Long Run

Distance: 20 kilometers
Time: 2 hours minutes

Comments: A pretty solid long run after a broken week of training. I was very apprehensive about this one in the wake of the slog of a run earlier in the week but it actually went pretty well. I ran this one with my sister, doing a five-mile loop near her house in south Chandler. We got up early and out the door just after 6 a.m. The sun was just coming up when we started and a decent part of the route was in shade. So the gettin going wasn't too bad. The second loop was tougher. It was warmer - verging on hot - and the sun was relentless. That’s a big change from the winter-in-Lima conditions I'm used to. But I hydrated well and kept the gels going. I wore my ""race"" outfit which has a lot of black on it. The last few miles I did shirtless due to the amount of sweating. I knew I needed to hydrate after the run but  I was shocked when I pounded down a 32-oz bottle of Gatorade like nothing.

Training Run

Distance: 10 kilometers
Time: 60 minutes

Comments: The trip back to the US was brutal and any hope of a short run on Thursday went out the window pretty quick. I got next to no sleep on the plane and ate miserably after touching down.I put off sleep as late as I could but still hit the bed with some daylight left. I ended up with more than 11 hours of sleep but still woke a bit groggy.So I laced on the new shoes and hit the road right after 6 a.m. Even that early, the contrast weatherwise between Arizona and Peru was enormous. It was less humid but you'd never know it due to the swealter. Getting going I was mighty mighty sluggish.And, although I fell into the usual pace I could tell it was a harder effort than normal. I was sweating pretty good by mile two and that usually never was an issue during my Peru runs.

Training Run

Time: 60 min
Distance: 10 kilometers

Comments: Well, given the miles I put in over the last two weeks I gave myself two days off following this weekend's long run. I didn't have the truck-hit-me feeling that has sometimes followed my big miles, though. So, this being my last Peru run for the year I got down to the beach and cranked out an hour run over to Playa Herraduras. I purposefully put in a slightly faster pace on this one and didn't have too much problems. I did feel a bit... unwilling at the start, I must admit. But got through it pretty well and had a nice clip going there at the end.

Marathon Training Summary: Week 15

Time: 7 hours
Distance: 72 kilometers (45 miles)

Comments: Not quite sure how the mileage stayed the same but my time was reduced but I'm not sweating it either. The amount of time I was on my feet for the week and the long run is all that matters. And I was on them quite a bit.After a shortened week in mid-August due to travel and the earthquake, I've been cranking out the miles and it all came to a head today. It was the big push before the end and I was doubtful if I could do it.I started sore and tired this week following the 20-miler a week ago and things didn't get much merrier as the days dragged on. I was really worried if today's long run was a realistic possibility but it turned out OK after all.I feel strong enough to do the marathon although I have no real clue of what time to expect. That, though, is perfectly fine.

Injury update: The achilles tendons, the lower calves and my right butt cheek all gave me moments of concern

It's taper time, my friends and a wonderful time it is. The last two weeks have been damned tough. A lot of miles and a lot of wear on the legs. While I still need to get a decent amount of running in I'm not going to feel guilty about skipping a run or two due to travel or tiredness. This week will be a few weekday runs of no more than one hour and a 12-miler or so on Sunday. I'm shooting for about 70 to 75 percent of last week's total and that should get me in the ballpark. Mainly, I'm gonna be busy wrapping up things here in Peru and then getting ready to head to Australia.

Training Run

Time: 3 hours 30 minutes
Distance: 34 kilometers

Comments: A long tough run but, to be honest, not nearly as bad as I had feared. But that certainly isn't to say it was easy. Given the long run last week and the sheer number of miles over the past two weeks, I was pretty apprehensive over if I was courting disaster with this run. But I started slow and did what I could to avoid hills and didn't listen to the voice in my head saying cut it short and take it easy.I certainly didn't set any pace records, that's for sure. I deliberately kept myself from looking at my watch until a certain point and was shocked to see I had almost gone the entire time I slated for the effort.I am going to cut back severely this week. Maybe even give myself two days rest after this.

Training Run

Time: 45 min
Distance: 8 kilometers

Comments: And somehow I made it through the week. I thought for sure the forces of evil would conspire to bring my training efforts to a halt but I got through the regular runs in relatively good shape.Today, though, was nothing fancy. Started slow, stayed slow. Dissociated as much as humanly possible. I just gritted my teeth and got it done with. Now, I rest and take on the last big bad boy before the taper.

Training Run

Time: 55 min
Distance: 10 kilometers

Comments: This is clearly survival week. I'm getting out there and getting the miles in but they are not very pretty. And the aftermath is brutal. A three-hour nap yesterday. So I hit the beach today with no intention of any type of major pace and eschewing all hills and hard surfaces. Just jog the bastard. That said, I actually had enough 'umph' to crank out a halfway decent pace for most of the thing.Tomorrow is a 45 minute effort then a day off and the Sunday long run of doom. I think I can do it but, as I said to start the week, if I have to cash it in, I should still be OK to start the taper.

Training Run

Time: 65 min
Distance: 12 kilometers

Comments: Still feeling the miles. Went out slow and stayed that way. Planned on an hour and a half but decided to cut it short after 65 minutes for safety's sake. It isn't that I feel weak or unconditioned, it's just I can feel the miles adding up on me. There isn't a lot of pep in the step and the workouts are serious work at this point. On the plus side, I feel like I <i>can</i> finish these workouts if I gutted it out but I haven't had any injury problems and keeping it that way is still my priority.

Training Run

Time: 45 min
Distance: 8 kilometers

Comments: Well, yesterday turned into a real recovery day. I felt shelacked the whole day. Truck-impact bad. So I headed out with a bit of trepidation this morning. I felt better upon waking but I wasn't going to let that lull me into a false sense of security. That said, the run started slow but got into gear pretty well. By halfway I was going along at a pretty good clip and even reeled in a Peruvian that blew by me and cut every corner of the route. Lord that irks me.I planned a full hour but cut it short when it became apparent the pace I ran was a LOT faster than a recovery run. I'll pick up the difference later in the week if I can.

Marathon Training Summary: Week 14

Time: 7 hours 15 min
Distance: 72 kilometers (45 miles)

Comments: Loooong tough miles. I knew I had to put in the distance this week after the abbreviated effort the week prior and the impending race. The result was an exhaustive effort during a high-pressure period work wise. Needless to say, I'm sleeping VERY hard. The soreness and tired feeling has been constant all week but it never reached a point of pain or injury. So I kept steadily at it through the long-run. Lot of strange obstacles though, a Peruvian chased me down and tried to beat me up and twice I was attacked by dogs. In the case of the former I just walked away from the idiot in the latter, I was able to scare them off by throwing rocks. In any case, I'm ready to get out of this country for awhile.

Injury update: I am very very sore but nothing of the level of ""injury."" I felt the ominous stiffness in a few of the usual places once or twice in all the miles I, put in but never any twinge

One month till raceday... oohhhh, I can almost <i>taste</i> it now. But this week is the tough slog before the taper. I put in a ton of miles last week and I need to do that and <i>just a little bit more</i> this week.The goal this week is to pretty much do exactly the same as last week but add a bit more than a mile to the long run on Sunday - tack on fifteen minutes to be exact. The biggest difference in the approach is I feel completely ready to bail on the plan at the first hint of pain. I've gotten my one big run in, a second is cream, not a necessity.Because, as much as I am focused on the Sept. 23 race date, I have to keep my long-term goal in mind as well.