Training Run

Distance: 4 miles
Time: 37:10 minutes
Pace: 10:48/mi

Comments: Brutally slow run but mostly cause I took my time to take shots of the route.

Despite the slow slow slow pace, I kept trying to tinker with some of the specifics of my stride - push offs, ball-heel footstrike and arm motion. I think the key for the short term will be breathing control.

This is pretty much my last "take it easy" run. I'll try and concentrate on my 10 miler tomorrow and next week - although not a full-bore week - I'll concentrate on preparing for the Phoenix New Times 10K.

Training Run

Distance: 6 miles
Time: 45:46 minutes
Pace: 7:38/mi

Comments: A bit busy with different projects today so I kind of did this one on autopilot. Dissociative running at its finest.

But it was a good run, nonetheless. I got out and dropped into my pace and let my mind wander while I just cranked it out. Not a bad approach now and then, but not one that is going to get me through the real test of the race.

Training Run

Distance: 4 miles
Time: unk
Pace: unk

Comments: Another limited effort. I got out the house and down the street before realizing I left my watch on the dresser. Instead of heading back to get it I just decided to do the run without the time. In fact, I thought it might be good just to aim for the distance and forget about the pace.

And it worked pretty well. I played around with my stride and footfall a bit but nothing really fancy. My main goal was a nice easy run that got the heart rate going and the legs loose of the lethargy.

Although this pull-back week is clearly a good idea in terms of my physiology, I am a bit concerned about the mental aspect. I've really not been motivated at all to run recently and this is sort of playing into that.

Training run

Distance: 6 miles
Time: 46:39 minutes
Pace: 7:47/mi

Comments: After a day off and a day slack, I felt a bit rusty out there but got through the effort with a strong showing, nonetheless.

I did a pretty good stretch beforehand but used the first mile as he warm-up. I tried to keep from doing anything at all fancy but I still came through with a much quicker pace than I expected.

Most of this run was through the magic of disassociation. I really didn't focus on my running much at all. Which is probably best because I really haven't felt very motivated this week. Probably the result of the massive mileage over the past two weeks.

Recovery Run

Distance: 2.33 miles
Time: 16:37 minutes
Pace: 7:13/mi

Comments: A recovery run done a bit faster than I planned so I cut it short.

I've been very tired since my long run and I didn't feel any real need to push myself today. Add to that the fact I have new shoes, I didn't stretch properly and I was playing around with a new stride the whole way... well, I think slacking off was called for.

Last night I was reading the chapter in the The Competitive Runner's Handbook that discusses the difference between a ball-heel versus heel-ball footstrike. The latter being the most common for the average runner but the former being the form for most racers.

I vaguely remember this from when I raced in high school but it went hand-in-hand with the emphasis on form - drive off the back foot, drive up with the knees and drive down with the arms.

So, I spent a lot of this run playing around with these different forms looking for how they could be integrated into my regular running stride.

The danger in this is, by changing the mechanics of your stride dramatically, you risk injury. So, cutting the run short seemed the wise option. As it was, the little changes gave me a heck of a lot more acceleration than I expected. Thus the relatively quick pace for the "recovery" run.

New Shoes: Brooks Adrenaline GTS 6

On Saturday, I headed over to Performance Footwear in Tempe and picked up a new pair of shoes. Although I just picked up a new pair two weeks ago but my training miles are really piling up and it ain't a bad idea to alternate pairs under these conditions.

More importantly, I should have a good read on which shoe I like best for my long runs by early December or six weeks out from the race. That's when I'll buy the pair that I'll run the marathon in.

Anyhoo, I ended up buying the Brooks Adrenaline GTS 6. I tried these on two weeks ago and liked them but opted for the Sacony Grid Omni 5 because of the comfort factor. The Brooks have a more firm 'feel' to them but not at all the bulky sensation I associate with the motion control boots I was wearing previously.

I also tried the Mizuno Nirvana 2 (not bad, loose in the heel), the Brooks Trance 6 (goofy looking, weird feel) and the Saucony Hurricane 8 (uneven feel, rubs the ball of the foot). But the Adrenaline GTS 6 was by far the best of the bunch.

I also stocked up on Balega hidden comfort socks. The double layer socks I tried last time just didn't fit my feet (the large was too small and the extra large was too big). The Balegas are thin socks with a moisture-free fabric that seems to work for my feet. I have had none of the blister issues that previously plagued me (of course that might be the shoes, as well).

Marathon Training Summary: Week 5

Distance: 45 miles
Time: 6 hours 15 minutes

Comments: A solid, if unspectacular week. I simply wanted to get in a second week of quality miles and that mission was accomplished.

But the lack of speed work and hill work was clearly evident and the pacing of my workouts is lackluster as well. It's a lot of good miles, but not much else.

I also was feeling very tired toward the end of this week. My long run was a much better effort than I anticipated given how I felt on Friday and Saturday. It's clear a pull-pack is necessary at this point or I might be putting myself in danger of injury.

I went over to my storage shed last week and dug out my copy of Joe Henderson's Marathon Training which I bought five years ago when I last tried to train for a marathon.

First off, this is not the best book to pick up if you are looking to run your first marathon. It is essentially a day-by-day guide for a 100-day training regimine. Each week is a chapter and there are entries for each day that have information, tips and interviews to help you along.

So it works a lot better as a companion book with a more formal style training guide. The thing it has that is very helpful is a day-by-day training diary for you to fill out. This includes all the pertinant information you will need to record as you go through the training process.

And this is where the book helped me. Looking back, I didn't make it more than two weeks into the training before giving in. I had amassed a few months of running before getting going so it wasn't the usual start n' stop of a first timer. But my handful of entries are very telling.

I had my left knee issues pretty much from the start and I was trying to do way too much mileage from the get go. My day one target was 12 miles. Not bright. Which didn't matter much since I almost never got more than half of any workout I planned.

So it looks like that disaster paved the way for the progress I am making now. Not sure if that is a reccomendation for the book, but it sure is a plug for starting a training diary - or blog, as I have done this time.

Anyhow, taking a page from that book, this is my cutback week. I've piled on almost 90 miles in the past two weeks and that's a bit much. I'm shooting for a bit less although I will be trying to include track and hill workouts for intensity.

Injury update: I got through the week surprisingly well on the injury front. Mostly, it was the usual suspects. There is the continual tightness in certain areas like the side of the quads that just seems to be a part of my lot for now. I have also had a problem with the tendons on the top of my left foot. The new shoes seem to rub against it and it has become sore. And there is this bloody toe thing that needs to get solved, post haste, as well.

Long Run

Distance: 17 miles
Time: 2:28:51 minutes
Pace: 8:45/mi

Comments: A long, tough run but a good effort, overall.

I did some stretching before heading out and walked at least half-a-mile to the start point as a warm-up. I knew I wanted a better pace than last week but not so much it made the run impossible.

The weather, overcast and a touch chilly to start out, was perfect for this run. I just concentrated on the pace and keeping things under control. Knowing the route helped a great deal, I must admit.

Overall I felt good almost the whole way. Early on I had some feelings of wanting to give in, but that seems to have been laziness rather than any specific problem.

So now it is a pull-back week and, after that, preparing for the 10K race in Phoenix. Then I have a half-marathon a few weeks later. So this run is the longest distance I will run for at least a month.