Philly Bound

This last week has been all about work and the markets, while ignoring the fact that I'm running a marathon in a few days. (It's funny how this happens to me). As the casino has been a whirl wind, I've unconsciously shut out what I've spent months trying to build up.

I can't avoid it any longer. Thoughts of miles of trials and trials of miles are over coming me. I'm starting to obsess.

I leave for Philadelphia in few hours.

On my back is a ton of training. Not very orthodox, nor the way I would've liked it. I started marathon training back in August only to blow up with my skiing accident. I changed plans/races and finally committed to Philadelphia. It wasn't easy to go from 80-to-zero, and then roll back up as quickly as possible.  In the end though, I pulled together a respectable streak. Five big weeks that culminated with 15 days in a row of living above 100 miles. What's more is that I felt great at the end of it. I've never successfully packed it on like this before.

I know my speed is there, but untested. I've had good workouts recently, but my only attempt for a time trial was blown to bits in the wind... I ran a 5K on the track the other night, and just couldn't overcome the weather. Way too windy to manage solo. (I couldn't have done it at a worse time too... a front was literally blowing through during my 2nd and 3rd miles, flurries included).

No prior races means that I'm having to wing it. I feel good though. I feel fresh and healthy.

Call it the Philadelphia Flyer. Call it Marathon XV - The Rocky Run. Whatever this race may be, here's me in less than 48 hours...

Getting speed

I've been slowly dropping my mileage in the last week. As of today, I'm officially in taper mode.

I'm always worried about what kind of "speed" I have going into a marathon. I usually get the chance to test myself with a few smaller races. That hasn't worked out for me this time around. There's a chance I can do a 5K this coming weekend, otherwise I may have to wing it.

Along with a bunch of big boy miles, here's what I have in the bank:

Last night's 20x 400 workout was my final workout. I averaged 72.5 with 80 seconds of recovery.

Reps 1-4 avg 73.7

5-8 avg 72.7

8-12 avg 73.4

13-16 avg 72.3

17-20 avg 70.6

Ironically, that's a hair faster than I've run 20x 400 before. Prior to CIM, I averaged 72.6. Importantly too, the workout didn't break me. I was strong the entire way though and gradually picked it up. Final two splits were 70.2 and 68.2.

Monday night's final 10 miles of big boy tempo. I averaged 5:47. Aside from being in a race, that's a great pace for that distance. Again, I felt strong all the way through it. No harm or help from any wind here either, just steady speed. I could've easily banged out three more miles to give me a half marathon.

Split recap:

1- 6:05.9

2- 5:49.7

3- 5:50.3

4- 5:47.7

5- 5:43.6

6- 5:45.3

7- 5:46.0

7- 5:50.0

9- 5:44.9

10- 5:36.0

Total- 57:59.4 / Avg- 5:47.9

The prior week's tempo was 8 @ 5:40 average. It was a little unfair though, as I had a big headwind early and then tailwind for the last 5 miles. I also did 20x 200s last week, w/ 200 recoveries. I averaged 34.5 with the final handful hit down to 31-32. Considering I'm anything but a sprinter, that was about as fast as it gets for me.

At this point, my training is done. I have a week and a half to recover. A 5K would certainly help boost my confidence and I'd love to burn a fast one. I'm not sure if I'll get the chance though... weather looks hairy for the coming weekend and the last thing I want to do is waste my time in a fight with the wind.

Getting size

I'm in the meat of my training right now. Two weeks ago, I ran 95 miles. Last week was 101 miles. This will be another 100+ week. I have seven days to go. That'll be 3-1/2 weeks of real size, inside of a 5 week streak at 80+.

Last week I was running flat... I was tired. I was sore. I was constantly hungry. Complaining. I was getting annoyed with the milage. I just lost some of my key training partners. Motivation was really dragging. I wanted it to end.

As of right now, this week... in my peak week... I'm want to hammer.

I'm holding myself back.

Don't get me wrong, I'm still tired, sore, hungry, etc. But I'm less-so than last week, and the mileage no longer phases me. I feel myself getting stronger with each run. I've been upping the pace a little as well. Meaning more moderate mileage in the 6:30-6:45 range, as opposed to the garbage 7:00-7:15 range.

It's now or never. Push down on that accelerator and hope I can take it.

The only other time that I attempted a streak like this was for my 2010 NYC Marathon, and that resulted in me over training. I was ultra-fit then, but the wheels came off and it certainly showed in the marathon. I don't necessarily feel as fast as I did then (yet), but I do have the endurance and I'm much less sore with it.

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Back to Racing:

I ran the FLW 10K this past Sunday. This was my first race in about 6 months. It's kind of pathetic that it's taken me that long to line up again after such a good Shamrock.

FLW was more of a personal test than anything, especially on the heels of 50 miles in the prior 3 days and 101 miles on the week. I was absolutely dead tired and in a mentally rut. As much as I didn't want to do it, this race was just what I needed. I forced myself to run fast and just gut it out.

After the first quarter mile, I pretty much ran the race completely alone. I was comfortabely stuck between 3rd and 5th places. It was nice little personal victory, as my splits were extremely steady and didn't waiver at all, especially given the lack of any competition. I finshed feeling strong and completely unphased. A mere tempo run.

Immediately upon crossing the finish line, I ran the course again... averaging about a 6:45 pace. 15 miles total... aggressive... when I didn't even want to get out of bed.

1- 5:27.6

2- 5:41.1

3- 5:41.3

4- 5:41.6

5- 5:37.6

6- 5:40.4

.2- 1:09.0

34:58 / 4th O'all, 1st AG (excl a top 3 finish)

This is why I run.

Days like today...

Yesterday was complete garbage mileage after Wednesday's track workout. I'm a day away from having 95 miles on the week. It's a bump up, so I'm tired and sore.

I left the office building for an easy 10 miles at lunch. I was anticipating a snail's pace given how tired I felt. It took a few miles to get going and loosen up. At like 3 miles in, I started to think that I might go 11 miles instead of 10. At 4 miles in, I was thinking maybe I'd do 12. I still felt sluggish, but in a good way. Then I started to gradually pick up my pace. I passed the turn for 12 and decided I was going 13 miles. I completely shut everything around me out and got into a really nice rhythm.

Next thing I knew, I was doing a progression run and dropped 3 miles sub-6. So much for being sore and tired. It was so smooth. One of those rare days that only come every so often.

On my mile cool down through the city streets, I realized that I just ate a half marathon for lunch... and was still hungry for more.

This is why I run.

The Need for Speed

It's safe to say that my long/slow endurance is finally back on track. Unfortunately, I can't say the same for my speed. Yeah, I know... I just ran a 15 miles the other day at MGP, but 1) the end of that 15 miles it really didn't feel all that great (I mean, heaven forbid I had to go 26.2!), and 2) last night's track workout shows that I have a lot of work ahead of me.

Last night we did 16x400's on the track, broken into sets of 4, with 200 recoveries between reps and standing recovery between each set. Each set was to progress: 75, 74, 73, 72. I stuck to the plan and made it through the workout. Actually, each rep was either right on or a tad fast. All in, I averaged 73.0. Given that I hit the targets, I guess it was a success. Probably my first reasonable track workout recently.

Am I happy with that though? No. Looking back at my last 3 big 400 workouts while training for Shamrock in the early spring and last fall's CIM, I had averaged closer to sub-72. I know I did a couple of those with spikes, and I didn't use the 200 recoveries, so maybe I shouldn't be worried?

Training for Philly has been very awkward though. I had a reasonable July and August build, which was intended for an October marathon, then busted at a really crucial time for 2 weeks. I then basically had to start from scratch again. It took me 4-5 weeks to recover from those 2 weeks off. And my roll back up hasn't been pretty... I've sacrificed quality for quantity and had random soreness either in my calves or my left knee (likely caused by ITB and a quick come back). Definitely not a clean training session.

Regardless, one thing is certain: I now need to get my speed back. From today, I have exactly 3 weeks of big-peak training followed by a gradually accelerating taper. That's something like 21-25 days to get my shit straight. Not impossible, but it's not gonna be easy.

THE Chicago Marathon

I'm still in my building phase for Philly, but today was Marathon Day here in Chicago.

The weather was absolutely perfect (it figures)... I'm a little disappointed that I wasn't able to race, but I was still able to have a great day and participate. I paced teammate, Scott Laumann for the first 15 miles of the race. We averaged 6:00.0, but had been gradually pulling the trigger all the way. First 3 miles were around 6:05ish, and the last 9 miles with him were at a 5:56 avg and getting faster. We pulled through the half at 1:18:40. For me, it was a great 15 mile workout that essentially averaged MGP.

Some seriously impressive results from 3 of my training partners...

Scott has been in break-out mode and has become an insanely fast masters runner. He's knocked about 40 minutes off of his marathon PR since he started training with us. Justin Jackson ran his very first marathon today... He's beyond my comprehension of the word fast and far more capable than what he ran, but had a very nice and conservative race. Not a lot of guys negative split on their first marathon! Anu Parekh also ran an extremely conservative race... another huge PR and probably one of the biggest negative splits that I've ever seen.

All three of these guys will be in Boston with me next year. I'm looking forward to training with them and seeing how much more they progress.

Scott Laumann - Half 1:18:40 / Full 2:37:29

Justin Jackson - Half 1:23:51 / Full 2:47:25

Anu Parekh - Half 1:27:23 / Full 2:50:41

Congrats to all Chicago Marathoners today!

From Chicago to Grand Rapids to Philadelphia

I'm to the point where I can steadily run again, post ribs wreckage.

However, runs are still a struggle based upon 1) a loss of fitness from taking 2 weeks off, and 2) I'm operating on limited oxygen intake.

I can get over the former fairly quickly... The rule of thumb appears to be working here. 2 weeks off, and 3-4 weeks to get back to even keel.

The latter is a problem as I'm still struggling when I up my pace. I've basically been running with a governor on my body. Any speed tires me out, since I still can't take comfortable deep breaths. It's like hitting a wall every time I try to go faster. Very annoying and it is holding me back for the time being.

This may or may not be a blessing in disguise. I'm trying to look at the positive here: I'm being forced to breathe with my diaphragm and belly more, instead of my ribs. In theory, that's actually far better for an endurance athlete because as you can consume more oxygen with each breath. Much easier said than done though. Getting used to it hasn't been easy (and obviously tiring).

OK, that said... I'll be approaching 65-70 miles this week and if everything works out well, then I'll build up from there. I'm having to chalk up the Chicago and Grand Rapids Marathons. There's no way I have the races I want at either of those.  My new goal: I officially signed up for the Philadelphia Marathon this morning.

Philly is on November 18th, the weekend before Thanksgiving.   9 weeks away, which is plenty of time.  My only concern about the race is that it's chalk full of little hills and a couple large ones between 7 and 10 miles. Looking at the charts, it might actually be just as complicated as Boston or New York.

It's gonna require some lung busting workouts and hill training.  Under normal circumstances, there would more than enough time.  Hopefully I can learn how to breathe between now and then.

Once a Skier

I wrecked.  Badly.

Not in running, but in my all time favorite sport - water skiing. 

I had just run my 20 miles that morning, and capped off my 5th week in a row of very solid marathon training.  I was starting to feel strong and fit.  So fit, that an hour or two before my wreckage, I had basically convinced myself to go all in on my training.  I was thinking that I could skip the Chicago Marathon, get an extra 2 weeks of hammer time, and go for broke at the Grand Rapids Marathon.  That move would yield another 6 weeks of solid peak training.  No doubt, putting me in some of the best shape of my running career.  I felt strong and confident that I could handle it.

It was a beautiful, calm day at the cabin.  I was relaxing and recovering from the run at the beach with Sarah and my sister, Debbie's family.  Soft Maple was buzzing with other boaters towing tubes and hack skiers.  I couldn't blame them for trying though.  I wanted a piece of the action too. 

My time had come, and Debbie was going to take me skiing.  We were to go through some choppy waters, and then hit the back channel where I was assured I would get some glass.  It was a short ride from the island over to the channel... not even 2 minutes worth.  I got up, I waited in the boat's wake as she made a turn, then I saw the chance to cut outside and start carving. 

Slalom Skiing is second nature to me.  I probably learned how to ski in the 2nd or 3rd grade.  When I was in 4th or 5th grade, I learned how to ski slalom.  Somewhere in the 5th grade, I learned how to get up on one ski.  From that moment forward I had no use for 2 skis, and I vowed to never touch 2 again (I broke that vow ONCE in 25 years... and that was to ski in a pyramid a few years ago, but I'll let that slide). 

When I was teen ager, I'd spend countless days in August skiing all day long.  I'd nag anyone I could find to drive me.  Carving became my play thing.  It's so graceful and elegant, yet so violent at the same time.  Slalom is an absolute full-body effort... One of the toughest workouts I've ever done.  You use your entire body to pull it off... to the point where I can barely stand or even feel my arms for a couple minutes after words, but such a huge reward when you can slice glass back and forth, back and forth... 

One of my other regrets in life (kinda like not running XC in high school or college), was that I ever went to ski school and got more aggressive in the sport.  At this point in life, I won't win any big deal awards for my efforts but I'll gladly carve it up as much as possibly for 2-3 weeks a year.  If I could ski more often, that would no doubt be the ONLY sport I would ever want to do. 

...(OK, so now that you know how I feel, back to the story)....

99.99% of the time, I wouldn't have thought anything about this particular ride, aside from the fact that there was some awesome glass in the channel and I was chomping at the bit to tear it up.  I was to cut outside the wake, and start grinding away.  Just like with running... one foot in front of the other, and repeat.

I dug deep, and pealed off to the right.  Very fast acceleration, a quick hop of the wake in one second... The very next second, my tail comes out, my front gets tripped by a small wave, and I'm slammed into another small wave... ribs first, face second. 

I don't even think there was a tumble in there.  It would've been nice, because it probably would've slowed me down.

I didn't have the wind knocked out of me, but damn it hurt!  I immediately thought, "that was a top-5 wreckage".  I wish I could've seen it.  I actually even thought I chipped a bunch of my teeth when I hit the water.  Going that fast, it might as well have been concrete.  I layed there for a couple minutes as Debbie circled back around. 

I knew my ribs were bad, but I didn't know how bad.  I didn't feel anything break.  Just massive, painful pressure.  Maybe it would've been ok with the sledge hammer to the chest alone... had I not just gotten back up and finished the ride. 

Finishing the ride couldn't have helped.  But that's what I do.  I finish the ride.  I always finish the ride.  Just like finishing a run after you know you've damaged yourself, even when you're done for it.

Hours later, I could barely breathe without pain.  I couldn't raise my right arm without pain, much less pick something weighing over a pound.  Sleeping became a nightmare.  None of it went away until I flooded my body with motrin.  Nothing helped.  It's amazing how much your ribs, intercostal muscles, and abs all play into the most mundane of tasks. 

That was nearly 2 weeks ago.

My marathon training was ground to an immediate halt.  90 to zero in a split second.  Tail out, tip tripped, and BAM!  Most other points in my life, and I wouldn't have cared.  Am I upset?   I guess I'd rather be injured skiing than running... so shit happens.  But I'm a marathoner now.  I'm on the heels of months of hard work and countless runs in 100-fucking-degree-days, and was on the brink of banging out a spectacular race... all for nothing at this point.  Shit happens.

Sarah's helped with some massage work.  I've seen a PT, which also helped.  Nothing's broken, but most likely I damaged some of the cartilage between the rib bones, and really knotted up the intercostals in multiple spots.  Like I said, I'm incredibly surprised how much those tiny little spots effect my efforts to breathe deeply or move with ease.

I'm starting to gradually feel better now (finally).  No where near perfect, but good enough to gut out a 6 mile run today.  At the moment, I'm taking it day by day.  I haven't chalked up plans for Grand Rapids just yet (October 21st), but I'm possibly going to look elsewhere so I can more fully recover.

The miles of trials and the trials of miles....  er the something like that...

I accidentally ran 100 miles.

Whoops.  I didn't mean it.  Honestly.

How does one go about accidentally running 100 miles in 7 days?  Easy.  The heat wave takes a breather, you squeeze in a few doubles, each day has at least 10 miles, streak 7 days, do a 20 mile long run... add a few miles here and there because you felt like going a little longer... and there you have it.  100.  (And to think there was a time that I feared this number).

Since I took last Sunday off, it only amounted to 86 miles last week.  After running longer than expected yesterday, the 7 day Monday-thru-Sunday streak added up to 100. 

Yesterday, I put in 14 miles.  It was supposed to be a shorter, recovery run yet for some reason I felt good and started stretching it out.  At one point, I realized that if I went 14 then I would hit 100.  It didn't take much convincing from there.  Given one of the more accommodating days of the summer, I even turned the run into somewhat of an aggressive progression towards MGP.  So much for an easy recovery. 

That was the theme of the last week... steadily upping my miles and effort as the weather improved from being unbearable to very manageable.  It's amazing how much better you feel, when you're not sweating buckets after 2 miles or suffering from heat exhaustion. 

This bump is at least a couple weeks ahead of schedule.  I'll try to press on for a few more days before heading up to the cabin.  From there, it's 2 solid weeks of hill work.

I still feel a little behind in my overall training, but for the first time I'm starting to think that I'll be able to pull my training together in time for October 7th.

This Chicago Weather!!

So I've been pushing my mileage back up in preparation for a fall marathon, but I have to admit... it has been practically impossible to run anything of quality + quantity under the conditions that we've had in the past couple months.

It's official: July 2012 was the hottest month on record EVER for the USA, according to NOAA.  There have been more 100 degree days in Chicago this year that I can even fathom.  More than I've ever experienced in all of my 35 years, combined.  Even worse, when a guy needs to run 60-75 miles a week... he doesn't have a choice... he bites down and takes it.

The last 2 months have been completely exhausting.  I've been feeling totally beat and tired.   And sadly, I'm even behind in my training by a week or two - so technically, I haven't even spent as much time out there as I should've been… UGH.

It's not often that I really complain about the weather.... but mark this as a formal complaint: I AM SICK AND TIRED OF RUNNING IN 100 DEGREE HEAT... sick of 95 degrees... and sick of "just" 90 degrees with 60% humidity.  I'll stop short of saying that I wish it was zero degrees right now... but at least when it's 32, I can get in quality running without utter exhaustion.

OK, enough whining. Here's what I've been doing recently:

This will be my 3rd week in a row at or above 75 miles, and 6th week in a row above 50 miles.  I'd love more, but that constitutes the start of a good-enough base.  Another week at that level, then I go up to the Adirondacks for two straight weeks... at that point, game on.  The weather will be much more favorable, I'll be able to rehydrate my whole body from this fucking heat, and I'll get 14 days of solid hill work.  When I get back from the cabin, I should be a monster and ready to gut out 1 final month of hard training.

I've had some speed in the last couple weeks, though nothing to brag about.  I've done 3 tempo runs - all 5 miles each averaging about 5:50's.  Going faster or longer has just not been possible given the weather.  I'll hit the track tonight for the first time since March or April.  Any interval work has been in fartlek runs. 

Months ago, when it was consistently 75-80 degrees in MARCH, I jokingly said that we were gonna be cooked to death in the 12/21/12 apocalypse.  I really hope that's not the case, but something is certainly not right with this picture: