dogs turn left

2/12/12

2012-02-12T11:57:00.001-08:00

16mi easy / 1:55:50

2012 ramp-up

2012-02-11T09:30:00.000-08:00

first some housekeeping:

2/11/12 - 90 min easy

total for week = 63mi

Been focused on Boston for weeks now but two persistent colds, one in Nov 2011 and another mid-January, put me behind schedule. Base mileage wasn't what I'd hoped for... tomorrow will be the first two hour run of the season. Here is the progression plan:

2/12 - 16mi

2/19 - 18mi

2/26 - 20mi

3/04 - 21mi

3/11 - 13mi

3/18 - New Bedford 1/2 (tentatively)

3/25 - 22mi

4/01 - 22mi (then taper)

2/10/12

2012-02-10T15:36:00.000-08:00

15 min warm-up
10K tempo run / 36:45
1mi cool-down

High 40s with a moderate breeze at the start; temp dropped and wind picked up the entire way. But hey it's mid-winter, and I'm getting track work in!

2/9/12

2012-02-09T14:45:00.000-08:00

6mi fartlek / 41:13 --

2mi warm-up + 4x2:20-2:30 surges mixed into easy pace

200 one-leg hops afterwards

2/8/12

2012-02-08T15:17:00.001-08:00

7mi super slow / 52:10

2/7/12

2012-02-07T16:22:00.000-08:00

AM: 4mi easy / untimed
PM: 7mi hill workout --
18:00 easy + 16:00 hill reps + 15:30 easy

2/6/12

2012-02-06T14:50:00.001-08:00

30 min easy + 200 one-leg hops

2/5/12

2012-02-05T19:14:00.000-08:00

14mi -- 7 easy, 7 at 6:21 pace

2/4/12

2012-02-04T06:59:00.000-08:00

12mi very easy
total for last 10 days = 85mi

2/3/12

2012-02-03T15:39:00.001-08:00

4.5mi easy / 32:20
Wanted to do 2 or 3 more but had two nights in a row of poor sleep. Felt crappy all day and cut it short.

2/2/12

2012-02-02T14:38:00.001-08:00

65 min easy / 9.0mi

2/1/12

2012-02-01T16:26:00.000-08:00

AM: 4mi easy / untimed
PM: 2mi warm-up + 8 x 300
52.7, 52.5, 51.3, 50.4,
49.8, 48.9, 48.9, 49.2

Walkers in lane one... wtf is with the walkers in lane one?? I've been trying to think of an IT industry practice that's comparable to these dumbasses strolling about in lane one. I guess it would have to be developers voluntarily programming in Java.

1/31/12

2012-01-31T15:23:00.001-08:00

50 min easy / 7.2mi

1/30/12

2012-01-30T14:21:00.000-08:00

AM: 30 min easy + 200 one-leg hops
PM: 30 min easy + striders

1/29/12

2012-01-29T12:50:00.001-08:00

60 min easy / 8.5mi

1/28/12

2012-01-28T07:27:00.000-08:00

15 min warm-up
6k / 22:10 + 4 min recovery + 6k / 22:01
10 min cool-down

1/27/12

2012-01-27T15:52:00.000-08:00

AM: 4mi easy / untimed
PM: 5mi easy / untimed

1/26/12

2012-01-26T14:07:00.001-08:00

40 min easy / 5.5mi + 200 one-leg hops

the staple run

2012-01-04T11:32:00.000-08:00

This is my running equivalent of 'session beer': 6 miles at conversational pace. It's my staple run, which means I do it 4-5 times per week. Since time doesn't matter (these are 'recovery' runs) I usually don't wear my watch, but always assumed I was maintaining a fairly consistent pace. Apparently not. Out of curiosity I recorded my splits this morning: 7:25, 7:25, 7:03, 7:10, 6:55, 6:42
Oi... well I think one or both of these are happening to some degree: 1) I'm running a consistent effort, which is only loosely correlated to a consistent pace. 2) The observer effect. Not to be confused with the uncertainty principle. I have my watch on, and I keep checking the effing thing, and I observe slow miles, which alters my pace, and I check it again, and faster miles improve my mood, etc.
Okay no more watch during the staple run.

life without Hitchens

2011-12-20T14:29:00.000-08:00

December 15, 2011 -- life became far less interesting. And the world became immeasurably dumber. Please save us, Sam Harris!
Yes I've been running quite a bit. To the point where I'm not that interested in blogging about it, but that will end soon. Merry xmas.

sanctioned shmanctioned

2011-09-06T10:44:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I did the Walpole Labor Day 10K. 37:54.

what
a
disaster

I hate hilly road 10Ks. I really do. I only did this because I figured it would be good preparation for the Codfish Bowl 8K, a race that uses the Franklin Park cross country course (i.e., it has hills). But I have no feel for the 10K. I mean, the half-marathon pace makes sense; I run those at "comfortably hard". The 5K pace makes sense; I jump right into uncomfortably hard, knowing that it will end just as I'm hitting crisis mode. The 10K is an ugly hybrid, even on the track. I always feel like I'm running too fast or too slow.

The Walpole 10K course... just... sucks ass. The weather? 80 degrees and humid. And the distance? Okay well the race website has the words "USATF sanctioned". Which doesn't mean shit. "USATF sanctioned" is quite different than "USATF certified". The latter means everything and the former is utterly fucking pointless. So no. It isn't ten kilometers long.

Ah well... miles of trials, right?

46 weeks later, 44 seconds faster

2011-08-30T13:03:00.000-07:00

Last October I posted a tempo workout that took me 21:41.25 for 6K, and this morning I did the same workout (on the leet new NHS track) in 20:57.15 = 44.1 seconds faster. I'm happy with this improvement in light of what has happened since. So here is a summary:

1) lower back strain at the end of Oct 2010, useless for Nov
2) slow rebuild in Dec, ramp up in Jan 2011, prepping for Boston
3) knee tendinitis ruins Feb and half of March, now I'm screwed
4) knee heals up, solid if unremarkable Boston (2:54), then rest ...
5) another volume ramp up for the NE Relay, then I run 46+ in one day
6) general fatigue and nagging ankle pain soaks up the rest of June

And then, after all that, my training for the last eight weeks has been solid and consistent. Even with our usual mid-summer heat and humidity. This must mean that outstanding race results are on the way.

It just has to mean that. Doesn't it?

phase one complete

2011-08-24T06:02:00.000-07:00

I have three self-imposed tests of increasing difficulty that I use to judge fitness, and I passed the first one last night: Running five miles solo at a sub-5:45 pace. Officially it was 8.4K in 29:41.6 which is slightly over 5:42 per mile. The second test is to do the same for a full 10K (so anything under 35:39) and the third is breaking 35:00 for 10K. I don't remember where I came up with these tests and it's all terribly arbitrary but they just seem to work. I feel like I'm race-ready when I can run a sub-35 without competition. Doing it outside of a race matters; the magic race day adrenaline boost is cheating. Or it would be cheating, if it happened on a flat and accurately measured course. But I'm not sure such a thing exists in eastern MA.

7/23 - 7/31/11

2011-07-31T07:39:00.001-07:00

7/23 - 15 min + 6.4K tempo (23:07)
7/24 - 80 min easy w/striders
7/25 - 4 miles easy
7/26 - 15 min + 8 x 400 @ 70.6
7/27 - 6 miles easy
7/28 - 15 min + 7.2K tempo (25:56)
7/29 - 6 miles easy
7/30 - 15 min + 5 x 1K @ 3:18.4
7/31 - 10 miles easy

race to train to race

2011-07-30T12:38:00.000-07:00

Most competitive runners have probably heard this warning before: "Train to race, don't race to train." To put it another way: "Don't be a workout hero." Over a given period of time, six weeks or six months or whatever, even world class runners can only deliver a relatively small number of breakout performances. Those efforts should be saved for races rather than wasted during (yet another) five mile tempo run or interval session. This is often harder than it sounds. I was never the top runner on my college cross country team but, being young and stupid, I usually tried to keep up with the top runner(s) during training. Unfortunately, that makes no sense. If you can't race with someone you shouldn't try to match that person during training. It means that you: 1) worked too hard for the potential benefit, and 2) probably won't recover well enough to race effectively.

So, yes, of course racing a workout is a bad idea. But I still believe that frequent racing is a legitimate form of training. The nice thing about the XC / IT / OT seasonal rhythm was that once per week we had an opportunity to fine tune our craft. Repetition generates success. Tempo, hills, volume, intervals, striders, long runs -- yeah yeah all that stuff matters. But maximizing potential at something like the mile or the 5K means that you do the mile or the 5K, against competition, over and over and over. And then you'll know how to race it. It's time to move past the "train to race" phase. It's time to race to train to race.

7/12 - 7/22/11

2011-07-21T10:06:00.001-07:00

7/12 - 6 miles easy

7/13 - AM: 4 miles easy

PM: 15 min + 5 x 1K @ 3:20.1

7/14 - 32 min + drills

7/15 - 30 min + striders

7/16 - AM: 15 min + 5K race (16:53)

PM: 6 miles easy

7/17 - 33 min + drills

7/18 - 15 min + 3 x (200 + 200 + 800);

34.9 - 36.6 - 2:28.8

35.6 - 35.0 - 2:29.4

36.0 - 34.4 - 2:28.4

200s too fast, 800s too slow, dew point too high

7/19 - AM: 6 miles easy

PM: 6 miles easy

7/20 - 4 miles easy

7/21 - 57 min w/hill repeats. Fuck this heat.

7/22 - off

7/1 - 7/11/11

2011-07-11T09:09:00.000-07:00

7/1 - AM: 30 min + drills
PM: 30 min + drills
7/2 - 6 miles easy
7/3 - 15 min + 5 x 1K @ 3:20.3
7/4 - off
7/5 - 15 min + 7 x 400 @ 71.6
7/6 - 4 miles easy
7/7 - 15 min + 20 min tempo
7/8 - AM: 4 miles easy
PM: 30 min + drills
7/9 - 15 min + 6K tempo (21:58)
7/10 - off
7/11 - 15 min + 2 x (4 x 200 + 800);
33.4 - 34.1 - 33.9 - 33.5 - 2:29.2
33.9 - 34.2 - 33.4 - 33.9 - 2:28.4

NE Relay 2011

2011-06-15T11:46:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I teamed up with five fine runners for the New England Relay, a 223 mile route from Rhode Island to Maine. Aside from the obvious challenge there were several logistic wrinkles. First, the MA tornadoes damaged the course badly enough that the director cancelled two legs without actually letting those runners off the hook. This meant each team had to double up on two sections, so the 2nd and 4th runners both ran leg #2 and the 3rd and 5th runners both ran leg #3. The times for the extra runners were later added to the team's total elapsed time, and the originally scheduled fourth and fifth legs were skipped.

Second, because the teams still had to get from the end of leg three to the start of leg six, we all recorded our time driving that part and then subtracted it from the total. Finally, because this ended in a state park that didn't open until 12:30pm on Sunday, and predicting finishing times for 46 teams is kind of an art, we were one of the teams that had to take a mandatory break of nearly an hour at one of the transition points. This delay was also subtracted from our total. Simple, right? Here is how my legs went:

Leg 2 -- 8.5mi -- 60:14. As I mentioned, this was a double-duty section and, being runner 2, I ran with runner 4 (Jake). A quick word about Jake: He is one of the few runners I know well who scares the crap out of me. Yes there are thousands of runners around the world who could crush me at any distance, but I haven't known most of them for 19 years or stood next to them on the starting line dozens of times. Any advantage that I might have in natural speed and economy, Jake makes up for in raw stamina and toughness. But it was great having company for at least one leg and over this portion the running itself felt effortless.

Leg 8 -- 10.4mi -- 71:58. Things get interesting. I'm cruising along at 6:50 per mile on some anonymous country road when I see a team van pulled over. Nothing out of the ordinary there, but as I approach the driver waves me over and I reluctantly stop. The words he actually said to me were: "We just saw a bear cross the road up ahead so we're going to drive behind you for a bit." But I'm still in the mental running fog, and I hear: "We just saw a bear cross the road up ahead so we're going to drive you for a bit."

I don't like the sound of that (the bear or the driving) but I thought maybe this team had called the race director to report the bear and she had asked them to deliver the next runner past any danger. Umm... is that really what he wants me to do? Well the race clock is still ticking and I'm standing fucking still so I blurt out: "You want me to get in the van??" In response, I get a justifiably confused look, and then what he really said sort of registers, so I take off and call out: "Oh I see you'll follow me okay got it thanks a bear! got it okay thanks bye!"

I dial it up a little the rest of the way because... bears can really move when they want to, right?

Leg 14 -- 8.1mi -- 57:28. This is one leg that I'm quite sure was badly measured. First, it is basically flat with two downhills. I run sub 7s on terrain like that. Second, I still felt comfortable and was moving well. I run sub 7s when I feel like that. Finally, I checked mapmyrun afterwards and it said 8.5mi. Yes, I already had almost 19 miles on my legs at the start, but I know what 7:06 miles feel like. This wasn't 7:06 miles.

Leg 20 -- 8.0mi -- 61:19. The elevation chart, as they say, is worth a thousand words:

I had done 27 miles to this point and now I got to do something I hate: Run slowly. Up a big hill. If this was accurately measured my pace was 7:40 and hell it sure felt like 7:40s. This wasn't just a physical battle either; the thought I couldn't get out of my head the whole time was that even after I finished, I would still have 11+ miles more to do.

Leg 26 -- 7.5mi -- 50:10. Light at the end! Well not exactly but I did have 35 miles down including both the long leg and the hilly leg. This was running at its most surreal. For much of it I couldn't see any lights other than my headlamp. No car lights, no street lights, no house lights. It was also still overcast and drizzling so no stars and no moon. Nor did I see any other runners. I had asked the team van to stop after four miles so I could get a split and make sure that I hadn't totally lost my sense of pace -- but that is precisely what I learned. I don't remember my exact time when I passed Jeff and he said I was just beyond four miles, but I knew it wasn't good. Something around 7:40s.

My choice here was to 1) coast home and leave something in the tank for a final hard leg, or 2) go for it now. What would Joanie do? Yep, fuck this. My next three miles were all 6:20 - 6:30 and on top of the prior mileage they felt more like 5:30s. One little hiccup was that the final turn was a small rotary and I didn't see an arrow sign so I went all the way around. Uh oh. I started around again, hoping that a sign would magically appear, thought better of it, went back to the first exit and floored it. A lucky semi-educated guess.

Leg 32 -- 3.6mi. I had a long time to think about this one because leg 30 (for runner 6) was 11.4mi. I tried to get some rest but was too keyed up about wanting to finish hard. I got out some paper and calculated that so far I had covered 42.8mi in 5:01:09 if I included an extra 0.3mi fudge for leg 14. If I wanted to average sub-7 for the whole event I would have to run 23:38 or better for the balance -- a 6:34 pace. I broke habit and did some warm-up jogging and strides. I felt surprisingly good. This was going to be fun.

Then I started running and my demeanor quickly changed. The first mile, which looked moderately tough on the map, was truly nasty. Eventually it flattened out and I started to click. I felt like I had it under control now but knew it was going to be close. At the end of mile three I hit a short steep climb that had me cursing the whole event. A few minutes later the grade flipped again and I emptied the tank. The course had one last surprise: I came out of a turn and under an overpass that was basically a wind tunnel, right in my face. Final time = 23:27. Eleven seconds to spare!

So officially without the 0.3mi add-in I wasn't sub-7 but I'll never admit to it. Cisco, Jeff, Jake, Sean, and Ollie all fought through a wide range of injuries, non-running obligations, and other distractions to deliver a fine performance. WELL DONE!

classic moments

2011-06-09T17:15:00.000-07:00

My new race morning habit while I'm having coffee is browsing youtube to see how the elites do it. These are my favorite clips so far, and yes it is a predictable list:
1964, Billy Mills, 10000
1972, Dave Wottle, 800
Ovett beats Coe
Coe beats Ovett
Joanie everyone underestimates her and she destroys them. Hard not to love that.
El Guerrouj vs Lagat two middle distance gods in their prime. Enough said.

"Don't expect this to be too gentlemanly when it starts."
Finally, I can watch the Sydney 10000 over and over.

shoegasm

2011-06-07T17:08:00.000-07:00

My new shoes: Saucony Hattoris. The Kinvaras were okay but just a touch too heavy and restrictive. I still rely primarily on the Nike Streak 3s and the heavenly Adidas Adizero PRs. My first impression is that these are the shoes the Nike Free should have been. On the other hand, using the Hattoris on concrete is out of the question. Ouchie. Even asphalt feels significantly harder, at least compared to running in the Streaks. Previously the Kinvaras were my heavyweights and the Streaks were my 'tweener' shoes; my intention was to bump the Streaks up to heavyweights so I could use the Hattoris as tweeners (PRs still holding the ultralight position). The only problem so far is that there isn't much difference between these and the PRs. And since the PRs are lighter, why would I ever wear the Hattoris? Hmm...

btw -- by tweener I mean: Too heavy for 5Ks but not enough cushion for regular distance sessions.
I miss the days when I had spikes for racing/speedwork and lightly cushioned trainers for everything else.

just a 5K? only a 5K??

2011-05-31T10:44:00.000-07:00

Alright... enough with people referring to this distance as "just a 5K" or "only a 5K". There are only two types of runners who have earned the right to call it that:
1) men who have run sub-13
2) women who have run sub-15
Anyone else who uses those labels needs to shut the fuck up because they don't know what they're talking about. If a 5K is that easy, you aren't doing it right.

the road ahead

2011-05-30T13:49:00.000-07:00

Saturday 5/28 was the Gilio 5K and, well, what a difference two hours can make. Running conditions at 7am were more or less ideal; by 9am the heat and humidity had ramped up to the point where I knew sub-17 was going to be a struggle. So I opted for Plan B: Go out slow and run for a win.

Apparently all of the local competition was elsewhere. I was in 4th place after 0.5mi and the three guys in front all had on knee-length basketball shorts and training shoes. Not that there is anything wrong with that, it just means you have no business winning a road race -- even one as small as this. My two mile split was 11:16 and, despite the pedestrian pace, a quick glance back confirmed that I could coast it in.

The heat has arrived and the next three months will require careful training management. First I have to survive the New England Relay on 6/11. Recovering from that will eat up most of June, and then I have pager coverage in July. Pager coverage doesn't mean that I absolutely can't race but I will be more focused on building up my speed for the fall. Early August brings the USATF-NE outdoor masters track & field championships (8/6) and I am planning on doing the 1500, maybe two events depending on the schedule.

this

2011-05-26T16:31:00.000-07:00

This this this. This is the payoff for all the long slow grinding miles. Speedwork like this:
12x200 @ 31.4, 31.8, 31.8, 31.3, 30.8, 31.3, 31.0, 31.8, 31.3, 31.1, 31.3, 31.7

There were lots of people milling about the track last night and during one of my recovery phases, this guy asks me: "Are you a professional runner?" My response, of course, was to laugh, shake my head, and mutter "no no no". His response to that was, "well you look like the real deal." Ahh, if only that were true.

Even though it isn't... this.

babying the knee

2011-03-04T11:55:00.000-08:00

Training has been sporadic since the MV 20mi. I only meant to take two scheduled rests over the last thirteen days but ended up taking an extra 3.5 days off, as follows:
2/20 - planned rest
2/21 - unplanned rest / calves still sore from race
2/22 - normal training
2/23 - unplanned rest / left knee acting up again
2/24 to 2/26 - normal training, all systems go
2/27 - "half" rest day / knee pain returned, wanted to do 14 but stopped at 7
2/28 - planned rest
3/1 to 3/3 - normal training, all systems go
3/4 - unplanned rest / knee still not 100%

Fortunately the 7.5 training sessions that I did get in have been promising. After today's unplanned rest I'm going to do a normal training day, then a 2/3 training day (14mi instead of 21), then a planned rest day on 3/7. Hopefully everything will be back to normal after that.

The knee problem has been hard to pinpoint. Sometimes it's fine during a run and hurts as soon as I stop. Sometimes I feel nothing before a run but it aches fifteen minutes in. Sometimes I wake up with no pain and it gets cranky over the course of the day, and sometimes the exact opposite happens. Another strange thing I've noticed is that the actual sore spot will migrate around. It can be directly underneath the knee cap, or on the top outside edge, or lower down towards the inside of my leg, etc -- this migration is easily noticeable when I sit down and ice it.

I'm not terribly worried but if there is no improvement by next week I'll probably make a Dr. appointment.

48 days away

2011-03-01T16:21:00.000-08:00

I must be out of my mind. I thought about it during my hill repeats today and I'm seriously considering starting Boston at a 6:15 pace -- 22.4 sec faster than my PR pace. Why the madness? Because of the "consistent effort" idea. Basically this means that you shouldn't try to run an even pace; you need to adjust for the moment-to-moment difficulty of the course AND the fact that your mechanics will deteriorate. In other words, an early downhill 6:15 mile could demand the same intensity as a late uphill 6:45, so it would be a mistake to run either of them at 6:30.

Fucking marathons.

MV20

2011-02-20T07:06:00.000-08:00

This was one windy race and since the course winds around most of the island, we got it from all directions. Gusts were 20-30 mph. It's hard to evaluate the cumulative effect but I'm guessing it helped a little. There were more moments of feeling that I was being nicely pushed along than there were of consciously fighting against it. But when it was a headwind? Yeah that sucked. Right before the start I went outside and the chill convinced me to make a last minute change and wear my plain cotton long sleeve tee. Other than that it was shorts, lightweight gloves, no hat, Adidas Rockets.

I give the race four stars for these reasons: It started on time, turns are clearly marked, the course is accurate, and hills aren't a major factor. That is all I ask for in a road race. Everything else is window dressing. The start was a refreshing change because there was no anthem and zero chit-chat. I like it that way, I'm just not used to it because virtually every other race is preceded by dopey speeches and "thank yous to so-and-so!" and blah blah blah. All business here.

Mile one, 6:04. Way too fast but I cut myself some slack because the wind made it impossible to judge the pace. I dropped out of the lead pack, watched them spread out, and settled in for a long haul. Miles two through ten was essentially a lonely, extended tempo run and I hit the half at 1:01:48. Still faster than planned but, as most runners know, races tend to assert their own identity.

Soon after the halfway mark I notice two things. First, my sore left knee wasn't bothering me at all, which is a good sign. It hurt afterwards but apparently a hard twenty didn't exacerbate the problem. Second, around mile 12 or so, I formed painful blisters on both feet... I have no idea what the fuck that's all about. My mileage for a full month has been low fifties, including an 18 and a 20. I shouldn't be getting blisters but there they were. And it was a problem.

I slowed to the point where I got some company during mile 13, and this guy clearly knew his shit. Nice even rhythm, giant quads, Whirlaway singlet. Why did I wear that dumb long sleeve again? I thought maybe if I could focus on staying with him it would distract me from the blisters. This actually sort of worked. We ran together through three plus miles of variable headwind and I was even able to slide ahead and draft for him a couple of times. I figured he would probably pull away eventually but I was determined to share the work and not just suck along behind.

Near the end of mile 17 we take the sharp right and a younger guy floats past. Decision time. I move up with this new companion and we absolutely crush it for 2/3 of mile, running in eighth and ninth. This was easily the most enjoyable part of the race. I don't know what the pace was but it felt fantastic. Mile 19 arrives and I come crashing back to earth. That was too fast. Then another guy cruises by, also young looking, and my new buddy goes with him. Now I'm wallowing in tenth place aka self pity land. I checked their ages afterwards and those two combined (45) are still younger than the Whirlaway dude (51) who is looming somewhere behind. I was suffering again but that was the idea going in -- run the first 18 fast enough so that I could practice stride deterioration over the last two.

Finally, one mile to go, and I'm all sorts of bad: Blisters are screaming, I have a side cramp and, worst of all, I feel those scary jittering calf spasms that usually only come during marathons. Now I'm desperate for this shit to end. When the finish line appears I steal one glance back and mercy mercy mercy he isn't close enough to force a sprint finish. Overall time 2:05:56.

I spent the night dreaming about 1500m track races.

# Div/Tot Div Time Pace Name Age
1 1/34 M3539 1:54:52 5:45 Chad Carr 35
2 1/22 M3034 1:57:20 5:52 Ryan Aschbrenner 33
3 1/18 M2529 1:59:15 5:58 Timothy Catoggio 25
4 2/22 M3034 1:59:42 6:00 Kevin Gravina 32
5 1/43 M4044 2:01:02 6:04 Jonathan May 42
6 1/5 M2024 2:02:33 6:08 Thomas Fagin 22
7 2/34 M3539 2:04:08 6:13 Jon Chesto 39
8 2/5 M2024 2:05:02 6:16 Jake Marcus 21
9 3/5 M2024 2:05:32 6:17 Evan Williams 24
10 3/34 M3539 2:05:56 6:18 Zachary Laidley 38
11 1/23 M5054 2:06:16 6:19 Chris Spinney 51
12 4/34 M3539 2:07:44 6:24 Chris Schulten 38
http://coolrunning.com/results/11/ma/Feb19_Martha_set1.shtml

stride deterioration

2011-02-15T17:41:00.000-08:00

During my morning run I was thinking about how to approach this weekend's 20 mile race, and I recalled the moment in Again to Carthage when Denton says this to Cassidy: "I just don't think it's possible to practice for an event like the marathon. In fact, we don't practice when we train for the middle distances either. We do exactly what athletes do in almost every type of sport: we isolate certain functions and do overloading kind of work on each, one at a time. Then at some point we do a limited amount of integration work, blending everything back together."

In addition to the more obvious difficulties, one function (or disfunction) that marathoners need to prepare for is stride deterioration. In one sense we do this on every run because pure volume will help delay the onset of stride deterioration. But I'm interested in training not only to (1) delay stride deterioration for as long as possible, but to (2) maintain a decent pace when it happens.

It might be a big mistake but #2 is something I want to isolate during the race. My idea is to run at the slowest possible pace that will induce noticeable stride deterioration after eighteen miles. If I can do that, I'll have two more miles to practice the 'running with less-than-ideal mechanics' function.

The trick of course will be judging my fitness level accurately enough to select the appropriate pace. If I go out too fast and deteriorate early, it will create an unacceptable risk for injury. If I do the first eighteen too slow, my mechanics won't suffer enough during the final two.

Okay some specifics: I don't think a 6:30 pace will do it. Running eighteen miles at 6:30 is a serious workout but, assuming the race conditions aren't horrible, I don't think it's hard enough to cause much stride deterioration. At that pace I would have to go beyond twenty. On the other hand, doing 6:00 per mile is too fast. In my current condition and at that pace my stride would probably start to fall apart after twelve miles or so, and eight miles of bad mechanics is just too dangerous. Besides, it would result in an awful finish time -- reason enough not to do it.

I'll probably aim for 6:20 which would put me at 1:54 for eighteen. If I'm totally smoked at that point, well, fine. That's the point. I can focus on mechanics, coast in, and be happy in the fact that I've practiced stride deterioration. If it isn't quite hard enough and I have something left in the tank? That's fine too. I'd just try to finish hard and be satisfied with my first sub-2:07 twenty mile run.

so was it fast?

2011-02-12T08:05:00.000-08:00

This is an abridged version of the McMillan race equivalency calculator using my best college 1500m:

I'm well aware that aging athletes sniveling over faded ability are terribly pathetic so I'll try not to be one. To that end, I think this little table may prove useful. For example, although I never ran a 5K in 15 flat, the table says I recorded an "equivalent" performance, i.e., 4:01 for 1500m. And last fall -- 15 years later -- I ran a 16:57. In other words, I was 13% slower than my lifetime best (16:57 / 15:00 = 1.13).

So was it fast? Is that 13% slow down acceptable? No and no. Going back to the calculator, 16:57 for 5K is equivalent to a 4:53.6 mile, and that is not fast. I just can't call a 4:53.6 mile "fast" even now, in the deep autumn of my running career. Must do better.

shorts!

2011-02-07T06:50:00.000-08:00

It was just barely warm enough to run in shorts yesterday so I did 20mi @ 7:05. Other than a slight twinge in my left knee (minor tendonitis maybe?) I was happy because it never felt like I was working that hard. Looking forward to the MV20 in two weeks.

Today is also exactly ten weeks from Boston which means it's the start of my eight week peak training phase. This will include four 20-22 mile training runs (including yesterday and the MV20), four 15 milers, a timed half-marathon, and then just plenty of tempo, hills, and striders.

I'm leaning towards the 3/20 Quincy half because the timing is right, it isn't too far, and the course is flat (allegedly, according to the website). New Bedford is the same day but it's a much longer drive, the course isn't flat, and -- let's face it -- I'm not going to be prepared for that level of competition. Plus the NB post-race food sucks ass.

2011

2011-01-18T11:47:00.000-08:00

Only two firm commitments on the calendar so far:
4/18 - Boston Marathon
6/11 - New England Relay

2010 ended badly: I re-aggravated my lower back problem after the SF vacation. I maintained decent mileage numbers but couldn't do quality speedwork. Things feel much improved but the outdoor tracks are snowbound now which means hills and road tempo... blah.

6K tempo

2010-10-13T11:08:00.000-07:00

Another perfect morning for running, and this went about as well as I could have hoped. My target 2K split was 7:20; actual splits --
7:11.92
7:14.49
7:14.84
overall = 21:41.25
average lap = 86.75
average mile = 5:49.8

I should note that 2.25 years ago, I did 6.4K tempo (one lap further) in 22 minutes flat (only 18.75 seconds more). Two weeks later I had one of the worst races of my life, a weak Vermont relay performance a few weeks after that, followed by nearly a year of lassitude. All of which I'll try to avoid this time around, of course.

run for ricky 10/9

2010-10-10T04:54:00.000-07:00

AM - 15 min warmup and 5K race
PM - 30 min easy

Solid, steady effort at the Ricky 5K after a good training week. It was nice to have someone else lead for a bit after last weekend's double; both of those races were settled in the first three minutes. Yesterday I ran conservatively for ten minutes or so and then dialed it up. Hadn't planned anything in the afternoon until I saw the results of the Reeves 4.6mi race: Top five finishers all under 25 minutes. So my 5K pace would've landed me in sixth place. Yuck.

two 5Ks

2010-10-04T10:01:00.000-07:00

I decided to experiment with back-to-back 5Ks over the weekend.
Here are the results: race one race two

I don't plan on trying this ever again. I felt great throughout the first race and horrible in the second. I do have some experience with multiple hard runs in a single day (the Vermont 100 mile relay) so I wasn't too worried about this, but I'm kind of useless today.

Now I just need to find a flat 5K for this Saturday...

3x1500 @ I pace

2010-09-29T12:06:00.000-07:00

This morning I did: 3 x 1500 (4:52 - 4:57 - 4:57). For some perspective, in the summer of 2008 a similar workout went like this: 3 x 1600 (5:05 - 5:08 - 5:08).

What does this mean? I have no idea. It's almost impossible to judge my fitness level from workouts because once I start rolling, it gets fun, and I do them too fast. But in the spring of 2008 my 5K time was right around 16:15 and at this point my goal is to get back to that by the spring of 2011.

6x400 @ R pace

2010-09-22T09:08:00.000-07:00

Which is, of course, my favorite workout at the moment. Splits were: 69.1, 67.8, 68.2, 67.0, 67.6, 66.9.

It's been a long time since I've raced but I'm guessing that my VDOT is 59 or 60, which means my 400s should take 75 - 76 sec. In other words, this was way too fast. So it was really more of an 'F' workout (Fast reps) and JD reserves those for middle distance specialists: 800, 1500, 3000 meters. And my excuse for doing it is, um... because I love it?

5.6K tempo

2010-09-18T04:33:00.000-07:00

Ideal running conditions this morning. My target 800 split was 3:00; my actual splits were --
2:56.37 (too fast)
2:57.65 (better)
2:58.42 (better)
2:54.32 (walkers in lane one, so I had to drift out, then I over-compensated)
2:55.14 (rolling now so go with it)
2:55.79
2:53.74
overall = 20:31.43
average lap = 87.96
average mile = 5:54.7

full recovery

2010-09-09T12:43:00.000-07:00

As I was doing my 3 x 5min VO2max intervals this morning, I realized something a little odd about the way I do speedwork: I always use full recovery in between the hard phases, regardless of intensity, duration, or specific workout purpose. As this sounds like it could be counterproductive in some situations I'm going to rationalize my approach here.

For short fast intervals -- JD's "R" training -- I think full recovery is the only sensible choice despite the notorious 60 x 400 workout portrayed in Parker's Once A Runner. In JD's own words, "you recover until you feel you can perform the next run as well as you did the previous one... if mechanics suffer because of a cut in recovery time, the purpose of the session is lost." Anything less is a bad idea.

For medium-length VO2 intervals -- "I" training -- I again think full recovery makes the most sense as long as the hard phase is at least five minutes long. Well, I don't go less than 5:00 anymore (or more than 5:00 for that matter). JD again: "When running at proper I pace, your body takes about 2 minutes to reach the point where it's operating at maximum oxygen consumption (the purpose of the workout)." Furthermore, you will still get three quality minutes, i.e., five minutes minus the two minutes of build-up, "even if you completely recover between each of the 5-minute runs." So why make it more difficult?

Finally, for longer cruise intervals -- "T" training -- I agree that full recovery would be a mistake. But I don't do cruise intervals; I do continuous tempo runs. And this really is just a matter of personal preference. I've tried cruise intervals and found the recommended one minute recovery duration to be more maddening than helpful. In other words, I prefer no recovery over very short recovery.

So there it is: Full recovery for R and I, no recovery for T. Which leaves hills...

enough of this...

2010-08-27T13:11:00.000-07:00

Several weeks ago, sometime during week 14 of this marathon training plan, I remembered something: I don't like marathons. And I hate marathon training. So my quest to run a sub-2:50 is officially over. I'll just have to be happy with that 2:53 from Boston. I will now stick to the races/distances that I like.

I can hear it now: "But the 5K must be so easy for you. Don't you like the challenge of a marathon?"
No. People who feel that way about the 5K don't really know anything about running.

week five

2010-06-06T16:49:00.000-07:00

6/6 - 11 miles @ 7:12 pace
6/5 (pm) - 7 miles E
6/5 (am) - 7 miles with 8 x 400m @ 78 sec
6/3 - 7 miles E
6/2 - 52 min with 8 x 75 sec hill repeats
6/1 - 7 miles E

week three

2010-05-23T16:46:00.000-07:00

5/23 - 9 miles E
5/22 - 6 miles E
5/21 - 6 miles with 8 x 45 sec accelerations
5/20 - 6 miles E
5/19 - 6 miles with 8 x 200m hill repeats
5/18 - 6 miles E + drills

week two

2010-05-16T09:31:00.000-07:00

5/16 - 6 miles E + drills
5/15 - 8 miles E
5/14 - 6 miles with 6 x 30 sec accelerations
5/13 - 6 miles E
5/12 - 35 min fartlek
5/11 - 6 miles E + drills

barefoot running: belief without evidence?

2010-05-11T08:56:00.000-07:00

Prior to autumn of 1993, my feeling towards running shoes was this: Train in the heaviest most cushioned trainers you can tolerate and race in the lightest flats you can tolerate. My reasoning was that heavy trainers conditioned your legs to a certain level of work and then, on race day, the featherweight shoes would feel like nothing at all. It would be like a horse that is used to carrying around a 170 lb rider switching to a 120 lb jockey.

In hindsight, this makes little sense, and my thinking started to change after a grueling cross country hill workout. Consider this: Two identical runners doing the same workout in terms of total distance. Runner A wears five ounce flats and Runner B wears ten ounce trainers. If they both cover the same distance at the exact same intensity, Runner A must necessarily run faster to compensate for the difference in weight. In other words, if we are talking about equal amounts of effort, Runner B won’t run as fast as Runner A because every stride has to move additional weight.

Is either of these approaches better? That is, assuming that total quantified effort is the same, is it better to run at a 7:30 pace in heavy trainers or at a 7:20 pace in lightweight flats? I’m just making those numbers up, but you see the point. If the purpose of training is to prep us for the difficulties of racing, I think the answer has to be: Faster pace, lighter shoes. Had I been wearing lighter shoes, I could have done that grueling hill workout a little faster without actually working any harder. And we should want to acclimate ourselves to running faster, right?

Is barefoot running the logical conclusion to this approach? Maybe, if we are planning on racing barefoot. But as Matt Fitzgerald argues in a recent article, “Elite runners don’t run barefoot. There’s a reason for that”. Yes, evolution designed the human body to run barefoot… but not on asphalt. Yes, evolution designed the human body to run barefoot… but only when supporting an ultra-lean physique (imagine how much work prehistoric man had to do to get a decent meal). Well, I am training – and, more importantly, racing – on asphalt. And yes, I am carrying around some extra weight. So why run barefoot?

My point is that while I’m all for the minimalist approach in terms of wearing the lightest shoes I can tolerate, up to and including the shoes that I race in, I don’t plan on spending significant time barefoot until: 1) I see evidence that it improves racing performance, 2) my races go off-pavement, and 3) I get my weight below 140. The best argument for running barefoot, I think, is that it feels good. But is it faster?

week one

2010-05-09T04:27:00.000-07:00

5/9 - 7 miles E
5/8 - 6 miles E
5/7 - 6 miles fartlek
5/6 - 6 miles E
5/5 - 35 min fartlek
5/4 - 45 min E + technique drills

the broken egg

2010-05-02T08:07:00.000-07:00

One of JD's most consistent messages is: Don't be the broken egg. This is a reference to the "throw a bunch of eggs against the wall and hope that a few don't break" philosophy. Such an approach might work if you're coaching the Kenyan marathon squad and are blessed with fifteen 2:10 runners and can only take three to the Olympics...

If, like me, you are coaching a team of one, the broken egg approach makes little sense -- which isn't to say that I've always avoided it. Daniels is right; the smartest path to reaching your potential is through very small, controlled, incremental increases in training stress.

Every time runners head out to practice their craft, and I do mean every single time, they should ask: What is the smallest possible amount of effort I can expend what will improve my fitness?

And then not run one step more. Don't be the broken egg.

Marathon training starts tomorrow.

a quick aside

2010-04-21T05:17:00.000-07:00

This blog is supposed to be about my running progress, and it generally is. But this post is about something that fascinates me even more than running and has slightly more, you know, social utility: Quality software and the people who create it. I'll get back to the running after this quick aside.

Growing up, my mother used this cliché quite a bit: "a poor worker blames his tools." Maybe. In the programming domain, I think Paul Graham has it right when he says: good workers don't use bad tools. Here is the exact passage (Graham uses 'programmer' and 'hacker' interchangeably):
"What do hackers want? Like all craftsmen, hackers like good tools. In fact, that's an understatement. Good hackers find it unbearable to use bad tools. They'll simply refuse to work on projects with the wrong infrastructure... The programmers you'll be able to hire to work on a Java project won't be as smart as the ones you could get to work on a project written in Python. And the quality of your hackers probably matters more than the language you choose. Though, frankly, the fact that good hackers prefer Python to Java should tell you something about the relative merits of those languages. Business types prefer the most popular languages because they view languages as standards."

But languages aren't standards. Anyone who chooses Java over Python because Java is more 'standard' or because it has a bigger 'developer community' should not be in a position to make such decisions. The same goes for C#. Python is a better tool, period. There is no legitimate argument in favor of Java or C# over Python.

Graham makes another excellent point about a curious sort of programmer morality: "The best programmers can work wherever they want. They don't have to work for a company they have qualms about... An organization that wins by exercising power starts to lose the ability to win by doing better work. And it's not fun for a smart person to work in a place where the best ideas aren't the ones that win."

I don't think I'm a great programmer, partly because I don't refuse to work on projects with bad tools and infrastructure. Yet.

I think I'm an above-average programmer. I hope I'm an above-average programmer. Someday I hope to be a great programmer. The good news is that I'm smart enough to recognize bad ideas.

programmers
apple

pre-season

2010-04-06T10:31:00.000-07:00

The fun begins in 28 days. I’ve been careless with my training log so far because base mileage and striders just aren’t worth the effort of documentation. Everything changes on May 3. No mistakes, no excuses, no letting up.

Sheehan says: "This way of life is addictive... So the victim has little choice except to continue and even escalate the activity."

more base

2010-03-12T12:47:00.000-08:00

3/11 - 30min base + striders
3/10 - 30min base + crunches
3/9 - 30min base + striders

Current weight: 152 lbs. Not good. Which is weird because I actually feel relatively fit.

pedestrian stuff

2010-03-05T06:42:00.000-08:00

3/4 - 6mi base
3/3 - 4mi base
3/1 - 4mi base
2/28 - 4mi base

the new plan

2010-03-01T07:45:00.000-08:00

December, January, February -- all disappointing training. The two big reasons were: 1) lots of extra hours at work, and 2) an ongoing lower back problem. Hopefully that's over with.

The new training plan is a 24 week schedule starting 5/3, ending 10/17 at the Baystate Marathon, with three "fitness check" races along the way:

1) 5K on 7/25
2) 10K on 8/22
3) half-marathon on 9/19

All of which are TBD. The next nine weeks will be base distance and striders with the occasional long run.

the limiting factor

2009-11-09T11:08:00.000-08:00

Disclaimer: Parts of this post are well-supported by empirical evidence and other parts I'd call "reasonable conclusions". But I make no claims regarding the science behind any of it.

We got started shortly after Mayor Bloomberg's short speech in which he referred to the race as: The World's Greatest Sporting Event. I immediately thought of how the BAA has labeled Boston -- which is already close to filling up for 2010, by the way -- as the "most prestigious annual marathon" and the "premier distance race in the world". I suppose all three titles could be correct. It's a fun discussion anyway.

Mile one was a crawl (7:30) but I was okay with it for several reasons: First, well, it would've been terribly dumb to panic after mile one of a marathon. Second, it's the hardest part of the course -- up and over the Verrazano-Narrows. Third, as with any big field, we were packed tight and there was jostling and bottlenecks. Finally, I estimated that it had taken me 20-30 seconds to reach the starting line and that my split was closer to 7:00 flat (more on that later).

Assuming I did a 7:00, therefore, I figured I'd run the next six at a 6:25 pace to make up the time, and then I could settle into my 6:30 overall goal pace. This worked beautifully, and I felt great. There were several rather windy spots, and more concrete than I was comfortable with, but when are marathons ever ideal? Onward.

The next eight miles (8 - 15) were what has become my typical mid-marathon frustration: I feel strong and relaxed and the 6:30 pace feels sort of silly. All I want to do is pick up the pace and blow through the next five miles -- but I can't. Because it's a marathon. And I have to be "strategic" and "mentally tough" which simply means: Running considerably slower than how I like to run.

Mile 16: The Queensboro Bridge -- a decent climb, very windy, and lots of concrete, so I consciously dialed it down a little. I was also toying with the idea of stopping for a pee break but eventually decided against it. The course then turns right and heads downhill for a bit so I picked it up for 17 & 18 (roughly 6:20s) and then settled back to 6:30s for 19 & 20. As I ran past the clock at the end of mile 20, it read 2:10:30, and I thought: Perfect! If it took me 20-30 seconds to reach the starting line, then I was at most ten seconds below my target time of 2:10:00 for the first twenty.

In other words, after 20 miles I was well-positioned for a 2:50 finish. And the rest of this post is my explanation as to why I averaged 7:25 per mile over the final 6.2...

When muscles contract they do not use all of their fibers to actually do the work. In fact, many training guides and fitness studies claim that during sustained running, the percentage of activated motor units out of the total available pool is generally under 30%. Furthermore, the "active" pool continuously changes during extended activity. In other words, the motor units are sort of like hockey players coming in and out of the game as they cycle between tired and rested states.

At the same time, not all muscle fibers are created equal. One way of categorizing them is as "slow twitch" (good at sustained aerobic activity) and "fast twitch" (good at short, anaerobic bursts of power). It's actually more complicated than that but the slow and fast twitch categories are probably sufficient for this discussion.

The situation becomes more interesting as some motor units go beyond being just "tired"; during activities like the marathon, many of the muscle fibers suffer damage -- the cell membranes actually rupture. And these crippled motor units are no longer part of the total available pool. In the hockey metaphor, those players have been knocked out of the game. They aren't on the ice, and they aren't even resting on the bench. They are injured and the coach can't use them for a line change.

Now, running a 6:30 mile obviously places more of a demand on the fast twitch fibers than running a 7:25 mile does, although both require a blend of both types. Similarly, a 5:30 mile puts even more of a demand on fast twitch fibers than a 6:30 mile does. My theory is that during the race I basically discovered the weakest part of my lower body in terms of the fast twitch fiber pool: My calf muscles. Not my quads, glutes, hamstrings, tibialis anterior (near the shin), or hip flexors -- which are all important -- but my calves. In other words, I believe that through cellular damage, I reduced the total available pool of fast twitch motor units to the point where I no longer had the explosive power needed to run faster than a 7:25 mile.

This isn't a cramp in the traditional sense although that is what I originally called it. When I did try to accelerate into the 6:30 - 7:00 range, all of the muscles in my legs responded -- except for my calves. What they did was spasm uncontrollably and feel as if they were going to seize up permanently. As soon as I slowed down, the sensation rapidly went away. And it's not like my calves weren't able to do any work at all; I was able to finish the race at a 7:30 pace and even walk for 2+ miles afterwards (which requires at least a small contribution from the calf muscles). So I still had a decent pool of slow twitch motor units available and a minimal amount of fast twitch as well. But whenever I tried to accelerate towards 6:30 in the last six miles, I was effectively asking my calves to perform at an intensity that the remaining fast twitch motor unit pool could not support.

The sensation also isn't fatigue in the traditional sense. At least not how I think of it. I became very familiar with old-fashioned fatigue in the 2001 Toronto Marathon. In the last four miles of that race I was completely spent. I wasn't in pain, I didn't have cramps, and my leg muscles weren't refusing to work past any particular intensity. I was just thoroughly exhausted and wanted nothing more than to stop running. Every step was a chore. At no point during NYC did I feel an overwhelming urge to stop. In fact, I really really wanted to run faster and continually tried to do so.

How should I fix this? I have two basic ideas, both of which (of course) seem absurdly obvious in hindsight. First, lose as much weight as possible without adversely affecting my overall fitness. Let's say, for example, that I went into NYC weighing 143 lbs instead of my current 148. Carrying even five extra pounds over 26 miles surely represents a considerable amount of non-essential motor unit activation, a portion of which leads to cell rupture and therefore premature removal from the game. Without that weight my calves would have been able to sustain a 6:30 pace for a longer duration, all other things being equal. I can easily increase my training volume, but unfortunately losing 5 - 10 lbs probably entails eliminating some of the junk that I like to eat. That's sort of a bummer because, as a distance runner, I always viewed eating anything in sight as an irrevocable boon.

Second, increase the pool of fast-twitch motor units in my calves, and, if possible, reduce the amount of motor output required by my calves at any given speed. This means: Make my calves stronger and make my stride more efficient. My remedy here is to add short hill sprints and one-legged jumping to my training cycle. In the latter, you stand on one foot and continuously jump onto and down from a curb or a low step for 30 seconds, never letting your "up" foot touch the ground.

To summarize: Eat better, run more, and get stronger. Simple, right? Right. Anyway, thanks for reading!

oh good... another marathon

2009-10-29T11:14:00.000-07:00

Some pre-race musings...

1) For more than a year now I've been thinking that NYC is a solid PR course, but a sub-2:50 buddy of mine recently informed me: Not so much. Just compare the winning times to other races with world-class fields.

2) Gebrselassie's world-record marathon pace was just under 4:44 per mile. That's sub-71 for 400 meters, 105 times in a row. Oi.

3) Alex Rodriguez is the biggest douche in professional sports. David Ortiz is every bit as much of a fraud, he's just not a complete dick about it. And I'm now a huge Cliff Lee fan.

4) It would be really cool to run with Joan Benoit Samuelson. Even for a little bit.

5) I don't get runners who say that they like hills. Even the best hill runners in the world slow down when they run up an incline. Why would anyone prefer slow running to fast running?

6) I need to lose five pounds. Then I'll be fast. Or maybe not.

7) Current forecast: Mid 50s, cloudy, 40% chance of rain. Perfect!

extended "tempo"

2009-10-14T08:00:00.000-07:00

Morning workout: 20 min warm-up followed by 8.2 miles in 48:55 (5:58 per mile), all on the track. Very cool but no breeze. The goal here was to improve LTVO2 as outlined in the Pfitzinger article. LT velocity is approximately half-marathon race pace which I think is right around 6:00 per mile at this point.

The 6:00 came from using McMillan's "Equivalent Performance" tool, which calculates a 17:00 5K as equivalent to a 1:18:35 half-marathon. On an encouraging note, the marathon equivalent for the same 5K is 2:45:44, but I certainly have no intention of starting NYC at a 6:20 pace. Which is now only 18 days away.

early morning tempo

2009-10-09T07:17:00.000-07:00

Up at 5:30, forced down some coffee, read about the dismal Sox performance (Lowell is useless in the field now), then out to the exquisite Walpole HS track. The workout: 5.6K tempo, 3:30 jog recovery, then another 5.6K tempo.

Perfect running conditions -- gotta love that, but still I had to de-shirt for the second half because I'm such a sweat generator. The tempo splits were 20:22 (5:51.2 per mile) and 20:27 (5:52.6). According to Daniels' VDOT chart my tempo pace should be 5:54 - 5:59 so, yeah, a tad too fast.

I feel like I'm still headed for a sub-2:50 at NYC, but who knows... I've felt this way on several prior occasions and failed. The 10/4 race was supposed to be my final tune-up but now I'm considering the Canton 10K on 10/25. It's a hilly course so if I can do reasonably well there it would be a great confidence builder.

10/4 & 10/7

2009-10-08T11:55:00.000-07:00

10/4 -- Five mile race in 28:50, 3rd overall, 1st in AG. I had no expectations for this because the previous eight days constituted my most demanding stretch of training all year. The course is flat but it got rather warm and humid right before the start. Furthermore, all of the standing around at the starting line basically ruined any warm-up benefits. As a result, I went out comfortably hard and then shut it down for the last three miles. "Shut it down" means going from a 5:33 pace to a 5:55 pace. This was entirely by design; if I tapered, if the weather had cooperated, and if the race started on time, I think a sub-28 would have been possible. But none of that stuff happened.

10/7 -- 24 min easy to the WHS track, 12 laps in lane 5 alternating easy and 200m accelerations, 20 min easy to home. Still have a little cumulative tiredness in the legs but the track work felt great.

recent races

2009-09-28T16:11:00.000-07:00

9/26/09 -- Medfield Day 5K -- 2nd place, 17:29

I was a little disappointed with the time until two people with GPS watches measured it at 3.17 miles. Which means roughly 17:06 on an accurate course. Which means things are progressing nicely.

9/27/09 -- Nahant 30K -- 8th place, 1:57:02

I was happy with the overall result but truly disgusted with my inability to stick to any sort of plan. I did this race because my schedule called for a 20 mile run and I didn't feel like doing it alone.

Went out in 6:14, which was fine, but then I did: 6:03, 6:03, 5:50, 5:47, 5:51, 6:04 -- this on a course that had several steep hills.

In other words, way too fast for my current level of fitness, on that sort of course, right after a 5K. Real discomfort set in shortly after the 12 mile mark and I struggled home at a 6:38 pace for the last 6+ mi (6:17 avg for the day).

I'm an idiot.

finally a good weekend

2009-09-20T07:25:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was this race but, more importantly, I got up at 6am today, had some coffee, and then ran 15 miles in 1:44 flat. It felt soo easy. The 22:16 four miler was really only 3.9 so I'm calling it a 22:50. On the other hand, the course has three decent hills so I'm guessing I could have been around 22:40 on a flat, accurate course.

That's nowhere near peak condition but I'm happy with the progress. VERY pleased with the 15 this morning -- the first few miles were 7:15 - 7:20, then I did a bunch of 7:00s, mixed in a couple 6:30s, backed off a little, and did the last mile in an even 6:00. No discomfort, no tightness in the right lower calf, all good.

starts and stops

2009-09-08T13:21:00.000-07:00

So I slogged my way through the Walpole Labor Day 10K yesterday, 7th place, 38:29. This was sort of my perfect storm for a slow time: Still recovering from nasty speedwork two days earlier, a hilly course that runs long (somebody said 6.4 but that is probably overstating it), and had just spent six hours in the car driving to Maine and back. The good news is that I feel fine today and have a sense that I'm ready to leave the current fitness plateau behind. Any day now...

parts of week 9 and 10

2009-07-24T11:50:00.000-07:00

7/23 - 10 min (E) + 6x400 (R) + 10 min (E)
7/22 - 30 min (E)
7/21 - 6 miles (E)
7/20 - off
7/19 - 10 miles (E)

4/4 - 4/7

2009-04-08T10:33:00.000-07:00

4/7 - 20 min (E) + 6x400 (R) + 20 min (E)
4/6 - 5 miles (E) w/striders
4/5 - off
4/4 - 15 miles (E)

Did last night's quarters a little too fast, sore tendons today. Stupid. I think I'm getting dumber each day. In fact, I know I am. I read an article last week about how mental faculty peaks at age 22 - 27 and, after that, our brains become more useless every day. Yay.

3/23 - 4/2

2009-04-03T07:08:00.000-07:00

4/2 - 6 miles E
3/31 - 6 miles E
3/29 - 6 miles E
3/28 - 40 min fartlek
3/27 - 30 min E
3/25 - 6 miles E
3/23 - 30 min E

my everyday shoe

2009-03-23T10:00:00.001-07:00

Puma Complete Infinitus

These took some getting used to, but now I really like this shoe: Lightweight, nice flexibility, and just enough cushioning for normal asphalt sessions. They're too heavy for speedwork or racing (even marathons, I think) but otherwise a good all-around trainer. A few months ago I decided to venture out of the Asics/Nike/Adidas world and so far it's working.

3/13 - 3/21

2009-03-21T08:07:00.000-07:00

3/21 - 10 miles E
3/19 - 39 min E
3/17 - 32 min E
3/15 - 30 min E
3/13 - 30 min E

ok so the time off was a little long

2009-03-08T16:18:00.000-07:00

I'm back into a regular training routine, more or less. Also I've gone back to work for my previous employer (Caritas Christi). This means much less on-call duty (and fewer calls even when I have the pager). The bad news: I haven't done legitimate speedwork in six months.

worst race of my life?

2008-07-26T08:17:00.001-07:00

Horrible performance. Horrible! 62 minutes for 10 miles. Un-fucking-believable. Maybe not my worst ever, but definitely my worst non-marathon finish. Cramping, vomiting, walking for a half mile... don't want to write, talk, or think about it ever again.

7/19 - 7/22

2008-07-23T09:34:00.001-07:00

7/22 - 15 min E + 4x1200 (3:50.2 avg) + 10 min E
7/21 - off
7/20 - 50 min fartlek
7/19 - 30 min E

7/14 - 7/18

2008-07-18T06:24:00.000-07:00

7/18 - 31 min E
7/17 - 16 min E + 8x200 (32 sec avg) + 1x400 (66.5) + 16 min E
7/16 - 6 miles E
7/15 - off
7/14 - 15 miles E

7/9 - 7/13

2008-07-14T06:41:00.000-07:00

7/13 - 31 min E
7/12 - 15 min E + 6.4K tempo (22:00) + 15 min E
7/11 - 42 min E
7/10 - 15 min E + 3 x 1600 (5:05 - 5:08 - 5:08) + 10 min E
7/9 - 30 min E

Thu 7/10: First serious speedwork session in 2.5 weeks. That doesn't seem like much time but I was definitely rusty; never quite settled in to that "comfortably hard" zone. Saturday's tempo run felt 100% better. Tonight's plan is 15 road miles and I'm leaving the watch at home.

7/2 - 7/8 (vacation week)

2008-07-08T10:54:00.000-07:00

7/8 - 40 min E with striders
7/7 - 30 min E
7/6 - 30 min E
7/5 - off
7/4 - 55 min E with striders
7/3 - 30 min E
7/2 - 45 min E with striders

No quality here; seven days of nothing but easy running and striders. Between that, non-stop eating out, many hours driving to and from Quebec City, and the sharp increase in daily alcohol consumption, I feel very out of sorts. I had planned on doing some hills or intervals when I got back to MA last night but the conditions were miserable (89 dgrs, 65% humidity). Fortunately I have some breathing room before the next planned race... will have to make the most of it.

6/28 - 7/1

2008-07-01T06:34:00.000-07:00

7/1 - 35 min E
6/30 - 70 min E with striders
6/29 - 35 min E
6/28 - 15 min E + 1600m (4:40)

Marathon Relay report: My 1600 time was what I expected (4:40) and my splits were expectedly horrible (67-70-75-68). Even when I used to do weekly 1500s, I found it almost impossible to run even splits and this event received zero preparation. But it was SOOO much fun. Speed, aerobic conditioning, tactics, that witheringly uncomfortable ohmygodthissucks third lap -- the mile has it all. What the hell was I thinking with all that marathon nonsense??

a sort of homecoming

2008-06-27T08:26:00.000-07:00

Last minute change of plans: I had registered for a 5K tomorrow but it was cancelled without explanation so I signed up for the Marathon Relay Challenge in Marshfield. It’s a cool idea: 26 runners each do a track mile, in relay format (i.e., carrying a baton), and each team is required to have a minimum of ten women. I’m really looking forward to the opportunity, after a twelve year hiatus, to run the mile again.

The mile/1500 is my favorite running event; nothing else comes close. I love the 800 but at high speeds (by which I mean less than two minutes) you can finish it without ever having to rely solely on aerobic energy production. Glycolysis helps the entire way. The mile is simply a killer. I think there’s a perception among many runners that the longer event is, the harder it becomes, but that is complete nonsense. The 10K isn’t harder than the 5K -- it’s just slower. And El Guerrouj’s career is every bit as impressive as Bekele’s or Gebrselassie’s.

So this should be interesting. Based on my recent training and racing I’m hoping for a 4:40.

6/23 - 6/27

2008-06-27T06:37:00.000-07:00

6/27 - 35 min E
6/26 - off
6/25 - 63 min with 10x150m accelerations
6/24 - 35 min E
6/23 - 35 min E

6/19 - 6/22

2008-06-22T06:13:00.000-07:00

6/22 - 17 min E + 3 x 1600 (5:04.3 - 5:07.3 - 5:08.3) + 20 min E
6/21 - 35 min E
6/20 - 31 min E
6/19 - 15 min E + 8K tempo (27:34) + 10 min E

I could still feel Thursday's tempo when I warmed up this morning. 27:34 for 8K isn't quite race pace but it isn't far from it, either. I expected fatigue on Fri/Sat but was a little concerned that I didn't feel 100% today. Target pace was 5:08 (77 sec laps).

Because of the sluggish warm up I was thinking this during the first hard lap: "77 isn't too bad when I'm rested, but I'm not, so I'll have to push." That thinking, of course, resulted in a way too fast opening lap (71 sec). I dialed it down and did the last 1200 slightly below target. The second 1600 was perfect; five minutes of bliss.

I still felt strong going into the last rep and expected another sub-5:08 but the humidity started to kick in. The temp was OK, probably just over 70, but with 1200 remaining my shorts were completely saturated. What a pleasant feeling THAT is. At any rate, I red lined with 300 to go and had to dip into the anaerobic well to maintain pace. But middle distance is my game (or so I keep telling myself) and I LOVE that well.

why running?

2008-06-19T09:27:00.000-07:00

Here are two ‘running and the human body’ arguments from the web:

1) When man was a hunter-gatherer, how did he catch the speedy antelope and other game which provided him with his protein? Not by chasing, but by stealth. That stealth required careful, slow, steady pacing, downwind of the animal, without rustling dry leaves or cracking underfoot... Man is not built for running, but for walking, and for walking at a slow, deliberate pace which does not send shock waves up the length of our lower limbs. (P. Arnold, 2008, BMJ)

2) Running has substantially shaped human evolution. Running made us human – at least in an anatomical sense. We think running is one of the most transforming events in human history. We are arguing the emergence of humans is tied to the evolution of running. (D. Bramble and D. Lieberman, 2004, Nature)

Arnold argues that our easily sprained ankles would have prevented primitive man from chasing game over uneven terrain for extended periods of time. In contrast, Lieberman presents 26 human traits that point towards running proficiency, for example: Narrow trunk and waist; independent movement between hips, legs, and torso; springy foot tendons and ligament. So did early man hunt like lions, using stealth to place themselves in strategic - and relatively close - proximity to prey, followed by a quick, decisive strike? Or was it more like wolves, relying on slow-twitch muscle fibers to select the weakest individual and chase it until exhaustion?

I don’t care too much either way (not interested in competitive walking) but the discussion is kind of fun. I think Lieberman’s argument is compelling, i.e., that the adaptive changes that made us better runners did not improve walking proficiency. It seems like good evidence, in other words, that early scavengers/gatherers were under selective pressures that rewarded speed (perhaps to escape rather than chase?) and that we are, therefore, at least somewhat built for running.

6/15 - 6/18

2008-06-18T07:14:00.000-07:00

6/18 - 36 min E
6/17 - 31 min E
6/16 - 75 min E
6/15 - 35 min E

race report 6/14

2008-06-15T04:03:00.000-07:00

Village Fair 5K - 16:07, 1st place. In one word: Relief. Although I kept telling myself that there were legitimate reasons for disappointing times at the last two races - some combination of weather, course length/difficulty, and running with a substantial lead - there's always that little voice that keeps repeating doubts: "Maybe it wasn't circumstances. Maybe that really is as fast as you can run. Maybe you are so far past your prime and a seasonal peak that, from now on, anything under 17:00 will be considered a good day."

So yes, I was quite relieved to post a 16:07. A friend from GNRC with a GPS watch recorded 3.04 miles, but I'd be happy even if my time had been 16:27 for a full 5K because last year I was 16:49. In other words, regardless of how long it was, the course didn't change and my time improved by 42 seconds. And if I can make it through another year of solid training, maybe next year I'll be ready for the USATF-NE championships instead of this race. I just have to keep ignoring that little voice.

6/9 - 6/13

2008-06-13T05:28:00.001-07:00

6/13 – 30 min E
6/12 – off
6/11 – 60 min with 8x200 (33 sec average)
6/10 – 30 min E
6/9 – 31 min E

race report 6/8

2008-06-09T07:12:00.001-07:00

Sensata 5K - 17:50, 1st place. The perfect storm for a weak time: 96 degrees, uberhumid, the course is long by .09mi (30 sec), and I ran alone for 2+ miles. The only thing missing was a series of nasty hills. Oh, and I felt weak, heavy, and sluggish the entire way. Absolutely no zip in my legs.

But they did have a pretty good post-race band.

6/3 - 6/7

2008-06-07T09:24:00.000-07:00

6/7/08 - 36 min E
6/6/08 - off
6/5/08 - 60 min fartlek
6/4/08 - 36 min E
6/3/08 - 30 min E

WAVA

2008-06-04T10:21:00.000-07:00

Recently I've seen a few references to performance tables compiled by the World Association of Veteran Athletes. These tables provide a method for aging runners to compare current and past performances (direct comparisons being too depressing). I couldn't find a website for WAVA but did find some calculators based on their data.

For example, my best collegiate race (age 22) was 4:01 for 1500 meters, which is approximately 4:20 for one mile. That scored an 86.3% (100% being the "baseline"). And to match that today (age 35), I would need to run a 4:24.5 mile or 4:05 for the 1500. Highly unlikely! But it gets worse - 86.3% for a 35 year old male translates to 15:05 for the 5K and 2:26:55 for the marathon. Fantastic. I already assumed that it was probably impossible to return to college-level fitness, but now I've learned that even getting to relatively similar racing condition will require a monumental effort. Unless I lose another 10 lbs?

5/30 - 6/2

2008-06-02T17:34:00.000-07:00

6/2/08 - 13 miles E (1:29:55)
6/1/08 - 35 min E (am); 30 min E (pm)
5/31/08 - 70 min fartlek
5/30/08 - 37 min E

5/25 - 5/29

2008-05-29T06:46:00.000-07:00

5/29/08 - 15 min E + 8K tempo (27:38.4) + 15 min E
5/28/08 - 36 min E
5/27/08 - 30 min E
5/26/08 - 45 min E with striders
5/25/08 - 30 min E

race report 5/24

2008-05-25T05:00:00.000-07:00

Gilio Memorial 5K – 16:57, 1st place. Not much to say about this other than that I expected a much faster time; two months ago I ran a 16:10. According to the legendary Sheehan, the even-more-legendary Bowerman believed that a bad race almost always indicates overtraining (that "catastrophe on the other side of fitness"), and that smart runners respond by reducing volume, intensity, or both.

However, Sheehan writes, "most runners and coaches, of course, take the opposite view. For them a bad race is an indication to double the training rather than cut it in half." But increasing my training workload is precisely what I intend to do, because yesterday has to be an indication of something other than overtraining, right?

5/19 - 5/23

2008-05-23T06:33:00.000-07:00

5/23/08 - 31 min E
5/22/08 - 52 min E
5/21/08 - off
5/20/08 - 36 min E
5/19/08 - 15 miles E (1:44:15)

Heinrich

2008-05-21T06:48:00.000-07:00

My favorite part of Bernd Heinrich's Why We Run: "the main feline and canine tendencies are still apparent in our house pets even after centuries of domestication. A house cat will seldom follow its owner through woods and fields to hunt rabbits as a dog would with its companions, in this case us, with most eager anticipation.

"Dogs will run even when they are not hungry, and they derive pleasure from the hunt itself. Dogs will gladly retrieve such symbolic prey as sticks and Frisbees... Cats are not socially motivated like dogs or humans. No matter how many times you make a cat run around the track with others, it will still not race, nor can it run as far as a dog... Before setting up a specific running goal, one must be realistic; it is important to know if you are a cat or a dog."

race report 5/18

2008-05-19T09:11:00.000-07:00

Thurston Middle School 2M – 10:11, 1st place. This is a terribly pretentious comment, but: After the first half mile I was sort of embarrassed that I entered this race (the 2nd place finisher was 15 years old and almost a full minute behind). I knew going in that it was primarily geared towards kids & families, but it’s been so long since I’ve done anything under 5K (12 years?) that I couldn’t resist; I’ll probably always be a middle distance junkie. Also, the previous course record was 10:39 – not stellar but quick enough that I figured there might be other low-10 min runners. Oh well. Typical warm-up: 15 min of jogging with some accelerations. The conditions were sunny, high 60s, breezy. Did 35 min E a few hours afterwards.

5/14 - 5/17

2008-05-18T06:06:00.000-07:00

5/17/08 - 31 min E
5/16/08 - off
5/15/08 - 65 min fartlek
5/14/08 - 34 min E

consistency and patience

2008-05-14T11:17:00.000-07:00

In The Art and Science of Running, Dr. Jack Daniels defines the "Five Ingredients of Success" as ability, motivation, opportunity, direction, and luck. I can't argue with the first three ingredients. If someone is unmotivated, or cannot find the time, or has no ability to begin with, then they probably won't be a successful runner (although success is obviously a relative term, and there must be some basic yet meaningful level of "success" for runners at all levels of ability).

Luck, I think, is certainly important when we consider individual races. All competitive runners have had days when, for whatever reason, we perform below our fitness level OR we turn in a breakout performance and accomplish something we barely thought possible. If physiologists / sports psychologists could accurately account for this variance, I'd love to hear the explanation. Until then I'll call it luck.

At the same time, luck can sort of lose its importance over longer periods of racing. If we race enough, then we'll have enough of the good days to establish that, over time, we've been successful. So I think luck is an important ingredient for specific races but not so significant when we look at several months and years of competition.

Finally, Daniels mentions "direction" - and this got me wondering: What is the best running direction that I've ever been given? I think John Kellogg and Robert Johnson are onto something here, and if I were to distill their advice down to two words, they would be: Consistency and patience.

5/1 - 5/13

2008-05-13T10:09:00.000-07:00

5/13/08 - 37 min E
5/12/08 - 15 min E + 8K tempo (28:10) + 17 min E
5/11/08 - 38 min E
5/10/08 - 90 min E
5/9/08 - off
5/8/08 - 70 min fartlek
5/7/08 - 34 min E
5/6/08 - 36 min E
5/5/08 - 77 min fartlek
5/4/08 - 36 min E
5/3/08 - 15 min E + 10K race 34:14
5/2/08 - 30 min E
5/1/08 - off