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."