Dead Legs and a Long Run

Tuesday I had the XMP weekly workout, which was three reps of the "double silencer," basically going up a hill and down the other side, then turning around and going up and down again. I was pretty happy with the effort and got in a great workout. It was about two miles of hard running.

Wednesday I lifted for the first time in forever, and despite trying to take it super easy I was so sore the next few days after I could barely run. My legs just felt like bricks. I did a mid-week longer run of 10 on Thursday and couldn't get going very fast so I just got through it at around 7.10/mi. Friday was more of the same on an easier run.

I was pretty worried about completing my long run on Saturday with my legs feeling so shitty, but nonetheless I set my alarm for 5:40 am and headed out the door for Barnes and Noble in Bethesda to meet the group. It was a 14 mile run with an interesting course: some CCT, some Rock Creek, and two altered Mormon Temple loops in the second half. I actually felt great throughout the run, and got stronger during the hill loop section. Felt solid and strong going back up the CCT to end the run.

Got in 55 for the week, looking for something similar or a bit more next week depending on whether or not I take a day off.

Injury + Marathon

The last two weeks have been a bit frustrating due to some significant shin pain that got a lot worse after the cross country 5k I did a week and a half ago. After a few days off I went to an orthopedist who gave me the very relieving diagnosis of posterior tibial tendonitis, and after a different shoe approach, some anti-inflammatories, and a ton of mental relief I'm pretty much 100% pain free at this point.

This past weekend was the first long run for the experienced marathon program Danny and I are doing (ironic, since neither of us have ever run a marathon). I wouldn't say it went well, but I did stay up fairly late the night before and have a little too much to drink...lesson learned. I could do that shit in college but it doesn't look like I can handle it anymore at the advanced age of 25. Either way, I got in 15 strong miles and am ready to hit it again next week.

Tonight, however, was the big night where I actually committed. I've paid the non-refundable entry fee for the Philadelphia Marathon on November 17th. Time to sack up and finally get this whole marathon thing going. Stay tuned...

Run with the June Bugs 5k

I ran another cross country race this past Friday. It had rained heavily the previous two days, and when coupled with the fact that I'm in way worse shape than I was in October 2009 I knew I had no shot at my PR for the course of 18:02. But, there were standings points to be gained and I can never turn down an XC race. So I was all in.

I started out feeling pretty good, although I let Danny and the small pack of runners chasing him go pretty much right away. I knew the soggy ground and copious amounts of grass on the course would zap me at some point, and I had no intention of blowing up halfway through. So I stuck behind Jordan and stayed relaxed through the first mile.

The pack of four ahead began to decouple and I hoped to catch a couple off the back and sneak into one of the top spots, but it wasn't to be today. Jordan built throughout the race and finished third after he caught Danny, and I couldn't muster enough to catch some high school kid who died halfway and stumbled his way to the finish. Despite my best efforts, my last mile was pretty slow and I did my best to hold it together with Mark Whalley hot on my tail. I was able to hold him off to finish sixth, and fifth in the points as the high school kid ahead of me wasn't a member.

I was pretty happy with the effort. The time was terrible (over 19), but I definitely feel as though I've improved every race and I'm on the way back to something resembling respectable.

Getting Faster...or Better Weather?

The recent heat really wore me down as I'm sure it did most runners in the D.C. area over the last week or two. I did 16 on Friday and really fell apart in the last four miles, with the last mile being a death march of sorts. Feeling pretty worn down over the weekend, but thanks to an ice bath Saturday night and a slightly faster pace than I've been doing on a run with Danny George on Sunday I went into the week feeling rejuvenated.

Tuesday evening I headed over to Lock 7 for my now weekly 10 miler on the Canal. I'm trying to do these a bit faster than my easy run pace to try and get used to running a little quicker, but nothing close to tempo yet. Last week I ran a little under 7.00/mile at 69.12 and it was pretty tough. This week was much, much better, I'm sure partly due to the cooler temperatures. After averaging around 7.00 for the first four miles, I ramped up the intensity and finished at 66.49 for 6.41 pace. The last three miles were under 6.30, so nothing special but certainly some progress.

Last week was 60 miles, and I plan for this one to be 60 as well.

Back to the Blog

I'm going to resurrect this blog from the dead as I attempt to train for a fall marathon. My running has slowly been on the decline over the past two years due to various factors such as inconsistent training, lack of motivation, injuries, and work conflicts. The first 3+ months of 2013, I barely ran at all and was horribly out of shape. Since the second week of April, however, I'm back on the horse and training well. I'm way ahead of where I was, but still have a lot to accomplish to get back to where I'd like to be.

Since I've been back running again, I've participated in the American Odyssey Relay as part of an ultra team and "raced" the following: Spin in the Woods 8k, Run Aware 5k, Run for the Animals 5k, and the Memorial 4 Miler. Its been difficult humbling myself to the point where I can hold my head up high and get out there for these, but they have been instrumental in progressing my fitness more quickly. My initial goal was to run the Twilighter in under 30:00 and take it from there, but it looks like I'm far ahead of schedule on that front.

I've mainly been doing base mileage since I began running again, with an emphasis on the long run. I've stepped up from 12 miles initially the week after the relay to 14 and now 16 last week. I'll do 16 again this week and try to do it a little faster. I've also started hitting the track just for some fast strides in spikes as a form of leg prep. I could definitely feel the benefit during the race earlier this week. I'll alternate those with some hills and begin some light workouts in the next two weeks.

The picture above is from my most recent race on Memorial Day.

Weekly Mileage in May:
4/29-5/5: 40
5/6-5/12: 50
5/13-5/19: 55
5/20-5/26: 60

Ready for Cherry Blossom

The last few months have a been a roller coaster for my running. Although I've had periods of time where I've lost motivation, the last month or so has been pretty good (with the exception of the week of St. Patrick's Day). My long run today shows me that I'm definitely ready for Cherry Blossom and I attribute a few key workouts along the way that have gotten me to where I need to be.

1) On the last day of February I worked out with Andrew Utas. We did 2 x 1000, 800, 4 x 400 with a few sets of 4 x 150 splitting it all up. I was ready to hit 78-79 second laps but came through in 3.05, 3.06, 2.25, 69, 68, 67, 64. This workout reminded me that I can run fast--and having someone running the same workout way faster than me gave me the motivation to run faster in my workouts.

2) March 19th: Speedwork. I've always felt that if I'm in a bit of a rut a good speed workout will snap my legs back into action. After a lackluster several days I got out on the track late on a Saturday night and went to work. 24 reps of 200s, 250s, and 150s. My last 150, although untimed, was likely sub-20 seconds, and in flats to top it off. Since this workout I've been on the up and up.

3) Last Wednesday evening I ran from work to the Turkey Branch loop along the Matthew Henson Trail. I started off with 5 x 1k with 60 seconds rest @ a relaxed pace and it felt phenomenal. I timed only the fifth and ran about 3.25 slightly uphill. 5.30 pace was feeling easier than it had in months. I then jogged 1k and went into a 5k trying to hit goal CB pace, or 5.40s. Right as I started the wind picked up, blowing hard right into my face. I powered through only for a heavy downpour to begin. Already in the 40s, it got cold but I clenched my teeth and went. All in all I ran 17.29 with a final mile of 5.26 and a last 1k of 3.20--I couldn't have been more pleased.

4) And the final piece of the puzzle--putting it all together for a sustained effort. I went to the Canal today for a 12 miler...not a long run by any means but a chance to just run fast for a while without interruption. I think because I've spent so much time on the track doing fast stuff in the last month, my legs decided to go a bit faster than they should have for an hour plus run. I stopped @ 5.5 to use the bathroom and again @ 9 because I was just plain tired, but other than these unplanned pit stops I was extremely satisfied with the run. The total time was 71:34 and the middle ten miles, which is where I went hard, were 58.23--I'll take it! Miles 4-11 were all @ 5.50 or under, with the last hard mile in 5.36 (albeit downhill).

I'll do a tuneup workout likely on Thursday morning...but other than that I'm ready.

Back to Training

I'm getting back up to speed quickly. I tested the waters with a bit of speedwork last week, then a 12 miler on Monday finishing up @ sub-6.00 pace, then 2k, 6 x 1k tonight on a road loop. Took one minute break and timed only the last one (3.15). Very happy with my progress after being pretty inactive for almost two weeks.

I'll get up way too early on Sunday morning and hike up to Olney for the Country Road 5M, but probably use it as a tempo effort. Still looking for the St. Patrick's Day 8k to be my first race after missing the LTRYW 5k due to being sick. Excited to see what I can do Sunday!

Highs and Lows

The last month has been a roller coaster. On January 12th I did a monster workout on a three mile road loop. I did two loops with six sets of 2 min on, 1 min off, 1 min on, 30 sec off, 1 min on, 30 sec off. The first loop was 18.29, second was 17.20. I felt phenomenal with the last mile in the 5.30s.

That Saturday I raced the Shooting Starr 6k, a race I was prepared for and planned to nail. Sections of the course were covered in snow and ice and my shins tightened up in the first half mile. The race was over for me pretty quickly...I had nothing.

The next week I ran a phenomenal 16 miler. In slush and mud I ran 9 miles on the Old Anglers trails at a high effort before heading out on the Canal for 7 miles @ 6.14 pace on a very soft and slushy towpath. I wasn't trying to make this a tempo effort, just to get in a hard long run. This was my best long run in a long, long time.

Only a few days later I came down with a bad cough and cold and its limited my running for the last 10 days or so. I haven't been able to do a workout in over a week and my only goal at this point is to get healthy and running consistently again. I'm on the rebound so by the end of the week I hope to be back to a more normal schedule.

Workouts Workouts Workouts

I've been hitting the workouts hard this week. My mileage has been relatively low...but I haven't done a long run since Christmas (I plan to do 16 on Monday) and I've been making sure to recover properly from my workouts.

Monday was long intervals @ Towers...3 x 2k and 2 x 1k around the loop (so full loops and half loops) and it went very well. I was a bit worried about keeping pace for intervals this long since I've been doing so much shorter stuff but I felt great. I like working out on grass so much better than road or track. Didn't time anything.

Wednesday I ran 8 in just under 50 minutes with 5 @ 28.41 in the middle. I was please with the splits on this run but there was a lot of stopping for various reasons (stoplights, etc. going toward Silver Spring on the CCT). I'll take a 5.32 in the middle of an 8 miler at this point though, so no complaints.

Friday I headed over to Georgetown Prep after work and did 4 x 200, 4 x 300, 8 x 250, 2 x 150, 4 x 200 with short rest. I felt great, felt smooth and strong at a reasonable pace on most and went 60%+ with an extended leg lift on 250s # 3 and 6. Finished feeling very fit. Didn't time anything here, either.

Once I start to nail the long run consistently, I'll be well on my way.

2011

2010: 2,913.5 miles

2010 was a good year for me. I ran several PRs and had success in my training for the most part (the summer was my one hiccup). I explored new training techniques and learned a lot about what I need to do to get faster. I'm confident that in 2011 I'll reach a new level in my racing as well.

I've been somewhat lazy recently--not in terms of actual running but in terms of workouts. Its been a busy time so I've been doing workouts much less frequently. That being said I feel as if the workouts I have done were done well. Once my schedule gets a little less hectic in the next few weeks I'll probably get back to doing three quality days per week instead of the 1-2 I've been doing the last month or so.

I took New Year's Day off completely and spent it just relaxing. I didn't necessarily need a day off but I'm always told thats the best time to take one. I got right back on the horse today with 11 miles split into two runs. I'll be at Towers tomorrow for a long interval workout. Six weeks until my first big race!

The Long Run

Fast long run--first attempt in about a month. I ran from Bethesda down the Crescent Trail to Beach Drive and back. Set out for 14 miles cutting down to 8 fast miles in the middle of the run. The fast 8 were 47.45 and the 10 miles from 2-11 were 60.28 so this was definitely a productive day. In addition the overall pace of this run was only one second per mile slower than my half marathon in September and this was a mile longer--very happy about that. Splits: 7.11, 6.22, 6.21, 5.56, 5.57, 5.58, 5.53, 6.01, 6.00, 6.08, 5.52, 6.41, 6.30, 6.25.

Jingle Bell Jog 8k

I ran the Jingle Bell Jog 8k on Sunday morning. I decided to run this race at the last minute and I intended for it to act as a hard 5 mile tempo run to work on strength. I settled into the pack from the start and tried to stay within reach of the leaders the entire race which worked well. I wasn't intending to kick in this race but with 800 to go I was still with the lead pack so I decided to try and win the race. I took off right before the last turn and went full speed up the steep hill to the finish. It was such a dramatic change in speed that no one was able to react fast enough. I won the race by four seconds.

I ended up running 28:42 for 5:47 pace. On this course I'm pretty happy with the time and how it felt--I felt very relaxed through 3.5 miles and still in control past that point. It was also good practice to run in a tight pack for five miles--and a lot of fun to say the least since I do almost all of my workouts and long runs alone.

This will probably be my last "race" for a while (unless I decide to do a New Years Day race) so for now it will be back to training hard. I found out on Sunday night that I got into the Cherry Blossom 10 miler so that will be my focus (along with Pike's Peek) for the next several months.

Speedwork. Finally.

I finally did some speedwork on Thursday morning and it was fantastic. I went to Aspen Hill Park in Rockville (?) to do the workout on a 684 meter grass loop I'd measured out on Tuesday. The 1.5 mile out and back section of the Rock Creek trail that starts at the park is great for warmups/cooldowns and the loop is pretty runnable with good (but not perfect) footing. Cross country at its finest.

I did 4 x 200 (100j) @ 40%, 8 x 150 (100j) @ 60%, 4 x 200 (100j) @ 40%. It felt awesome and I really got moving on the 150s despite it being about 25 degrees outside with considerable wind. I put on my new cross country spikes for the 150s which really helped accelerate the workout as I've been doing basically all of my running in full weight trainers for the last several months.

I also began lifting again this week which will be a huge positive I think. I'm a bit sore but once I get in the rhythm I think I'm gonna start feeling a lot stronger on my runs.

Phase 2

Today markes the last day of my initial training phase. This consisted of almost exclusively longer runs with pickups in the middle ranging from 0.5 miles to 2 miles as well as a fast long run. After a disappointing long run today I know I still need to work on strength and will continue to do so...but its time to incorporate some faster stuff as well.

This coming week I will replace one of my interval/fartlek/pickup workouts with a shorter, faster track-style workout. This will serve as leg prep for faster interval workouts I'll likely begin in February. This should also give me a little zip to help improve my pacing on longer workouts--so I'm very anxious to get started.

Turkey Chase 10k

I ran the Turkey Chase 10k this morning in Bethesda. After trying to take the race pretty seriously last year (and failing to run well) I decided to run it as a workout this year and just try to have fun. I set out to run 5:45s but more importantly get in a good, hard 6 miler staying relaxed throughout. I ended up running about 36:24 (5:52 pace) which I'm pretty happy with as I felt strong from start to finish.

This race is always a blast with all of the familiar faces around and this year did not disappoint. I ended up running the first four miles with Sam which was really fun, and also very helpful as he kept me focused and on pace.

Gearing Back Up

After a tough and unsuccessful summer filled with injuries, unbearable weather, a new work schedule, and concluding with a joke of a half-marathon at Parks, I've begun to gear back up for spring racing. My goal peak races for the spring are the Cherry Blossom 10 miler on April 3rd and Pike's Peek 10k on April 17th.

My training in the last two months has been a little different than usual. I've incorporated a lot of faster running in the form of fartleks and pickups into my base phase as well as my staple fast long run. I've also kept my recovery days short and easy (4-6 miles) which has allowed me to make my quality days really count.

After a bit of a training hiccup over Veteran's Day weekend with a trip to Vassar I'm back on track, having completed a 12 miler on Saturday with the middle 9 miles in 53:53 and a faster workout tonight consisting of some hill repeats and a few 1600 and 800 repeats both uphill and downhill on the Capital Crescent Trail between mile 2 and 3.

Week 36

I finally got some good volume in this week--although partly accidental because I was not planning to double Saturday, but did anyway because Danny George wanted to run. No complaints there.

After my long run Tuesday I did ten on Friday evening involving a workout of sorts. I ran from the gym to Rock Creek cutting up to the Trolley trail at Grosvenor ending up at Georgetown Prep. On the way to Prep I did a few sections (1.2 miles, 0.8 miles, 0.55 miles) @ 40% which felt great. My guess is I was running around 5.40 pace but who knows.

At Prep I got on the track and did 2 sets of 4 x 200 (100j) just to get my legs moving. The reps felt quick, possibly in the 31-33 range. I then headed back to the gym and lifted.

As long as I continue hitting good miles and incorporating harder and harder workouts I think I'll be ready for racing once September hits.

Totals:
Week 36: 68
August: 129

ADVENTURE Long Run

I went on an interesting long run today. I meant to get up early to do 14 before it got hot...but one thing led to another and I only got started at 9:50. I was planning to begin at Fletcher's Boathouse and incorporate Glover-Archibold Park into my run at some point. Due to rush hour traffic I ended up just parking at Chain Bridge because it was just much easier.

I planned to run across the Bridge to the Canal but noticed the "Potomac Heritage Trail" which looked enticing. The marker showed four miles to Teddy Roosevelt Island which I've always wanted to run around so I decided to take the trail. Bad idea. It was basically not runable for the first three of the four miles which was very frustrating. I'd be surprised if I averaged faster than 8:30 or 9 minute pace on the first four miles of the run.

I got to TR Island and enjoyed a few different loops around the trails before taking a GU and some water at the fountain and continuing south on the Mt. Vernon trail. I eventually crossed over into D.C. on the Arlington Memorial Bridge. I made my way to Georgetown and took a break there, desperately in need of water as temperatures had reached the mid 90s by this point in the run.

I continued north on the Canal toward Chain Bridge and was finally able to get some water at Fletcher's 12.5 miles into the run. It was just a short jaunt from there and I was finally done.

It was definitely fun to do a cool new loop like this--although I was ill-prepared and not in the kind of shape I need to be in for long distance running. I've got some work to do in the next five weeks before my half marathon--bring it on!

Week 35

Finally got back to a somewhat normal training volume this week. Although I planned two workouts I didn't end up doing either of them, which is fine since I had a few awesome runs this week. Ran 12.5 on Sunday and other 8 on Tuesday with Danny from our apartment. There are some really great loops we can do from home which I plan to take advantage of quite a bit. This is definitely a good location for running.

At the RnJ group run on Wednesday I ran with Matt and a few others. It was a big positive split since some kid pulled us out fast--dropping into the 6:20s before we hit four miles, then turned around early. Today was the first group run, possibly ever, that a WJ runner or alum has not been in the top group at the end of the run. Vassar represent!

I ran with Sam on Friday during the few hours he was in town. We did a loop from my place and got in a good ten. Its always a pleasure to run with Mr. Epstein. On Saturday evening I ran on the Canal with Will and I got in about 9.5 with most of the run in the 6:50s. The pace felt a lot harder than it was on the way out (I was feeling a bit lightheaded and tired), but felt great on the way back when I relaxed a bit and just rolled.

I'm happy with this week's efforts, but need to incorporate a longer over-distance run and some more structured workouts. Only four weeks until the Kentlands 5k and five weeks until the Parks Half--gotta shape up quickly!

Week 35: 61
August: 61

Week 34

What a week. Began with a run on Magnolia Road. Then got sick and took two days off. Then started to begin seriously training again. Had a great run with Jordan and Scott on Friday morning, then had an awesome solo run at Seneca Creek State Park on Saturday evening. While this week's mileage was the lowest in over seven months, I started to feel normal by the end of the week for the first time since early June.

Week 34: 37
July: 200