Distance: 8.9 kilometers (5.52 miles)
Time: 44:28 minutes
Surface: asphalt/concrete
Weather Conditions: cool, overcast, 60s, noon run
Location: Miraflores/Barranco, Lima, Peru
Comments: And the name of this train is the Nothing Special. Not a great effort but, by no means, a bad one.
I got busy this morning so I felt pressured to just get out and get it done after putting it back and putting it back. I didn't eat as well as I should have yesterday so I didn't believe I would have lots of reserves. But that worked out since I didn't want to push it with the long run tomorrown.
Started sloppy with a stitch but I got into a decent pace after a mile and a half or so. My lower left calf started hurting toward the end but, on the upside, my lower right quad had nary a murmur of protest.
Saturday, October 7, 2006
Friday, October 6, 2006
Training Run
Distance: 5.5 kilometers (3.41 miles)
Time: 30 minutes
Surface: asphalt, concrete, grass
Weather Conditions: cool, overcast, misty, 60s, morning run
Location: Miraflores, Lima, Peru
Comments: Nice easy recovery run. I kept a slow steady pace just a notch above actual jogging the whole way. Every time I caught myself going a bit quick I slowed it down.
After stretching and limbering up I felt pretty ready to go but the soreness in my right lower quad still persisted. It's like I got frogged there pretty hard. Very similar to the knot in my neck right now.
It loosened during the run although it was still lurking around following the the effort. My feeling is still that it is muscle soreness, particularly since it is well above the knee, but I'll start icing if it hangs around tomorrow.
Time: 30 minutes
Surface: asphalt, concrete, grass
Weather Conditions: cool, overcast, misty, 60s, morning run
Location: Miraflores, Lima, Peru
Comments: Nice easy recovery run. I kept a slow steady pace just a notch above actual jogging the whole way. Every time I caught myself going a bit quick I slowed it down.
After stretching and limbering up I felt pretty ready to go but the soreness in my right lower quad still persisted. It's like I got frogged there pretty hard. Very similar to the knot in my neck right now.
It loosened during the run although it was still lurking around following the the effort. My feeling is still that it is muscle soreness, particularly since it is well above the knee, but I'll start icing if it hangs around tomorrow.
Thursday, October 5, 2006
Training Run
Distance: 11.8 kilometers (7.32 miles)
Time: 57:45 minutes
Surface: asphalt, concrete, grass
Weather Conditions: cool, overcast, misty, 60s, morning run
Location: Miraflores/Barranco, Lima, Peru
Comments: Pushed myself pretty hard today. I started at an easy but steady pace and gradually ramped it up throughout the run until I was going lickity-split at the end. I originally intended about 45 minutes but decided on a slightly longer route that, when I finally checked my watch, put me at almost an hour.
It was a very good run. I had everything I needed and I took it at my own terms. I set a slightly faster pace than normal but judged it just about right to get through the distance. I got that 'bulletproof' feeling about halfway, but let it ride rather than try and ramp it up with the sensation.
In a word, I had more control on this run than ever before. That's something I want to keep focusing on, even on days where it's tough to get through it.
Afterward, my quads were pretty sore. Not pain sore but overworked sore. I'll take it easy on tomorrow's much shorter route.
Time: 57:45 minutes
Surface: asphalt, concrete, grass
Weather Conditions: cool, overcast, misty, 60s, morning run
Location: Miraflores/Barranco, Lima, Peru
Comments: Pushed myself pretty hard today. I started at an easy but steady pace and gradually ramped it up throughout the run until I was going lickity-split at the end. I originally intended about 45 minutes but decided on a slightly longer route that, when I finally checked my watch, put me at almost an hour.
It was a very good run. I had everything I needed and I took it at my own terms. I set a slightly faster pace than normal but judged it just about right to get through the distance. I got that 'bulletproof' feeling about halfway, but let it ride rather than try and ramp it up with the sensation.
In a word, I had more control on this run than ever before. That's something I want to keep focusing on, even on days where it's tough to get through it.
Afterward, my quads were pretty sore. Not pain sore but overworked sore. I'll take it easy on tomorrow's much shorter route.
Wednesday, October 4, 2006
Training Run
Distance: 2400 meters (1.5 miles)
Time: 8.53 minutes
Surface: dirt track
Weather Conditions: cool, overcast, 60s, morning run
Location: Barranco, Lima, Peru
Comments: Got back out on the track and, once again, it was every bit as horrible as I expected. It's not that my running was particularly bad, I simply don't like running for speed.
Anyhow, whining aside, it went relatively well. I jogged the mile to the track and then spent a good 20 minutes warming up. I then ran three 800's (or two laps) with a single lap in between.
I did the first one in 2:59 then the second and third both came in at 2:57. So I pretty much matched my effort from last time. The three-minute half-mile seems to be my speed range.
No real injury or pains or anything except for a tightness in my right shoulder. But that's probably from all the time on the computer lately, not the training.
Time: 8.53 minutes
Surface: dirt track
Weather Conditions: cool, overcast, 60s, morning run
Location: Barranco, Lima, Peru
Comments: Got back out on the track and, once again, it was every bit as horrible as I expected. It's not that my running was particularly bad, I simply don't like running for speed.
Anyhow, whining aside, it went relatively well. I jogged the mile to the track and then spent a good 20 minutes warming up. I then ran three 800's (or two laps) with a single lap in between.
I did the first one in 2:59 then the second and third both came in at 2:57. So I pretty much matched my effort from last time. The three-minute half-mile seems to be my speed range.
No real injury or pains or anything except for a tightness in my right shoulder. But that's probably from all the time on the computer lately, not the training.
Tuesday, October 3, 2006
Recovery Run
Distance: 8.9 kilometers (5.52 miles)Time: 43:36 minutes
Surface: asphalt/concrete
Weather Conditions: cool, overcast, 60s, morning run
Location: Miraflores/Barranco, Lima, Peru
Comments: Very good run. After the drag-ass effort of the past few runs it was nice to get out there and knock one out. I felt I could have done this a bit quicker but decided to reign it in rather than waste the good feeling on the first run of the week.
The off time following my long run was pretty much crash and burn. I took a three-hour nap on Sunday and then slept ten hours each night after. I made it a point to stick close to home on the off day so I stayed off my feet.
But I woke up feeling pretty good today and feel ready to start another week of work. Obviously I don't think repeating the distance of last week is very advisable so I'm going to try and focus on speed a bit more.
I did the regular route along the Malencon; the point being to avoid any big hills today. Felt very strong the whole way and not a glimmer of the 'give in' feeling that sometimes comes to visit on this first run of the week.
I developed some blisters on the outside ball of my foot in my long run a few weeks ago and, after Sunday's effort, it was noticeably tender. I loosened the bottom lacings of the shoe to provide a bit more give there. Can't tell if it did much good, though.
Sunday, October 1, 2006
Marathon Training Summary: Week 1
Distance: 38 miles
Time: 5 hours 32 minutes
Comments: Well, my goal was to get in the 30-35 mile range but my misjudging the distance of my long run put me over that by quite a bit.
While this is a substantial surge from the week prior, it is not all that out of line from my weekly total just prior to the Brazil trip. That said, I need to keep on top of this in the future if I want to avoid injury.
My plan was to use this week's effort as a baseline for the rest of the training. Pretty much set my 10 percent weekly increases by this effort. If you lower the mileage total in respect to the skipping my speed work on Wednesday that puts it in the 35 mile range which feels about right.
So I have reset my weekly mileage totals to reflect this in the training schedule and I plan to go back over it again this week for final tweaking.
The other reason I got such a substantial total this week is that I made sure to institute the 6-running-day week. This is something I intend to keep up for pretty much the rest of the training schedule as well. Rest days other than Monday will now be low mileage/pace days with cross training or something.
As I have gotten more focused on the training for the marathon, I have tweaked a few things concerning my training.
Over the past few months, I really have not been very regular with my stretching. Since my runs have been longer and my pace nothing really spectacular, I have simply been getting dressed and going out the door. With these more intense efforts, that's gotta change.
This week, I have been putting in a good 20 minutes stretching before every run and then giving myself a mile or so to warm up before hitting my stride. In addition, I have been doing 15 minutes of stretching after my runs as well.
The next thing I have become more focused on is nutrition. I have been trying to eat better for pretty much the last nine months but now, well, now it's a necessity. The bottom line is I gotta bulk up on the carbs.
I stumbled across this article in The New York Times from last July that llooks at the preparations distance runners are doing for the Bejing Olympics in 2008.
You really get a sense of the importance of diet after reading it. While many runners were getting the 5,000 plus calories they needed each day, they were doing it irregularly; a small breakfast, snacking throughout the day and then a huge evening meal.
An experiment where athletes were given three high-carbohydrate energy bars a day, in midmorning, midafternoon and after dinner were able to lose nearly 2 percent of their body fat and greatly improve their performance.
So I am starting to try and balance my meals a bit more and starting the three-bars-a-day diet. We'll see how it works.
Time: 5 hours 32 minutes
Comments: Well, my goal was to get in the 30-35 mile range but my misjudging the distance of my long run put me over that by quite a bit.
While this is a substantial surge from the week prior, it is not all that out of line from my weekly total just prior to the Brazil trip. That said, I need to keep on top of this in the future if I want to avoid injury.
My plan was to use this week's effort as a baseline for the rest of the training. Pretty much set my 10 percent weekly increases by this effort. If you lower the mileage total in respect to the skipping my speed work on Wednesday that puts it in the 35 mile range which feels about right.
So I have reset my weekly mileage totals to reflect this in the training schedule and I plan to go back over it again this week for final tweaking.
The other reason I got such a substantial total this week is that I made sure to institute the 6-running-day week. This is something I intend to keep up for pretty much the rest of the training schedule as well. Rest days other than Monday will now be low mileage/pace days with cross training or something.
As I have gotten more focused on the training for the marathon, I have tweaked a few things concerning my training.
Over the past few months, I really have not been very regular with my stretching. Since my runs have been longer and my pace nothing really spectacular, I have simply been getting dressed and going out the door. With these more intense efforts, that's gotta change.
This week, I have been putting in a good 20 minutes stretching before every run and then giving myself a mile or so to warm up before hitting my stride. In addition, I have been doing 15 minutes of stretching after my runs as well.
The next thing I have become more focused on is nutrition. I have been trying to eat better for pretty much the last nine months but now, well, now it's a necessity. The bottom line is I gotta bulk up on the carbs.
I stumbled across this article in The New York Times from last July that llooks at the preparations distance runners are doing for the Bejing Olympics in 2008.
You really get a sense of the importance of diet after reading it. While many runners were getting the 5,000 plus calories they needed each day, they were doing it irregularly; a small breakfast, snacking throughout the day and then a huge evening meal.
An experiment where athletes were given three high-carbohydrate energy bars a day, in midmorning, midafternoon and after dinner were able to lose nearly 2 percent of their body fat and greatly improve their performance.
So I am starting to try and balance my meals a bit more and starting the three-bars-a-day diet. We'll see how it works.
Long Run
Distance: 19.7 kilometers (12.23 miles)
Time: 113:33 minutes
Surface: asphalt/concrete
Weather Conditions: cool, overcast, 60s, morning run
Location: Miraflores/Barranco/Chorrillos, Lima, Peru
Comments: A tough one, for quite a few reasons.
I woke up tired today. Getting out the door was tougher than usual. I wasn't sore, per se, just unrested. Getting into the groove was rather difficult as a result.
Moreover, I did this run without my iPod Shuffle. The first long run without it. I need to concentrate more on my runs and, while the music helps get through the monotony of it, it can also be distracting. So, today, I didn't have anything to keep me on rhythm and from thinking about the difficulty of the endeavor.
But I made myself stick with it. And that is a victory, of sorts.
I was planning on running about 90 minutes and set a route in my mind to keep to (the usual loop around Playa Herriduras, along the seashore, up the stairs to the Malencon and back to Miraflores) and I thought it would be close. Between running the slower pace than expected and misjudging the distance, this came out to be almost a two-hour run. That might be a bit much for this point in my training.
Legs felt OK today but there was a recurrence of the tightness in the outside left quad. I'll stretch it well this afternoon and tomorrow.
Time: 113:33 minutes
Surface: asphalt/concrete
Weather Conditions: cool, overcast, 60s, morning run
Location: Miraflores/Barranco/Chorrillos, Lima, Peru
Comments: A tough one, for quite a few reasons.
I woke up tired today. Getting out the door was tougher than usual. I wasn't sore, per se, just unrested. Getting into the groove was rather difficult as a result.
Moreover, I did this run without my iPod Shuffle. The first long run without it. I need to concentrate more on my runs and, while the music helps get through the monotony of it, it can also be distracting. So, today, I didn't have anything to keep me on rhythm and from thinking about the difficulty of the endeavor.
But I made myself stick with it. And that is a victory, of sorts.
I was planning on running about 90 minutes and set a route in my mind to keep to (the usual loop around Playa Herriduras, along the seashore, up the stairs to the Malencon and back to Miraflores) and I thought it would be close. Between running the slower pace than expected and misjudging the distance, this came out to be almost a two-hour run. That might be a bit much for this point in my training.
Legs felt OK today but there was a recurrence of the tightness in the outside left quad. I'll stretch it well this afternoon and tomorrow.
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