewisville.  Checked into the hotel this evening, unpacked and headed straight for the fitness room - had it all to myself, and wondered why it felt so warm.  When I finished, I discovered that somebody had turned the heater on - it was 85F in there!!!


Tuesday

Required Mileage	Required Pace
8 miles	7:59 to 8:30
Actual Mileage	Actual Time/Pace
4 miles	27:33 (6:53 pace)

Notes: Time is a strange beast.  When you're watching your family grow it moves so quickly, when you run a race it can be your enemy, and when you're on the road you sometimes don't have enough of it.  Today I was supposed to run 8 miles, but I didn't get back to the hotel until late so I decided to do a fast 4 miles on the treadmill instead. Managed to hold marathon pace for the whole distance, and beat yesterday's time by nearly 2 minutes.  I still hate running on the treadmill.  Good run though - gives me some hope I can actually go out and hold that pace in November.


Wednesday

Required Mileage	Required Pace
4 miles	7:42 to 8:20
Actual Mileage	Actual Time/Pace
4 miles	29:21 (7:20 pace)

Notes: Beautiful blood red sunset tonight.  I drove into Dallas for dinner and a few beers with my buddy and his wife, so I really had to steel myself to go run when I got back to the hotel.  But I did it!!!  I dialed the pace way back from yesterday and ran really comfortably while catching up on my Marathon Talk podcasts.  Maybe I'll make my weeks away from home my speed weeks.


Thursday

Required Mileage	Required Pace
8 miles	7:59 to 8:30
Actual Mileage	Actual Time/Pace
4 miles	27:21 (6:50 pace)

Notes: Ah, the irony of the treadmill - it makes me push the pace to get done before I die of boredom.  But it seems to be working - tonight I ran 4 miles just under marathon goal pace (6:50) and it felt a lot easier than a few days ago.  I really think that doing these short, hard, fast treadmill runs are helping me.  I think this will become my plan for those weeks I'm on the road.  All in all, pretty satisfied with my first week of marathon training.  Now I'm off to enjoy a real gem of an Italian restaurant I found here in Lewisville.  I ate there Tuesday night, and it was wonderful - the only Italian restaurant I've ever been to that I can confidently say makes a better pasta dish than I do.


Friday
Rest Day

San Antonio Rose

Deep within my heart lies a melody
A song of old San Antone.

Though actually it's more rock and roll than country, because today saw the start of my training plan for November's San Antonio Rock & Roll marathon.  It is my goal race for this year, and my lofty aim is to try and run a sub-3 hour marathon - that equates to roughly a 6:50 average pace.  A pipe dream perhaps, but if you're going to set a goal you may as well aim high. The plan I designed is partly based on the concepts I learned at the RRCA coaching class, and partly on things I know to have worked for me in the past.  It is a 23 week schedule, split into three phases - 13 weeks of base building, 7 weeks of sharpening and 3 weeks of tapering that takes me up to race day.

I have given myself a specific pace range for every run from now until November.  This morning my schedule dictated 12 miles at an 8:30 to 9:00 pace, and I averaged 8:33.  In the base building phase, we concentrate mostly on building mileage, and don't really worry about the pace - that comes in the sharpening phase (though I simply refuse to slow down to the extent that the RRCA recommends and have cheated on my pace ranges accordingly).  The plan calls for me to run 6 days a week (Fridays are rest days), with long run progressions on Saturday and alternating short to medium distance runs midweek at varying paces (I hit the short 4 mile runs harder than the longer ones).  I will add in cross training (yoga, weights, core and the bike trainer) on hard run days as I see fit.

I put a similar plan together for Clea (my regular running buddy), who is also running San Antonio and shooting for a 3:20.  Again I cheated and made all of our weekend runs the same distance and pace (it's so much easier to do those 20+ milers when you have somebody to run with), and left in our fun Sunday morning Danish runs (can I build treats from a bakery into a training plan?).


I'm in two minds about whether or not to publish my weekly training plan/log on the blog.  I did it for White Rock last year, and it worked pretty well for me.  What do you think - anyone interested in seeing how many runs I skip, or reading my sarcastic rants, moans and curses about Texas heat and humidity?