Fall Marathon Training W/E 9/9/07

PBF- your plan sounds pretty good to me, albeit that I have very little experience

That said, here is my week

Goal Twin Cities 2:39 10/7

M-8

T- 2x4 miles (@5:47)

W-7

T-3 miles @5:49, 5 min recov, 4x800 (2:39 avg), 5 min recov, 3 miles @ 5:36

F-10

S-7

S-25k, took it out easy, trying out MP (6:00) pace, went with a group at 4 miles and held with them through 8. Ended up running a nice string of low 5:40s and felt fresh up to 15, tried to kick down some guy at the end (2:35 last 800) and felt strong 1:30:40

My question to yall is does 6:00 pace seem reasonable? I read a while back that 25k pace plus 10 seconds. opinions?

I usually do a three week taper, trying to avoid being overtrained at all going in to the marathon, and stale as a result. That being said, I blew my back out 17 days before Chicago a few years back, though, and although my chiro got me back running after 5 days of being laid up, I didn't do much volume or intensity and as a result felt really flat on the day of the race. So your plan to sharpen up a bit more befroe tapering makes sense to me, given your injury situation.

As for the training: Chicago, sub 2:33

Monday: 12 very hilly miles, "easy", but not really

Tuesday: 10 am, 5 pm, all easy

Wednesday: 10 am, including 6x5/2 @ about 5:10 - 5:20 pace in the woods

Thursday: 12 am, 8 pm, easy

Friday: 10 am, 6 pm, moderately quick in the morning

Saturday: 10 easy

Sunday: 18 total, including a race on a course suited for mountain goats reputed to be 14K but probably closer to 13K - nice hard effort

Total: 101 miles. Now for the last insane big week...

I have found this to be very accurate:

http://www.runnersweb.com/running/rw_pred.html

Your 1:30:40 converts to 2:38:47. Assuming you get in your long runs and overall mileage you should be close. Good luck.

("yall" makes you sound "ignant")

I normally cycle my weeks with 3 hard, 1 easy. So with these last 4 weeks before Chicago I will do 2 hard, 1 easy and then a 1 week taper. The easy week will actually be easier then my taper week. For the taper week I follow a normal week but cut everything in half. So I still run twice a day but just do 20mins in the morning and then if the normal evening run is 60, I'll do just 30. (Actually I switch the evening and morning runs to get used to going harder in the morning the week of the marathon but you get my point).

What my coach and I found was that I feel like crap during my easy weeks (like this week just ending) but normally have a really solid week the 1st week back after the easy week. So we figured why not have a super easy week 2 weeks out and then a normal week but at 1/2 volume the week of the marathon. This worked well for me when I ran 2:20 so I will do it again before Chicago. If I had an extra week in the buildup I would do 3 weeks hard, 1 week easy, 1 week taper but it just didn't work out this time.

To be totally honest, it was something that Peter Gilmore said about running a normal week the week of a marathon that got me to try this kind of a taper out. We just weren't willing risk going in with any fatigue though so hence the reason we cut the volume in half (this is something that one of the British coaches suggested to me) and the super easy week the week before. We kind of figured we were getting enough rest while still maintaining that vital edge. Worked for me anyways...

Anyways, this week was a planned down week and as I stated in my earlier ramblings, it didn't feel so hot. But still toughed out Sat's 15miler at 5:17 pace so shouldn't complain too much. About 65miles for the week. Hope you guys had a good one. Matt

Mon: PM: 60mins + 4x50m uphill strength work

Tues: REST/Active Release

Wed: PM: 8x1.2km, rest 1/2:1 +20x(100m fast, 100m steady)

Thurs: 60mins + 4x(4x50m)uphill, jog down

Fri: REST

Sat: AM: 15miles at 5:17 pace

Sun: AM: 90mins

Goal: Columbus, 3:10

80 miles this week.

Mon: 12 miles with 20 minutes at tempo pace (6:33, 6:21, 6:23) (bonked after the tempo running)

Tue: 10 miles

Wed: 8 miles with 3 X 1 mile in 5:59, 5:49, 5:53

Thu: 12 miles with an unplanned 5 miles at 6:40 or so after running into the 2:14 guy who lives down the street

Fri: 5 miles

Sat: 20 miles

Sun: 5 miles in the morning, 8 miles in the evening

Any thoughts on my pace for the mile repeats? My best 5k and 10k times are only 18:54 and 39:00, but these repeats (with 90 seconds recovery) felt fairly controlled.

dht:

I think that your mile repeats might be a bit better if they were a bit more like 6:10-ish, but that's just my opinion....I think that your tempo-run pace was too fast though. A good rule of thumb is somewhere around 10-mile or half-marathon pace. I know that this week has been really hot & humid, so that makes your week even more solid.

Would you mind dropping me an e-mail when you get a chance?

Thanks....

Richmond Nov 10

3:35 goal time

Monday 6 w/6x100

Tuesday 12

Weds off

Thurs 11 w/6 in 48:30

Fri off

Sat 5

Sunday 20

Total 54

Felt like a good week since the weather (temps around 90 for weekday runs) made them a little more challenging. Tuesday trail run ended up being a cutdown run as we finished the last four miles by picking up the pace by 15 seconds each mile. Thursday was supposed to be half marathon pace (7:50) but only managed around 8 min/miles in the heat. Not exactly a confidence builder but will get another shot at 7 mile tempo in a couple weeks.

Hope everyone stays healthy and has a good week of training.

Goal: Columbus, 3:10-3:15

Mon. 11 miles 15K race, 59:32, 6:24 average, very hilly course

Tues. off

Wed. 7 miles

Thurs. 7 miles

Fri. 10 miles, with 2x3 miles on a rolling road loop, 18:45 for the 1st one and 19:18 for the second. Very hotand humid, goal was 6:30 pace and I was faster than that so I was happy

Sat. 5 miles

Sun. 20 miles

Total: 60 miles

Overall a great week, one of the harder ones for me with the race on Monday, workout on Friday and 20 miler on Sunday, but I came throug it ok and felt good on the 20 miler, taking that as a good sign and that the training is headed in the right direction and paying off.

Goal: Cowtown (Sacramento) Oct. 7th SUB 2:22

Monday - 14 Easy

Tuesday - 3 w/u, 6 Hilly Fartlek 2 on 2's (6:12), 3 c/d

Wedneday - 14 Easy

Thursday - 14 Easy

Friday - 4 Easy, 10 @ 5:23, 6 Easy

Saturday - 12 Easy

Sunday - 21.5 Easy

Total of 107.5 miles. Pretty good week. Was going for 100 miles but Sunday I went 7.5 miles further then I was trying. I was running back and forth between my wife's race and my daughter's ballet tryouts and kind of over did it. Friday was a good workout as well, especially with it being after work and warm.

Forgot to post this in my earlier post.

PFB: I think the 2 week taper is better. I have found that keeping the body in rhythm is a good thing.

A quick question, any thoughts would be great.

There is a 1/2 marathon on 9/22 in the area. Do I go ahead and race it and try for a good time? Or just run it at marathon pace and use it as my long marathon pace run? Or save the entry fee and 1.5 hour drive and do a 13 mile MP race on my own? I have a 10K planned the next weekend. Columbus marathon is 10/21/07.

Any thoughts??

Marine Corps

Goal 2:37

Sunday: 20

Monday: 12

Tuesday: 12

Wednesday: 15

Thursday: 12

Friday: 9 easy

Saturday: 10 mile race in 55:56, plus 2 miles of warm-up / cool down

total: 93 miles, looking at the running calculators i seem to be right on pace to meet the goal time

TWC wrote:

There is a 1/2 marathon on 9/22 in the area. Do I go ahead and race it and try for a good time? Or just run it at marathon pace and use it as my long marathon pace run? Or save the entry fee and 1.5 hour drive and do a 13 mile MP race on my own? I have a 10K planned the next weekend. Columbus marathon is 10/21/07.

Any thoughts??

I would think you are going to have to decide between the Half Marathon and the 10K. I don't think you can run them both hard on back to back weekends with the Half first.

70 mile for week incl

3 x 5k at 16:30, 16:00, 15:30 5min between

22 mile long run at 6:40 pace

Goal 2:19

Miles and Miles,

What about the 1/2 marathon at MP (not racing it) and then the 10K the following weekend?

Goal Marathon WAS Mohawk Hudson.

I am giving up on Mohawk. My achilles just is not ready and I need more time off. I am also signed up for Tucson in December so I am going to try to heal up for and run that.

Mon: 15.5 - Cape Ann 25k. Wanted 10 miles at goal MP, only got 8.5 before I was hurting and had to shut it down.

Tue: PM - 4 easy

Wed: AM - 6, PM - 6

Thu: PM - 8 easy

Fri: off

Sat: off

Sun: 2.9 as part of a triathlon

Total: 43 miles

30th sept Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront 2:18

Week 6 of 9 and another good week topped off with a frustrating race on sunday.

M 70mins incl 8x30sec fast + 40 mins

T 150mins with last 30 close to MP

W 65mins + 35mins

T 75mins incl hills + 30min very easy

F Rest

S 50mins incl 3k HM tempo + 20min jog

S Half Marathon. Slow start (15.20 for 3M) but 10 Mile PR of 50.09 then got severe stitch going over a cobbled section and had to jog in. Disappointed to miss out on a mid 65. Still, looking good for STWF.

3 weeks to go now so focus is on keeping sharp and freshening up.

Adrian

PBF,

What can you do to turn 'hoping injuries stay away' into 'knowing injuries will stay away' ?

Better to be fresh and slightly undertrained than bang in a big week and carry tiredness into your marathon.

Good luck

Adrian

Sorry to hear about Mohawk Hudson Joe.

St. George Oct. 6 Goal Sub 2:50

It was hard week for me. Two races and a 23 miler have left me feeling pretty exhausted.

Mon - 17.5 Cape Ann 25K - The race was pretty much a disaster after leading for the first half I had to race into the bathroom. I ended up as the 3rd woman but it was pretty ugly after the bathroom break. Then I was stung by bee after a trip at the medical area. It made for a long painful ride home

Tues - 10 Really painful miles

Wed - 10.25

Thurs - 9.25

Fri - 4.5

Sat - 9.25 including Ollie 5 miler - Really Hot and Humid

31:04 slowest GP 5 miler but highest placement ever. Everyone seemed to be suffering out there.

Sun - 23 Miles in oppressive humidity. Good run other than one emergency pit stop.

83.5 miles Total

My coach has 25 planned for me next weekend - Yikes! Has anyone ever run a 25 miler 3 weeks before their marathon? I've run marathons 3 weeks apart but never a 25 mile training run. The whole idea of it has me a little nervous.

I guess I'll jump in.

Chicago, unsure of the goal. Been dealing with injuries all year, but am finally getting into a rhythm. Last 11 weeks have been 10, 11, 19, 23, 34, 29, 41, 34, 47, so you can see where I'm coming from.

Marathon PR of 2:50. I'm confident I'm in at least 3 hour shape. Last week:

Mon - 8 easy

Tue - 5 easy

Wed - 4 x 1 mile @ LT (5:43's) w/ 400 jog recoveries

Thu - off

Fri - 5.5 easy

Sat - 14.5 easy

Sun - 5 easy

Wednesday's cruise intervals were definitely work, but smooth and relaxed. Good long run on Saturday...strong to finish.