What were you doing at 4:30am today?

The plan is to run a 24 miler with Bob.  We begin the run at 4:32am. We run 10.13 miles.  Throughout the 10.13 miles, I am dealing with the same dang issue I had two weeks ago – never mind, I won’t mention it.  I’ll save Lisa from having to relive that experience.  But it is interesting to note early morning occurrences.  I took a break and Bob kept running.  The plan is I’ll meet up with him after my break. 

Bob and I did the first 10.13 miles of the run together @ 9:55/mile pace in 1:40:27.  This is fine.  The plan is to run @ 10:00/mile pace.  The range of the splits is within 18 seconds of each other (9:44/mile – 10:02/mile).  This is important to note as it reflects consistency amongst the miles.  These are easy miles and it requires discipline to stay at this pace and not run faster which can easily happen if you are not careful. 

I take my break at 6:12:27am.  The break is 49:33.  I take care of my business, eat a bagel, coffee, chocolate milk (expiration date 7/1/13 and today is 7/2/13) and begin running at 7:02 am to meet up with Bob. 

(I know – it would seem I am a very poor running partner.  Bob is running some miles while I am in a nice warm restaurant eating!  Hey sorry about that Bob.  But this bagel is not that bad at all.  A guy could get used to this eating thing.)

My run ends at 7:25:41 and I run 1.13 miles and at that point meet up with Bob and then run another 1.13 miles and return to the restaurant. 

My 2.26 miles is done @ 10:28/mile in 23:41. 

For Bob: His time for the 6.5 mile portion of his run (I know the route he ran as I have run it many times with someone else) is 6:12:27am to 7:25:41am = 1:13:14 = 73.25 minutes/6.5 miles = 11.27 minute pace = 11:16/mile pace for the last 6.5 miles of his 16.63 mile run. 

Bob is able to easily hold a 9:55/mile pace for the first 10.13 miles…the later stage of the Long run has him falling off the pace a bit. 

I run total of 12.39 miles and Bob runs a total of 16.63 miles. 

Bob runs this distance with no breaks and this is his longest run thus far. 

Usually there is not all this detail.  I am outlining this for Bob because his phone app did not register his run data. 

ME: I am not sure how I want to handle this.  I don’t want to short change my schedule and I have missed a Long run today.  The 10 miler and the 2 miler…these are short runs.  It is key to do the Long runs.  I have 7 miles planned for 1pm tomorrow.  Maybe I’ll squeeze a 20 miler in tomorrow morning.  It won’t be a 24 miler….but the 10+2 today with the 20+7 tomorrow is total of 39 for the weekend when the weekend only called for 29 miles.  A 20 mile run is close to a 24 mile run.  39 miles is close to 50 miles in one weekend.  I am mapping out how this all makes sense from a 50 mile race training program perspective.  Again…if I am cutting a run short for ANY reason, I must have a backup plan in place to get the run done!  Saying it’s okay to miss only one Long run – nope…not an option.  Believe me – they turn into more missed runs once you give yourself permission to miss “only one.”

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/268613235

710E025 Canal Trail Bob

Sat, Feb 2, 2013 4:32 AM

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/268613216

711E026 Canal Trail Bob

Sat, Feb 2, 2013 7:02 AM

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/269438746

712E027 Canal Trail Marc

Sun, Feb 3, 2013 1:06 PM

I entertained running 20 today (because I only did 12 yesterday instead of the scheduled 24 miles).  I decided yesterday that I need not do the 20 today.  I had a valid reason for cutting the run short.  As Miguel says, “It’s okay Dex.” 

It is okay.  I’ll make sure I get another solid month of training in February!! 

February Schedule of miles (2/1/13 is Friday)

Week 5: Weekend: 24-5

Week 6: Weekdays: 7-5-7- Weekend: 18-10

Week 7: Weekdays: 10-5-7- Weekend: 24-5

Week 8: Weekdays: 6-4-6-Weekend: 14-10

Week 9: Weekdays: 7-5-7

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/270140145

713E028 RHLL

Tue, Feb 5, 2013 11:36 AM

I ran 7.01 miles @ 8:54/mile pace in 1:02:28.  I got some faster miles in there today.  I had been running Easy miles throughout the month of January as I was doubling my usual mileage that month.  At this point, I can stick with 50 mile weeks and it is okay to run faster.  Still Easy miles – but the splits are on the faster side of Easy.  An 8:58, 8:39, 8:47 and 8:22 split.  Been a while since I ran 8:22.  Sort of a progressive run.  Very satisified with the workout. 

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/270506576

714E029 RHLL

Wed, Feb 6, 2013 11:35 AM

6.01 miles @ 9:04/mile pace in 54:27. 

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/270976714

715E030 RHLL

Thu, Feb 7, 2013 11:59 AM

Weather

30°

Feels like 30°

4 mph NE wind

Humidity 31%

I ran 6.01 miles @ 8:40/mile in 52:03.  I am running faster now while holding the doubling of the mileage.  My last two splits were 8:23 and 8:05.  The first mile is always kind of a slow warm-up.  This was an excellent run.  Time to start getting back into the eights more regularly now!

We had a blizzard in New England.  Hamden sees probably 30-36 inches of snow.  Roads are not plowed yet!  SO - thus ends my seven week streak of 5 days running weekly.  And today had a 20 miler scheduled.  Maybe tomorrow.  If not, well then I am considering doing one or two 20 milers on weekdays just to get some in there.  

I am committed to staying on task and consistent!  I am at the point where when I am not running on my scheduled days - I know I am missing it!  I know I can miss a run or two once in a while and it should be no big deal.  But Longs should not be sacrificed.  Necessary today of course.  But I will think about how to get some Longs in there so that the program is not too severely compromised. 

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/271831503

716E031 State Street Day after Blizzard

Sun, Feb 10, 2013 10:24 AM

28°

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/271831490

717E032 State Street Day after Blizzard

Sun, Feb 10, 2013 10:59 AM

28°

I ran 2.49 miles @ 10:05/mile in 25:08 and then took a 10 minute break (quick purchase).  Then I ran 5.53 miles @ 9:55/mile pace in 54:44. 

Thus total of 8.02 miles done.  Hey it’s something.  I had to run on State Street.  And as roads are not yet plowed and some sidewalks as well not shoveled, had to climb over snow to get to State Street. 

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/272430368

718E033 State Street

Mon, Feb 11, 2013 3:04 PM

Distance: 20.01 mi

Time: 3:16:53

Avg Pace: 9:50 min/mi

Avg Speed: 6.1 mph

Elevation Gain: 446 ft

Calories: 2,637 C

43°

Distance: At 3:04pm, I ran 20.01 miles @ 9:50/mile pace in 3:16:52.  

Route: State Street as it is safer probably and I am familiar with the route and the roads are mostly cleared of snow.

Traffic: Heavier than yesterday.

Splits: The plan was to keep them within 10:00/mile pace and the average pace was 9:50/mile pace.  I ran the 20^th mile faster on purpose and that was 8:32/mile pace.

Fueling: Power Gel at mile 5, 10, 15.  Gatorade at mile 2, 5, 8, 10, 13, 15, 18 (24 ounces total).  White Birch Soda at mile 20!

Weather: Foggy.  Hamden sees 40 inches of snow by 3am Saturday.  Hamden is hit the hardest by the Blizzard.  Today is Monday.  Still snow on the ground.  Slush.  Puddles.  At mile six, feet wet.  BUT, I am going to do this 20 Miler!  Could not get it done Saturday and it will get done today.

Gear: Under Armour shirt and pants with additional shirt/jacket and sweatpants.  Third time wearing the Under Armour gear.  Never had this gear before. 

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/273032927

719E034 RHLL

Wed, Feb 13, 2013 11:34 AM

39°

Feels like 35°

6 mph WSW wind

Humidity 48%

I ran 6 miles at 8:51/mile and some of the faster splits are 8:33, 8:42 and 8:45.  Given there is 277 feet of elevation for the six miles, pretty decent pace. 

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/273326247

720E035 RHLL

Thu, Feb 14, 2013 12:51 PM

43°

Feels like 40°

5 mph N wind

Humidity 42%

I ran 6.01 miles @ 9:04/mile in 54:30. 

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/274008333

721E036 RHLL

Fri, Feb 15, 2013 11:54 AM

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/274008313

722E037 Edgehill-Prospect Loop Marc

Sat, Feb 16, 2013 8:55 AM

34°

Feels like 25°

13 mph N wind

Humidity 75%

I ran 14.14 miles @ 10:41/mile in 2:31:00 with Marc today.  We took a minute break each mile and probably a two minute break every 2.8 miles.  It was five 2.8 miles loops.  I fueled with Gatorade.  A good route to remember.  Minimal traffic.  Decent workout. 

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/275111209

723E038 RHLL

Mon, Feb 18, 2013 1:09 PM

32°

Feels like 22°

14 mph NW wind

Humidity 26%

6.01 miles @ 8:55/mile pace in 53:34.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/275435183

724E039 RHLL

Tue, Feb 19, 2013 12:33 PM

46°

Feels like 42°

10 mph SSW wind

Humidity 61%

I ran 6.03 miles at 8:49/mile pace in 53:06.  (Easy miles are 8:31-9:32/mile pace.)

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/275795484

725E040 RHLL

Wed, Feb 20, 2013 12:53 PM

32°

Feels like 24°

9 mph WNW wind

Humidity 43%

I ran 4.32 miles @ 8:54/mile pace in 38:28.  Had a four miler scheduled for today. 

FIRST RACE OF THE YEAR: COLCHESTER HALF MARATHON: 2/23/13

Some quick facts:

I PR big for this course!  My best Half Marathon time is 1:46:54. 

This course sees 700 feet of vert and I do it in 1:48:57 at 8:20/mile pace.

This is 2 minutes and three seconds slower than my all time best for the Half Marathon distance. This is Exceptional given the hills and the 700 feet of elevation!

My best time for the course had been 1:53:26 at 8:40/mile pace. A HUGE COURSE PR by 4 minutes and 29 seconds! 

I have run 15 races with Robin.  At times I have come very close to beating her.  TODAY I have a better time than Robin and WIN my first race with her by 2 minutes and 12 seconds (ten seconds per mile).  THIS IS AMAZING!

I do better than Robin, Marc, Bob, Steve, and all three of my rabbits (people I don’t know but one of whom I spoke to while running and I congratulated after he crossed the finish line). 

PRE-Race Plan

I am going to go for 8:30/miles on average.  The up hills will be slower.  I will make up for that on the flats and down hills.  Mile 1-4 will be tough.  Mile 5-6 will be catch up.  Mile 7-8 will be tough.  Mile 9-10 will be catch up.  Going into Mile 11…no real concerns here – keep it together.  The last 2.1 mile stretch will be on one road to the Finish Line.  And there will be hills.  The end of the race IS THE RACE.  So you will run those 2.1 miles at race pace or better.  Don’t overextend.  BUT, don’t chill either.

The Race:

Theo and Steve: I ran this race with them as a training run a month ago and I know Theo did that at 8:06/mile.  I figured Steve finished that training run at the same pace as Theo.  This may not have been the case as today I finished before Steve.  Theo did it at around 7:30/mile today.  When I did this as a training run, I did it at 9:01/mile pace and went Easy.  Today the plan was to take thirty seconds per mile off that time.

Marc and Bob: I am running with Marc for a while.  At mile 1, Bob is in back of me.  Marc and I get mile 1 done at 8:00/mile.  I am surprised by this as I figured we were probably doing 8:30/mile.  It was a little fast – but manageable.  At around mile 2, I am ahead of Marc and Bob: I go into this race not really knowing what kind of a time I am going to put together.  Marc and Bob – I consider them both strong competitors.  They will not be easy to beat.  But I am simply going for a pace here.  The goal is not to beat anyone in particular - only to get the race done at 8:30/mile.  At mile 2, I take a walk break and have Power Gel/Gatorade.  Marc and Bob both pass me.  I’ll catch up – I had a fast first mile and only needed 8:30/mile.  I pass Bob and catch up to Marc.  Eventually, I put some distance between me and Marc while sticking to the plan of keeping 8:30/mile pace.  I wind up keeping ahead of both Marc and Bob and finishing the race before them. 

My couple rabbits: Going into mile 7 – the up hill – I tell my rabbit I might catch up to him a little later.  We had started talking about the hills while running.  I said I was going to slow down a bit now.  I walked some of the hill (a lot of it).  As always, I keep an eye on the rabbits (two) while doing this making sure there is enough distance between us such that I will be able to catch them when I pick up the pace.  The rabbits are running up this hill…but not gaining much distance on me despite my walking!  I love these hills! 

Robin: I have run a total of 15 races with Robin.  My only concern is to run at the pace I selected.  I am running these miles and figure that since I cannot see Robin, she is probably doing 8:00/mile pace or so.  I don’t even consider finishing the race before her.  It is not part of my plan.  Surprisingly at 7.5 miles, I see Robin.  I kind of run Easy and catch up to her at mile 8.  At that point I say hello and we talk about the mile 7 hill.  I then tell her she will probably catch up to me but I am going to catch up to a couple of my rabbits.  I surge for about a tenth to a quarter mile and catch my rabbits.  It’s late in the race, and I am able to surge easily enough.  By doing this, I put some distance between myself and Robin.  This was kind of tactical in that I wanted to show I had plenty of gas in the tank.  I was thinking that if I put enough distance between myself and her…it might cause her to think let’s wait and see what he does.  He may overextend himself.  My thinking: I won't overextend myself.  I am capable of surging at various points this late in the race.  AND : I am prepared to run hard at the tail end of this race…meaning the last 2.1 miles.  For this course and that distance, I don’t know of many people who would run hard for the last 2.1 miles!  But a month ago I did just that during the training run.  And I know that doing well at the end of the race - the last quarter - decides the outcome.  FOR ME - NOW - I deal with races by preparing to do exceptionally well during the last 25 percent of the race. For example, MILE 12 sees 121 feet of elevation and I do that @ 8:18/mile.  MILE 13 sees 128 feet of elevation and I do that @ 8:32/mile!  (That is fast given this vert.)

Bob: He is relatively new to running.  BUT, he runs well.  We did the Santa Scramble 5K together.  He beat me.  So – he is not to be underestimated.  The longer distances are kind of new to him.  His potential is good.  Going into this race, he said he was going for 9:00/mile.  His plan was to do it in under two hours.  I told him I was shooting for 8:15-8:30/mile.  But despite all this, I viewed Bob as a potential threat.  It was feasible that he could do better than 9:00/mile.  I did better than Bob this race.  He finished it in 2:02 at 9:20/mile pace.  But the guy has the ability to improve quickly.  NOTE TO BOB: My first race was a half marathon – this half marathon course.  This was the first half marathon race for Bob.  I did this course in 10:20/mile pace my first time out!  Here’s the thing – Bob is new enough to running that he will see dramatic gains early on!  What does this mean for me?  Well – he is still a threat!!  And that is Perfect!

THE SPLITS

726E041 RACE Colchester Half Marathon

Sat, Feb 23, 2013 10:02 AM

 THE OFFICIAL RESULTS AND TIMES FOR PEOPLE MENTIONED ABOVE.

Colchester Half Marathon                    

                      USA/TF Course Cert. CT112001JHP

                            Colchester, CT USA

                           2/23/2013 - 10:00 AM

                      Weather: light Rain - Mid 30's

                   Results by: The Last Mile Racing LLC.

                         www.thelastmileracing.com

                    Timed using MyLaps Bib tag System 

                    email: timing@thelastmileracing.com

================================================================================================

                      ***** Official Results *****

================================================================================================

             ********* Results in order of gun time **********

   The DIV Column is your place in your age group or division for Awards

Place No.    Name                S Div/Tot  Sex/Tot     Nettime    Pace  Guntime    Pace  City               St 

===== ====== =================== = ======== ======== ===== === ========== ===== ========== ===== ================== == 

 1    549 Brian Nelson        M   1/75     1/336    1:14:45.34  5:43 1:14:46.17  5:43 Vernon Rockville   CT 

98    164 Mathias Theo Maryes M  20/75    85/336     1:38:08.92  7:30 1:38:17.72  7:31 Quebec             QC 

213   132 Patrick Kearney     M  29/71   179/336     1:48:57.31  8:20 1:49:03.18  8:20 Hamden             CT 

237    21 Robin Beauregard    F   9/46    43/165     1:51:09.58  8:30 1:51:15.30  8:30 Hebron             CT

260     8 Marc Audet          M  34/71   209/336     1:54:12.46  8:44 1:54:18.85  8:44 Hamden             CT

330   298 Stephen Zweir       M  81/109  253/336     1:59:37.85  9:08 2:00:04.76  9:10 Waterford          CT

351   302 Bob Urban           M  87/109  267/336     2:02:12.69  9:20 2:02:20.02  9:21 Clinton            CT 

498   138 Ruth Kenneth-Barbie F  54/54   163/165     2:46:27.57 12:43 2:46:50.23 12:45 West Haven         CT 

499   181 Cheryl Mitchell     F  46/46   164/165     2:46:42.25 12:44 2:47:10.86 12:46 West Hartford      CT 

500   380 Kathleen Scotti     F   1/1    165/165     3:16:05.77 14:59 3:16:29.34 15:00 W Hartford         CT 

501   117 Dick Hoch           M   3/3    336/336     3:20:14.95 15:18 3:20:40.28 15:20 Fishers Island     NY 

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/278056332

727E042 RHLL

Mon, Feb 25, 2013 11:55 AM

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/278056321

728E043 RHLL

Tue, Feb 26, 2013 1:29 PM

39°

Feels like 39°

4 mph ESE wind

Humidity 75%

http://runnersconnect.net/running-training-articles/running-workouts-cutdown-runs/

Running Workouts – Cutdown runs

As I discussed in one my earlier posts, I believe strongly that to improve your running, you need to train to the specific demands of the race. For example, if you’ve read my articles on marathon training, than you know that I spend a good portion of the marathon training segment teaching the body how to efficiently use fat as a fuel source since this is a large factor to marathon success. While each race distance has its own specific physiological demands, they all share one common element: As the race progresses, it becomes harder and harder to maintain goal race pace.

To exemplify this statement, let’s look at a typical 10k race. Assume your goal is to run 45 minutes for your next 10k, which averages out to around a 7:15 per mile pace. Assuming you’ve trained correctly, the first mile at 7:15 pace should feel relatively comfortable. Actually, in adrenaline-pumping, competitive race conditions, it will feel downright easy (which is the reason so many runners start out too fast and is another topic all together). As you ease into the race, 7:15 pace for mile 2 will still feel relatively comfortable. At mile 3, you’ll start to notice that your breathing is getting heavier and your legs growing increasingly tired. By mile 4, the comfortable 7:15 pace at mile 1 is now becoming a pretty tough pace to handle. Your arms are heavy, your legs don’t seem to be giving you as much power as they used to, and your breathing resembles that of a 75 year-old emphysema patient. Your pace begins to slip as you approach mile 5 and soon your dreams of a new personal best are out the window.

Well, that description of a 10k race sounded a little bleak. However, the point of the story is that, during a race, you need to constantly increase your effort just to maintain your goal pace. While mile 1 will feel calm and easy, by the last 1/3^rd of the race, goal pace will feel like an all out effort. So, if you want to give yourself every opportunity to succeed on race day, you need to practice this physiologic demand during your training. You need to train to increase you effort over time; you need to train to be prepared for this increase in fatigue; finally, despite what RunnersWorld might tell you, you need to train to push through the pain (sounds scary, but it’s really not all that bad).

To simulate these conditions, I use what are called cutdown runs. The idea is to start the workout at 20-30 seconds slower than marathon pace and drop 10 seconds per mile until you are running just a bit faster than half marathon pace. By doing so, you’re teaching your body how to continually increase its effort as the workout continues and you become increasingly fatigued. That way, when you approach the mid-point in a race – when you start to feel the effect of the early miles – you instinctively learn to increase your effort and push harder to maintain your pace.

Furthermore, many runners are familiar with tempo runs and threshold runs that are designed to have you running at just below or at your threshold pace (the point at which you can no longer get rid of the lactic acid produced by your muscles). By running just under your lactate threshold you can begin to decrease (or improve, depending on how you look at it) the pace at which you begin to produce too much lactic acid. These workouts are a great way to train one physiologic piece of the race. However, during a race we never stop at our anaerobic threshold – we push through that threshold to keep running faster. Cutdown runs teach you to approach that threshold and then push through that point and test yourself. Combined with tempo runs during a training cycle, cutdown runs allow you to blend specific components of training into an overall strategy that addresses all aspects of the race.

Give me an example

An example cutdown workout for someone attempting to break 2 hours in the half marathon would look something like this:

1 mile warm-up, 6 mile cutdown run (9:45, 9:35, 9:25, 9:15, 9:05, 8:55), 1 mile cool down.

Modifying cutdown runs

Just like any workout, sometimes it’s important to mix things up in the training to ensure that the body is always experiencing a new stimulus; therefore always adapting and never getting stale. Sometimes, instead of controlling the pace over the last 1 or 2 miles of a cutdown run, I will have athletes run the last mile “as fast as they can”. This can add a fun challenge to the workout and really teach your body how to dig deep. I’ve also found that this “fast as you can” last mile helps develops confidence in closing speed and ability. Most cutdown runs are 5-8 miles in distance, but you can make them longer, say 8-10 miles, by slowing down the early miles. These longer cutdowns can be a great medium effort workout for marathon runners.

What is the difference between a cutdown run and a progression run?

This is one of the questions I get most often. Progression runs have been a hot training concept over the last few years, especially in the context of a long run. The main difference between a progression run and a cutdown run is the structure. A cutdown run requires you to run at a specific pace, which is also teaching your body how to pace itself – another skill that is vital to race day success. Progression runs tend to be more free-form and a little longer. A progression run might start at easy pace for a few miles and then asks you to slowly creep your pace up and finish at marathon pace or maybe a little faster by the end, but without a specific pace drop-down for each mile. It’s a little more “run as you feel” type of workout. These progression runs are great during long runs when you want to do something other than run long and slow, but aren’t a specific workout like the cutdown runs.

By developing the skill during your training to increase you effort and push harder as you get tired, you approach race day with the tools necessary to address the specific demands of the race. Too often, runners enter races with no specific training for what they will encounter during the race. As with all my articles, please feel free to comment (scroll to the bottom), share, and email me with any questions. I love hearing your thoughts.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/279061043

729E044 RHLL

Thu, Feb 28, 2013 11:29 AM

43°

Feels like 43°

4 mph ESE wind

Humidity 87%

6 Easy Miles.