Wednesday, April 27, 2016

Revised Illinois Half-Marathon Goals

Now that the race, the Illinois Half-Marathon, is only 3 days away, it's safe to discuss realistic goals. First off, there will be NO new personal bests at this race for me. None. Not even close. Weather looks great, but my training has been way off. Fortunately, no injuries, just a series of bad colds. This race will be a celebration of health and happiness. And a start to my marathon training for the July 31 Jack and Jill's Downhill Marathon.

So, what finish time do I expect?  If I run well, I'm looking at 8:00 pace, so around a 1:45 finish. I think it's a bit of a stretch, but possible. That's a far cry from my 1:32 or better I thought was possible back in December. Oh well, you gotta go with the flow. Do what you can on race day.

Only 95 days to the marathon where I'll attempt a BQ time. My goal for this half-marathon is simply a solid training run at a steady-state tempo pace. If that is 8:00 per mile, fine. 7:50, awesome. 8:10, OK. I want to wake up on Sunday morning feeling ready to tackle marathon training.

PS: No matter how slow I run, I will beat Gregg and the Fat Kid. My two old running buddies are going down!

Friday, April 22, 2016

10 Years Without My Sister

My sister Sandy passed away on this date back in 2006 after a terrible car accident. Hard to believe it's been 10 years. I still miss her. Today, Earth Day, is not a celebration of her death, but rather a celebration of her life. Especially fiting since she enjoyed nature and the oudoors so much. I signed up for my favorite race today...Howl at the Moon 8-Hour ultra. What better way to celebrate life and healthy living? As usual, I always take this day off from work too--my personal holiday to remember my dear sister. At least now she has Prince for company. May they both rest in peace. 

So on this Earth Day, do your environmental responsibilities: reduce, recycle, reuse. And head out for a run. Remember your loved ones. And appreciate life. 

Monday, April 18, 2016

Difference a Week (or 10 days) Makes

Two weeks ago, heck, just 10 days ago, I was barely running 2 miles at slower than 10 minute pace. And it felt hard. Yesterday, I ran 7 miles under 9 minute pace. Improvement. Now I just need to keep that trend going over the next 2 weeks as I approach the Illinois Half-Marathon! If I can double the distance _and_ cut the pace by another minute per mile, it won't be a terrible half-marathon effort. No personal best, but respectable. Hope springs eternal.

I guess having a bad cold does impact your running. When you're in the middle of it, it seems like you'll never get back to normal. Every step is a hurdle. Now that I'm recovered, I appreciate each day of being healthy and running. 2 miles, 5 miles, 7 miles. Some steps are certainly tough. But all are good. After the half-marathon, I'll start knocking out long runs...15 miles, 18 miles, 20 miles. Those miles won't all be easy, but they'll be appreciated. Health leads to happiness. Healthy, happy, and fit. That's my goal. For the next 30+ years.

If you're struggling with illness or injury, hang in there. It will get better. Maybe it'll be a week. 10 days. A month. Even a year. Hang in there. Once you make it to the other side, you'll be stronger.

Wednesday, April 6, 2016

Easy Does It

Now I understand. I need to run easy. Low stress. Enjoyment. Aerobic development. I plan on taking it easy (in terms of effort/heart rate) over the next few months. There will be long runs, but they'll be under control and relaxing. I will get healthy and fit at a leisurely pace. I'll build my aerobic base and hopefully get quicker while still being in "easy mode."

Of course, this throws off my plans for a personal best at the Illinois half-marathon. That's cool. I need to hit the "refresh button" and start over with my training. I'm pretty sure I can still run the half-marathon on April 30 and that will provide a "longish run" plus a benchmark for predicting a summer marathon finish time. If all goes well, I may be in awesome shape for the July 31 marathon.

Basically, I'm heading back to my tried and true, but somewhat boring, Maffetone style training. Or Stu Mittleman training. Or the Ernst van Aaken program. Lots of easy running.

Here are previous blog posts about these programs:

Van Aaken "The Van Aaken Method"
Maffetone "Maffetone Training: What the Hell is That?"
Mittleman "Adjusted Maffetone Heart Rate Zones"

I'm pissed at myself for getting back into the twice/week speed stuff. Then I come down with yet another cold. Clearly I have been pushing beyond my limits. How much speedwork does an ultrarunner need? Not much. Marathoner? Not much more. I feel ripped-off that this past weekend was my local 5K race and the winning time was 22:05. Really? I've never run that slow in any 5K race!  I would have easily won the race, gotten hometown glory (yeah, right!), and continued my half-marathon training. Unfortunately, I was stuck in bed with a nasty cough, runny nose, and general tiredness. Lesson learned. Stay healthy. [Nic, who won the race, is a fellow buffalo runner and deserved the win--he was healthy, fit, and finished first. Congrats dude!]

Easy does it. I'm naturally compulsive and competitive. Need to reign in those traits. Easier said than done. Wish me luck. My new motto is from Ernst van Aaken: "Run slowly, run daily, drink moderately, and don't eat like a pig."