Week 5??? Week 5!

Seek a calling. Even if you don't know what that means. Seek it.

If you're following your calling, the fatigue will be easier to bear, the disappointment will be fuel, the highs will be like nothing you've ever felt. ~ Phil Knight

Can't believe we're already into Week 5! Days are flying by and we both are feeling stronger each week.

Generally, we have been eating well and really limiting our craft beer intake during the week. We have also made the decision to go just about alcohol-free beginning after July 4th through race day. Hoping this pays huge dividends, because it's definitely a sacrifice during these summer months.

This past weekend I took my wife to NYC for her birthday and had the opportunity to run in Central Park for the first time. I fell in love with the ~ 6 mile Park Drive loop. We had perfect weather, and were able to get in our 10 miles on Sunday and a shakeout 4 miler on Monday. I joked with Christine about coming up to NYC each weekend just to do our long runs in Central Park. The tourists on bikes are a bit of a wild card, but you'd be hard pressed to find a more scenic run.

Before heading up to NYC, I shifted our 6 miles at MP from Saturday to Friday evening. This was awkward because we had a moderate effort tempo run the day before, and I really didn't want to go back-to-back on moderate+ workouts. To ease the strain some, I advocated for us to do the marathon pace run during the evening to allow for 36 hours of rest, and a chance for the temperature/humidity to drop. 

This effort represented the longest run at MP so far in the program. Knowing how difficult the 4 miles @ MP was for me the prior week, I began to psych myself up the day before/day of, getting into a race preparation-like mindset. I tried to get in extra sleep; made sure I ate well, and focused on what that feeling would be like when I completed the workout.

It worked. I actually felt very strong throughout. Whereas the 4 miles at MP from the prior week was a 10/10 effort, this was more like 8+/10. My splits were:

7:06

7:14

7:06

7:09

7:11

6:56

Overall a few seconds above my 7:04 MP goal; but I intentionally held a little something back. In that last 6:56 split, I picked it up on the last quarter, ending in a full out effort the last 100 meters.

Christine got out there too, and put in a solid 5 at MP. I've encouraged her to post a more comprehensive update on her progress. She's been doing great. I've been really proud of her overall dedication to this training plan. I understand how difficult it is for someone who has completed several marathons to transition to a structured time goal specific program. I sometimes lose sight of the fact that I have many years around structured race plans and this is all new to her. There's no better feeling though than seeing her come home with a big smile on her face, excited to share that she crushed her run.

-J

Rest of Week 5:

Thursday: 7 miles @ MP
Friday PM: 40 minute tempo
Saturday: OFF
Sunday: 16 miles

 

Feelin' Groovy

Slow down, you move too fast.
You got to make the morning last.
Just kicking down the cobble stones.
Looking for fun and feelin' groovy. ~Simon & Garfunkel

Coming up on the end of Week 4 - and feeling great. 

Had an excellent tempo run this AM in the rain/wind. The effort has been getting easier, which is meaningful in that I can tangibly feel progress. Also, I changed up my tempo run structure after doing some research recently.

Previously, my 35 minute tempo run operated more like a progression run and was constructed like this: 

10 min warm up

20 min tempo of 4 min @ 7:50, 4 min @ 7:30, 4 min @ 7:10, 4 min @ 6:50, 4 min @ 6:30

15 min cool down (extended from 5 min to add mileage)

Through reading various stickied letsrun.com forum posts, I came across interesting (standard?) tempo run analysis that broke tempo runs into 3 categories:

Short: 20 - 30min (4 mmol)

Medium: 40 - 60 min (3 mmol)

Long (endurance): 70 - 80 min (2.5 mmol) 

Here is the best explanation to the mmol threshold concept. 

My mmol calculations, assuming a 6:06 5k pace (~18:58) were:

5k pace divided by .93 = Lactate Threshold (4 mmol) = 6:33/mile

5k pace divided by .90 = 3 mmol (half marathon pace, app.) = 6:47/mile

5k pace divided by .87 = 2.5 mmol (marathon race pace) = 7:01/mile

5k pace divided by .75 = 1 mmol (aerobic maintenance pace) = 8:08/mile

Meaning, my Monday / Wednesday recovery runs should be 1 mmol, Marathon race pace ~2.5 mmol, medium tempo runs 3 mmol, and shorter tempo runs 4 mmol.

The way I read Higdon's tempo run analysis, he doesn't advocate for short/medium tempos at a flat out 4 / 3 mmol effort. Rather, he pushes for a gradual buildup. Taking this advice into account, today my short tempo run was organized:

10 min warm up

20 min tempo of 6:40 min @ 2.5 mmol, 6:40 min @ 3 mmol, 6:40 min @ 4 mmol

15 min cool down (extended from 5 min to add mileage)

As the tempo run duration increases, I plan to increase the intervals accordingly.

There is so much technical information available around training for a time goal marathon. It is a bit overwhelming. I've realized that tweaks here and there to the training plan are just a part of the journey. I don't want to pretend like I know everything about marathon training. Far from it. I'm embracing the education component just as much as the actual training. 

If you have any tempo run thoughts, I welcome any feedback.

-J

Weekend training plan (shifting around timing due to travel schedule):

Friday: 6 miles MP (2.5 mmol)

Saturday: OFF

Sunday: 10 miles (1 mmol)

Marathon Pace

"Motivation remains key to the marathon: the motivation to begin; the motivation to continue; the motivation never to quit." Hal Higdon

So today was a tough workout. Probably the toughest so far: 4 miles at marathon pace (MP from here on out). 

Traveling to Asheville, NC last weekend definitely threw off our training. Hammer missed one workout on Saturday (6 mile MP) and I had to amend mine because the trail I chose was actually a 6% grade which made it next to impossible to hit my target. Lesson learned.

For our 12 miler scheduled for Sunday, we didn't actually get to run until returning home at 8pm. Which meant our morning runs now had us doing 4 workouts in 60 hours. Not ideal.

This morning, the plan called for a 3 mile MP; but I amended it to 4 to make up for lost effort from Saturday. The workout was 1 mile warm-up + 4 miles at MP (7:00 - 7:04 for me, 8:10 - 8:14 for Hammer) + 2 mile cool down.

Marquette's marathon course comprises of 18 miles on packed gravel trails. Honestly, I'm not 100% certain what this means - but I've seen no complaints of the course conditions from all of the race reports I've read, so I will attempt to limit my concerns.

What I am cognizant about is replicating course conditions during training at marathon pace to the extent that I'm able to. Fortunately, we have a packed trail-like surface on the National Mall between 4th and 7th St NW. This enclosed-like "track" is .485 miles per lap - so about a half mile.

After the one mile warm-up, I accelerated to MP, getting in the first mile by the time I hit the Mall. My plan was to do 1 mile on sidewalk leading to the Mall and then 3 on the track. Miles 1 and 2 were done at a reasonable effort, though I came in a bit fast at 6:59 and 6:56. Maintaining MP at the track didn't feel any more strenuous than paved surface - which was reassuring.

Towards the end of mile 3, I began feeling fatigued, though I was still maintaining pace. I came through the third mile in 6:58.

Soon after, the run seemingly became more of a mental exercise than physical. I'm not sure where I currently sit in terms of fitness, or really how long I am able to sustain MP, but I know I'm capable of doing 4+.

The mental game has always intrigued me. Why have I been able to push it aside and run a PB one day, but succumb to the dark side and not give a maximum effort the next?  What changes? These are challenges that need to be addressed through reflection over the next 10 weeks.

During a 5K; if my potential on a game day is 18:30, but I don't give a full on maximum effort; I'll likely still be sub 19:00, which isn't a huge difference. Extrapolate that to 26.2 though in a 3 hour + effort, and the chances of failure in missing a BQ are immense.

So how am I going to get from today to race day? It's being accountable to every single workout. Each one. They are all puzzle pieces, really. Lose one piece; and the image won't be complete. Success will only come one day, one run at a time. This is something I can't lose sight of.

Back to today. I pushed myself during the last MP mile more than I have in awhile. It hurt. I wanted to slow down. But I refused to give in. Seeing 6:57 tick off felt amazing. And amazing feels a whole lot better than quitting on yourself and letting your partner down too.

Speaking of, Christine nailed her 4 at MP; all between 8:05 and 8:14.

Weekend training plan:

Friday: OFF
Saturday: 7 Steady
Sunday: 14 (including last ~3.5 at MP)

- J

 

Batch 170

"There will be days you don't think you can run a marathon. There will be a lifetime of knowing you have." ~Unknown

In 2015, there were a total of 509,000 marathon finishers in the U.S. Although this marked a decrease from 2014, this much is true: a lot of people are making the conscious decision to train for and run a   26.2 mile race.

Now into week 3, I find myself still trying to wrap my head around the idea of running 26 miles and 385 yards at 7:04 pace. The process of getting yourself to the starting line is a tremendous physical, mental, and emotional effort. I have never doubted that.

But this is still my first marathon. I'm in completely uncharted waters and that is a bit unsettling. I've run hundreds of 5Ks. I prepare, train, and show up to the race ready to go, confident of whatever challenge comes up in front of me. It's only 3.1 miles - not much can go wrong - physically or mentally.

So, I find myself reading and analyzing the writings of some of those half million annual marathon participants, and the millions from years and decades before. While I am in full control of following my training plan, one day at a time, there are so many other variables and factors involved with preparing for the big day that I had not even considered.

I will cover a lot of these in future blogs (the importance of maintaining a strong core, selecting the right race day energy gel, etc.). But for now, I want to focus on one singular topic that may be as big a key dependency to my race day performance as any, outside of training: weight.

Generally, by losing 10 pounds, your maximum aerobic capacity will allow you to run at a faster pace per mile. Studies differ on the amount of speed gained and time saved. To be conservative, I will estimate that for me, a 10 pound healthy weight loss will lead to a 4 minute reduction in my marathon potential. When I say healthy weight loss, I mean by eating properly... not by losing weight through dehydration and starvation (note: NEVER DO THIS).

As my marathon goal is 3:05, this leaves me with a maximum possible buffer of five minutes to qualify for Boston (not sure if I mentioned this previously, but the 35 - 39 year old male BQ time is 3:10). So I need to take full advantage of any opportunity to increase my overall potential on race day.

I am 5'11"+ and currently weigh ~182. To give some perspective; during my Maryland Cross Country days, I was down to ~135 by running 100+ miles per week.

As recent as 2014, I was up to a very unhealthy ~230. Zero miles per week.

I've lost approximately 50 pounds in the last 20 months. And I don't mean to shy away from that accomplishment, because it feels great. But I'm not yet where I want to be. To get down to my target weight of 170 would be yuuuuuuuuge.

My weight loss from 230 down to 180 actually occurred last November, meaning I have plateaued for basically the last 8 months. So by no means am I currently on a trajectory to 170.

Through my research, I have read how incredibly normal and easy it is to gain weight during marathon training. This didn't make sense at first; but simply stated; people generally eat more because they think they can due to running the amount of miles it takes to train for 26.2. I don't want this to be me.

Getting to 180, I've cut out a lot of unhealthy habits that have aided in the weight loss. Sure, running has been a big driver. But removing soda, unhealthy sugars, and fast food during road trips from my life have provided a boost as well. Further, understanding that there is good fat (organic peanut butter, almonds) has helped as well. By far though, my achilles heel (and second love) is craft beer.

On a regular basis, I will probably drink 2 beers after work during the week, and several (dozen? just kidding, mom) more during the weekend. Many think of beer as empty calories that does not contribute to weigh gain or hinder one's overall fitness. Surprise! It's not.

Drinking a few (delicious) TreeHouse Julius brews will net approximately 500 calories for a given evening. Multiply that by 5 or 6 times during the week. Per month. Per year. That's a lot.

And for me, unnecessary (...at least for the next 11 weeks).

I want to look at these remaining two months of training this way: anything that goes into my body, I want to think of it as an investment. I'm not saying I won't have a district donut here or there, or a TreeHouse Haze on the weekend. But if my single goal is to qualify for Boston, why not attempt everything in my power to stack the deck and ensure I am at my healthiest come race day.

- J

In Hal We Trust

There is no shortage of beginner, intermediate, novice, and advanced marathon training plans available to the non-elite runner. There are so many that one could get easily lost in the data and analysis of each for hours or days even.

Each plan has their advantages and disadvantages; the key is to choose one that suits your current fitness level, marathon goals, and overall comfort with the amount and intensity of speedwork and long runs during your 12 - 26 week training regime.

A great marathon training plan comparison tool I found was this wiki. The guide broke down each plan into easy-to-read charts consisting of overall suitability, characteristics, and a long run analysis. Spotlighted were variations of training programs by Jeff Galloway, Jack Daniels, and Hal Higdon. I really had no biases going into this, since this was my first marathon. Although Christine has completed 5; she admits she never trained properly nor followed a specific program. Yeah.. one of "those" people.

So the two main variables to consider were length of program and alignment with our current fitness. We had recently completed a half marathon, 10K and 5K back in April. My times were:

HM: 1:32+
10K: 42:06
5K: 19:21

Hammer's times:

HM: 2:01+
10K: 55:24
5K: 25:18

With our goals at sub 3:05 and 3:35 respectively, we were within the ballpark, but obviously had a lot of work left to do.

Another factor was that since it was already late May, our training program had to consist of exactly 14 weeks.

Based on previous conversations with friends; I concluded that I was only interested in plans that didn't exceed 20 miles for long runs (more on this in a future blog). Also - I wanted two days a week worth of speedwork, inclusive of tempos and intervals. One day of rest per week was also mandatory.

As it turned out, I had a discussion on this subject with my podiatrist during a recent office visit. He raved about the various Hal Higdon plans he had tried over the years and how he especially liked them due to the low risk of injury he had seen from patients compared to other programs.

After comparing all of the Higdon plans by level, Hal's Advanced 2 Training Program seemed like a perfect fit:

Week Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun 1 3 m run 3 x hill 3 m run 30 tempo Rest 5 m pace 10 2 3 m run 30 tempo 3 m run 3 m pace Rest 5 m run 11 3 3 m run 4 x 800 3 m run 30 tempo Rest 6 m pace 8 4 3 m run 4 x hill 3 m run 35 tempo Rest 6 m pace 13 5 3 m run 35 tempo 3 m run 3 m pace Rest 7 m run 14 6 3 m run 5 x 800 3 m run 35 tempo Rest 7 m pace 10 7 3 m run 5 x hill 4 m run 40 tempo Rest 8 m pace 16 8 3 m run 40 tempo 4 m run 3 m pace Rest 8 m run 17 9 4 m run 6 x 800 4 m run 40 tempo Rest Rest HM 10 3 m run 6 x hill 4 m run 45 tempo Rest 9 m pace 19 11 4 m run 45 tempo 5 m run 4 m pace Rest 10 m run 20 12 4 m run 7 x 800 5 m run 45 tempo Rest 6 m pace 12 13 4 m run 7 x hill 5 m run 50 tempo Rest 10 m pace 20 14 5 m run 45 tempo 5 m run 5 m pace Rest 6 m run 12 15 5 m run 8 x 800 5 m run 40 tempo Rest 10 m pace 20 16 5 m run 6 x hill 5 m run 30 tempo Rest 4 m pace 12 17 4 m run 30 tempo 4 m run 4 m pace Rest 4 m run 8 18 3 m run 4 x 400 3 m run Rest Rest 2 m run Marathon
As I mentioned previously, since we only had 14 weeks until Marquette, I needed to adjust the program. I removed two early weeks (I felt this would have limited consequences on our training) and a 20 miler + recovery week later in the program. This was the final cut:
Week Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun 1 3 m run 30 tempo 3 m run 3 m pace Rest 5 m run 11 2 3 m run 35 tempo 3 m run 4 x 800 Rest 12 6 m pace 3 3 m run 35 tempo 3 m run 3 m pace Rest 7 m run 14 4 3 m run 5 x 800 3 m run 35 tempo Rest 7 m pace 10 5 3 m run 5 x hill 4 m run 40 tempo Rest 8 m pace 16 6 3 m run 40 tempo 4 m run 3 m pace Rest 8 m run 17 7 4 m run 6 x 800 4 m run 40 tempo Rest Rest HM 8 3 m run 6 x hill 4 m run 45 tempo Rest 9 m pace 19 9 4 m run 45 tempo 5 m run 4 m pace Rest 10 m run 20 10 4 m run 7 x 800 5 m run 45 tempo Rest 6 m pace 12 11 4 m run 7 x hill 5 m run 50 tempo Rest 10 m pace 20 12 5 m run 6 x 800 5 m run 30 tempo Rest 4 m pace 12 13 4 m run 30 tempo 4 m run 4 m pace Rest 4 m run 8 14 3 m run 4 x 400 3 m run Rest Rest 2 m run Marathon
As of today, June 9th, we are midway through Week 2 - and feeling great. I'm especially proud of my wife for crushing her first track intervals since high school this morning. She knocked out 4 800's in 3:27 - 3:30 pace! This weekend we are traveling to Asheville, NC. Really looking forward to hitting up Bent Creek for some great trail running. Any other suggestions? - J

Choosing our BQ Feeder Marathon

Knowing that Boston's registration typically falls around September 15th - we knew that the latest possible race we could do would be the weekend of September 10th.

We had quickly dismissed the idea of racing in August due to the likely summer time conditions. Because of a friends wedding the weekend of September 10th, we were then just left with Labor Day weekend.

Our must haves included a (mostly) flat and fast course, net downhill gradient, early start time, and a relatively stable climate. 

To have the best odds of finding a race that met as much of the above criteria as possible, we were open to traveling anywhere in the U.S. for our target race. So research started by reading through a list of the top marathons registrants used to qualify for Boston. Unfortunately, none of those race dates worked. The next resource I found was a list of marathons sorted by qualifying percentage of runners. That is, what was the ratio of marathoners for a particular race that ran a BQ time.


Ultimately, this race calendar helped us select on our target race.

On Labor Day weekend 2016, though limited, our highest ranked choices included the Fall Classic Marathon in Loveland, CO and the Marquette Marathon in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.

While the Fall Classic appeared to be a perfect race (including a net decent of 2600 feet), I was really concerned with running at a starting elevation of 7,600 feet. So, Marquette it was!

Last year 13.8% of finishers qualified for the Boston Marathon and 18.1% of runners qualified for Boston in 2014. Its Course Score ranks it as the 33rd fastest marathon course in the U.S. and the 1st fastest course in Michigan. The course is point to point and has a net downhill of almost 900 feet. The one concern is approximately 67% of the course is on unpaved (loose gravel) trails. Fortunately, there are some great trails around DC that can replicate those conditions.

With our race now selected, the last piece of the puzzle would be to choose the best training plan possible that matched our current fitness levels and aggressive time goals...

-J

Fast Track

Originally, our plan was to have a solid 2 year base of training with 4 - 5 half marathons run before focusing on qualifying for the Boston Marathon. Several reasons made sense to hold off until 2018.

For one, before this past April, I had yet to officially race a HM (although I logged multiple training runs of at least this distance). Two, I'm only ~18 months removed from coming out of a 15 year running 'retirement.'

What changed?

The qualifying standard for Boston has been getting increasingly faster. In 2015, you needed to run 1:02 under your BQ standard to earn a slot. For 2016, it was 2:28. 2:28! Boston has always been a prestigious marathon, but after the bombing everything changed. Boston was now THE marathon to run. Many runners were now focusing their training efforts on a BQ time.

Figuring the 2017 standard would get faster even still, it made sense to wait another year and focus on becoming more seasoned at racing longer distances (more so for me, as Christine has completed 5 marathons).

The 2016 Boston Marathon was run with unseasonably warm temperatures. These conditions are tough enough on their own; but throw in a course like Boston and the day gets pretty brutal. In the end, the number of re-qualifiers (BQ'ing during the Boston Marathon) was down significantly. So significantly in fact that the overall deviation from the BQ standard was greatly impacted. I followed along on the forums as the analysis was performed. 

As May progressed, it became apparent that a near-scratch BQ time (that is, meeting the gender/age specific qualifying standard) would likely get you in for 2017.  Not knowing how competitive 2018 and beyond would be, we decided this presented an opportunity to change our plans and focus on qualifying for 2017.

Next up, choosing the appropriate feeder race...

- J

Boston Marathon 2017 or Bust

As part of #GlobalRunningDay, Christine and I have officially committed to attempt to BQ for the 2017 Boston Marathon.

Our target feeder race is the Marquette Marathon in Michigan's Upper Peninsula on September 3rd.

We will be following a slightly modified version of the Hal Higdon Advanced 2 training plan.

Christine's BQ goal is 3:35:00
Jason's BQ goal is 3:05:00

This blog will be used to document our journey.  Enjoy!

Love,
C & J