Marathon Training Thread: Week Ending 1/9

Interesting to hear about the Disney race!

Here's how I've spent the last 7 days:

Monday: Rest (0)

Tuesday: 5x1k track (3:10/12/12/11/14) with 200 recoveries, cycled to work and back (10)

Wednesday: AM 5 miles PM 7 miles (12)

Thursday: Sharpener session for XC 10x300 off 100 (9)

Friday: 9 miles easy in the evening (9)

Saturday: Warwickshire XC Champs, 21st, 35:07, 10k course, ran course as warm up/down (12)

Sunday: 21 miles. Icy. (21)

Week total: 73 miles

2011 total: 106 miles

Feeling fit at the moment though I've developed some soreness in my left PF. Hope it's OK. Had problems with my right one last summer and am still getting physio for it.

http://quentoncassidy.tumblr.com/training2011

Forgot to mention: goal is London in April, aiming for 2:35

Goal Race: ?

Goal Time: sub 2:40

1/3: 50 minutes easy (6.53 miles)

1/4: 60 minutes easy (8 miles)

1/5: 5 miles easy-43 minutes

1/6: 40 minutes easy (4.53 miles)

1/7: 60 minutes easy (7.27 miles)

1/8: 7 miles (41:30)

1/9: 10 miles easy (1:17:51)

Total: 48.33 miles

This was my first full week of consistent running in over three years. Its not great in terms of the training, the paces, the distance, etc. But the fact that I was able to get in a full week of training and did not miss a day is something I havent been able to do for quite some time now, and I mentally feel ahead of previous bouts of training where I would run 5 days of the week at much higher volumes. Hopefully I can keep getting in consistent weeks and not miss a day. If so I will be very happy and probably find myself in better running shape than I have been in years.

Thanks for all the kind words everyone!

CTA - Those Daniels workouts (and long runs) are pretty intense...if you can string together weeks of doing those, I know you'll be in excellent shape. I hope the back thing turns out to be nothing...could've been you just slept in an awkward position?

nikeman - I used to train the same way, everything at a fairly moderate pace. Now that I've slowed my easy runs waaaay down (7:15+ pace), I'm able to handle higher mileage much easier and harder workouts. Not to mention...much better consistency.

mlbfan - That's a solid performance, especially being this early in the Boston cycle and the volume you put in the days before. The only time I ever feel my back tighten up is when I'm at the end of an especially hard workout. What I find myself doing is arching my back when I get exhausted in a race or workout...and that leads to it really tightening up...almost like a charlie horse feeling.

Race: Boston

Time: 2:47-2:49

I had an OK week. I had to move yesterday's planned long run indoors because when I woke up we had a fresh 2" of snow on all the roads and I wasn't going to run long slip sliding everywhere. We're supposed to get this with another storm tues-wed. Looks like more TM running...

M: Off

T: 10 @ 8:13

W: 12.5 @ 7:33 (6 x 1mile with ~2:15 jog rest, 6:20, 6:11, 6:25, 6:12, 6:32, 6:25). Slightly rolling terrain

R: 6.5 @ 8:18 (TM)

F: 13.41 @ 7:56 (My hill run, ~1200ft total elevation gain. 6 x 0.6mi hill with 120ft elevation)

S: 8.00 @ 7:59 (TM)

S: 19.00 @ 7:14 (TM) 5mi @ 8:09, 5 @ 7:13, 5 @ 6:53, 4 @ 6:31

Tot: 69.4

Figure I'll pop in here.

Just kind of set my mind on a marathon, goal - 2:35ish.

Last week was a downer week (work emergency), so only minimal mileage.

M - 3 easy

Tu - 10, 3 miles at 5:36 pace

We - 11

Th - 8 mi, 5x2 on, 2 off just to get something in, 5:05 average for the hard segments.

Fr - 0

Sa - 9 with strides

Su - 3

Total: 44 miles. Plan to get back into the mid to high 70's this week...

Great race Pablo. Running 2:31 at Disney, in a pretty much solo effort seems more impressive than running 2:31 in a crowded national championship field. Are you heading back to Twin Cities in the fall?

Pablo, congrats on another solid marathon. I wonder if you'll be appearing on any reality television shows soon considering your new found celebrity status.

Goal Race: Boston

Goal Time: 2:33

M- 4 (7:23)

Tu- 11 (6:56)

W- 10.5 (7:12)

Th- 11.5 (6:31 -- 7mi tempo @ 5:58/mi followed by 8 short hill repeats)

F- am: 5 pm: 5.5

Sa- 19 (7:03 -- longest run since September, felt really good)

Su- off (unplanned, busy)

Tot- 66.5mi/6d

pablo - I can not tell you how exciting I was to see your name in the top 3 on the results page. I was sitting on the beach in Key West waiting for the RAGNAR awards to start and looked it up on my phone. I thought I looked it up wrong! Top 3 FL male?? Nope.. OVERALL. Badass. Awesome Report. 2:30 will fall, no doubt. Take care of your achilles.

Goal Races: Matanza's 5000, FSU UF UNF 5000m, Gate River Run 15k

Goal Times: sub 15:30, 50:30ish

Mo - 10AM (6:48s) / 8PM (6:20s)

Tu - 6AM (7:40s) / 12PM w/ 2 sets of 5 by 90s Hills

We - 11AM (7:00s)

Th - 8AM (7:30s) / 8PM (7:15s)

FR - RAGNAR Start 4pm. (6 milesPM) 3 warmup, 3.0 1st leg. 14:57 / 9.3 @ 10:30PM in 54:15

Sat - 9.6 @ 6:30AM in 56:25 (5:52 pace). less than 1 hour of sleep

Su - 8AM (7:30s)

Total Mileage - ~97

Ragnar Mia to KeyWest is a must! Our team had a blast and took home first place. We ran 190miles in 19:57:35, which comes out to be 6:18 average pace. I am very pleased with my legs. I ran 14:57 (basically a 3mile PR) at 4PM then came back 6 hours later and threw down a 54:15 15k, some of which was on trails. ~1hr of sleep, then 9.6 over the 7-mile bridge in KW at sunrise and was still able to hold sub 6s. I am feeling fit and can not wait to race a competitive 5k.

Pablo: Awesome race & recap.

Goal: Boston

M: 45 min

T: 55 min

W: 40 min am / 12M Fartlek PM

Th:60 min

F: 60 min

S: 10M at MP (approx 5:40) (15 min wm, 10 min cd)

Su: 140 mins

Aprox 85 miles

Wed fartlek was good. Would have like to have gotten in more miles - this week.

blaznbison24 wrote:

Great race Pablo. Running 2:31 at Disney, in a pretty much solo effort seems more impressive than running 2:31 in a crowded national championship field. Are you heading back to Twin Cities in the fall?

Thanks, I appreciate it. I wish I had your niche for the marathon though. You clearly know how to get the most out of that distance...something that many of us (including me) haven't quite figured out yet.

As far as Twin Cities, I'd love to go back sometime, but I don't think it will be this fall. Right now, my main choice is running Chicago this year. I figure that race will give me the best shot at having a solid pack to run with. I'm open to suggestions, but tentatively, that's my fall marathon of choice.

NoleRunner - Dude, you realize you basically ran a 15:30 5k on your first leg? You may want to re-evaluate that goal for Matanzas! Not to mention, you came back and ran 2 more really solid legs. I went to the Ragnar website, and it looks like you were "Runner 1", which ended up running the most mileage out of anyone else. Congrats dude, you're in great shape right now. BTW, next time you do one of those relay races, let me know...I'd love to do one someday.

Abu - Great week, that's gotta be one of your highest weeks in a while huh? And yeah, if there's ever a horribly inaccurate reality TV show that's on some channel nobody gets...I'm sure I'm the first one they'll call!

Man,

You guys are crushing it. I need to get on the ball.

pablo wrote:

As far as Twin Cities, I'd love to go back sometime, but I don't think it will be this fall. Right now, my main choice is running Chicago this year. I figure that race will give me the best shot at having a solid pack to run with. I'm open to suggestions, but tentatively, that's my fall marathon of choice.

The pack at Chicago is awesome. I think you would be qualified for the Top 100 program (they call it something else now?) with your half time, that is a very nice experience. The most elite I've felt at a race for sure and getting to start at the front is awesome. They split the start into two sides so I ended up being right at the front of the line on one side and Wanjiru and the other pros were on the other. Probably the reason my first mile was 5:17 and my first half was 1:13 but oh well, very fun experience. And the course is very flat and fast, just hope for good weather.

pablo - I have been stuck at 65-70mi/6d the past month (64, 70, 42, 66, being the actual totals). For some reason I can't seem to get over that hump. Mainly it boils down to poor planning and a lack of discipline.

Nolerunner - Impressive performance at Ragnar. That is quite impressive to run well under 6min pace after an opening 3mi leg in 14:57.

4TM - You still have time. I believe that about 12 weeks out is the point where you need to step it up (ie. mileage and workouts) in order to pop a good marathon.

Pablo - another superb marathon. Top 3 finish is nuts! Very well run mate and as CTA has said, there are those of us who know that you will end up nailing down some sick times in due course.

mlbfan24 - nice 1/2M marathon. Looks like things are coming together well.

CTA - great to hear that you've signed up for Berlin. Perhaps we'll get to meet this time around? Your Sunday run looks damn good.

brumrunner - well raced at the XC. Reckon some off-road racing during the winter definitely helps build strength.

Nole - DAMN! Impressive racing at the weekend. You're definitely in tremendous shape if you can put 3 runs like that together in 24 hours off little sleep. Looking good.

Pablo - That is a cool race story to have. Well done, now relax and enjoy the limelight/recovery time!

Good luck rh - we're looking forward to another good story now besides just a good time!

Goal: 2:48

Race: Gansett? (Training should start 1/24, just have to get this heel healed)

Mon - off

Tues 8 (Hill run 7:28 avg)

Wed - 9 (7:20ish)

Thurs - 8 (7's comfortable)

Fri - 4? (7:30 -snow, pace dist. based off perceived effort)

Sat - off (Snow shoveling in am then decided to skip squeezing an easy 3)

Sun - 20 (7:30's all in snow)

Total - 49

A very up and down week for me. Tuesday was the best I have felt in months; spring in my step, bouncy, no pain discomfort in my ankle/heel, best hill efforts in a year. Wednesday my foot just never felt quite right. Thursday was back to like Tues. Friday was fine and Sunday was ok for the first 17. Sun. was potentially going to be up to 50K at a friends low key event but halfway through the 4th 5 mile loop my ankle just started feeling a little weak and I knew it was going to be time to stop. This morning it was hard to walk but it is getting better - it's actually very similar to what happened last week so I'm hoping it continues to bounce back by tomorrow.

Abu Seyame,

I agree. I'll take it a step further and say that I actually like just 8-9 weeks of marathon workouts before tapering for 2 weeks. An additional 8-15 weeks of mileage and I'm good. As stands, I'll have about 12 or 13 weeks of easy mileage post Chicago and leading up to intense marathon workouts. I just wish that 12-13 weeks was about 10 mpw higher (80) rather then what it will end up (70). Oh well.

nikeman wrote:

that's been a problem for me in the past (training too fast). It's pretty difficult unless I have someone else to train with to slow me down.

Like me :) Except for days when I'm having a crappy run and turn into an overemotional girl who won't let him run with me.

Back on topic, I am a marathon virgin who had been planning on Eugene, May 1. Then I got really, really sick at the end of December, which was when my training was supposed to "officially" start. I didn't run or do anything for 2 weeks. Now I am trying to see if I can jump back into marathon training. I ran 11 this past Sunday. Trying to be back on the plan, but I'm not sure what that plan is anymore, which is why I have come to this thread.

I am currently doing the Hal Higdon plan, starting week 3 today. The past week or two, I reverted to the Intermediate II plan, but I'd like to do Advanced I -

I need some comments and criticisms on this plan. I've been running for 10 years and despite being knowledgeable about training, I've never personally gone through the training for a marathon, so I need some advice from those who have.

My goal is 3:35-3:40, but at this point I don't know if that's doable.

Welcome Tex

You'll get more experienced advice than mine, but here's my 2 cents. Higdon - solid and basic, therefor good for for a first timer. If you can be fully on track by the 17 miler at the end of week 8 go for the advanced. Weeks 4/5 just get the Adv. miles, don't worry about the "workout" on thurs. Weeks 6/7 try to add the workout structure, but at a lower than indicator pace for your goal. Week 8 try to follow the Adv. schedule as is just be sure to keep easy realllly easy.