Quest for 3:15 – Chicago Training Day 39

Log for August 11 – Training for Bank of America Chicago Marathon on October 9th.  Goal for the fall and winter marathon season is to break 3:15 for the first time.

 Thursday

  • 7-Mile Track Workout – While the temps were still in the high 80s at start time, we did get a very welcome break in the humidity today. I didn’t feel great during my 2-mile warmup or during our 6 x 100m stride-outs, but felt really good during the workout. It was an unusual combination of intervals ranging from 200m to 1000m, but overall I really enjoyed it. In the middle we did 5 x 200m repeats with recovery across the infield. This was followed by 1000m of straights and curves. I commented to Paxton that it was hard to gauge how much effort you could put into these repeats and still be able to maintain a consistent pace through the rest of the workout. Overall my pacing was very consistent throughout, though I did push it a little too hard during the last 600m interval. With warmup and cooldown the total mileage was just over 7-miles.
  • Cross Training –  Tonight was a highly modified version of P90X: Chest & Back. I modified it to focus solely on chest since I get plenty of back work in Legs & Back.

Quest for 3:15 – Chicago Training Day 38

Log for August 10 – Training for Bank of America Chicago Marathon on October 9th.  Goal for the fall and winter marathon season is to break 3:15 for the first time.

 Wednesday

  • 6.3-Mile Easy Run – Today Paxton and I got an amazing break in the weather, with starting temps in the 60s. It was quite refreshing to feel a little coolness in the air. After a hard tempo run yesterday, the goal today was just to get in some easy recovery miles. We ran a modified version of our normal “Nature Center” loop on the Harpeth River Greenway and through Bellevue, slowly picking up the pace as we went along. We started at 9:00 min pace and were at 8:25 when we finished. Both Paxton and I commented that our legs felt much better today than expected after the hard run yesterday. I guess some of this was related to the cooler temps which tend to provide a much appreciated “energy infusion.”
  • Cross Training –  Tonight I missed out on cross training because I absolutely could not put down a book! I had about 150 pages to go in Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand, and it had me in a death grip. One of the most fascinating books I’ve ever read.

Quest for 3:15 – Chicago Training Day 37

Log for August 9 – Training for Bank of America Chicago Marathon on October 9th.  Goal for the fall and winter marathon season is to break 3:15 for the first time.

 Tuesday

  • 8-Mile Tempo Run – My training program for Chicago this year includes 3 cycles of successively longer mid-week tempo runs. These start at 7-miles and increase one mile weekly to 11-miles. After 11, the cycle starts back over at 7-miles the following week. Each cycle is designed to be done at progressively faster pace, with the goal of doing each run of the third cycle at goal marathon pace. Living in the south in the summer can make pacing these runs extremely difficult. For example, my goal marathon pace is 7:26 min per mile, but what is the equivalent pacing if it is 85 degrees and 80% humidity?

    None-the-less, today marked the beginning of the second cycle, so the plan was to start back over at 7-miles after finishing 11-miles last Tuesday. Most of the runs during the first cycle were done between 7:45 and 7:58 min per mile, so the goal during the second cycle is to go below 7:45 as I work my way toward 7:26 (with adjustment for heat & humidity as needed).

    I ran today with Nathan and Paxton on an out and back route on Old Natchez and Temple Road in Franklin. This is an enjoyable route, though the first 3 miles are very hilly, and it can be very exposed on sunny days. Fortunately it was overcast for most of the run today with temps in the mid 70s. However, the humidity was ridiculous as usual this time of year. We started off the route with miles of 8:34 and 8:01 while we navigated the hilly section, but then dropped it down to 7:26 for mile three and 6:57 for mile four (too fast).

    After taking a brief hydration stop at the end of temple road, we started back up with a more sensible fifth mile of 7:42. From there we progressively pushed it faster and faster with miles of 7:33, 7:26, and 6:59 to finish out at 8-miles. Our overall average pace was 7:35, which is right in line with the goal for the second cycle. While 8-miles is one more than I had scheduled, I got in one less than scheduled on Monday, so it all worked out.

    My legs felt a little sluggish from the trail run on Monday afternoon, but overall I felt pretty good on a very hard run. I felt especially good on the hills, which has been the case for much of the spring and summer. I’m guessing this is related to adding trails and barefoot running to my program this year. Paxton and Nathan also looked very strong today, finishing a bit of a bigger kick than I was able to muster.

Quest for 3:15 – Chicago Training Day 36

Log for August 8 – Training for Bank of America Chicago Marathon on October 9th.  Goal for the fall and winter marathon season is to break 3:15 for the first time.

Monday

  • 5-Mile Trail Run – Even though I am NOT a morning person, I still hate it when I’m not able to get my training runs done in the AM. This morning I had an 8am meeting at a client that is over an hour away. Since Mondays are my scheduled trail days, I didn’t want to get up extra early and run trails in the dark. Therefore my only two options were to do either an early road run, or a trail run later in the day. Fortunately my schedule was such today that I was able to get home around 4:15pm, so I decided to just do an afternoon trail run.

    The bad thing about afternoon runs in August is that it is HOT….just over 90 degrees at the start with high humidity. I started off running the blue trail in Edwin Warner park, and immediately felt the sluggishness from my 18 mile run on Saturday. I ended up doing the blue, yellow, orange, candy cane, and red (partial) trails for a total of just over 5 miles. My legs finally started feeling better about 3 miles into the run, and were feeling quite good as I finished. The soreness that I started feeling in my big toe last week is now becoming more pronounced, and I’m sure that the 51-mile week last week did not help.

    Also today, I ran for the first time in my new Tifosi sunglasses that I got for my birthday. These feature red, fototec lenses that change tint based on the level of sunlight. They are also vented to prevent fogging. I was able to wear them on the entire run, even in dense tree cover, and never once felt like I couldn’t see the trails. Also, they never came close to fogging up, even in the high humidity. Definitely a good accessory for the arsenal.  

Quest for 3:15 – Chicago Training Day 35

Log for August 7 (MY BIRTHDAY!!) – Training for Bank of America Chicago Marathon on October 9th.  Goal for the fall and winter marathon season is to break 3:15 for the first time.

 Sunday

  • Rest Day – Today was my scheduled rest day from both running and cross-training, and it also happens to be my 37th birthday. Amazing how much better I feel at 37, than I did at 27. Overall, this has been a really good week for running. Just over 51 miles completed, and just under 3 hours of cross training activities. Before this training season started, I decided to reduce the number of hours spent cross training, and add that time to running. So far I’m really pleased with this decision, and plan to continue with this through Chicago.

Quest for 3:15 – Chicago Training Day 34

Log for August 6 – Training for Bank of America Chicago Marathon on October 9th.  Goal for the fall and winter marathon season is to break 3:15 for the first time.

Saturday

  • 18-Mile Long Run – Today was another one of those runs where the goal was to maximize my time spent in the aerobic zone and not worry about my pace. I’ve been very pleased with my speed work so far this spring and summer, but endurance is now something that I need to really focus on as I work toward Chicago. Our training group is on a schedule where we do these types of long runs bi-weekly, with marathon and tempo pace intervals workouts on the alternating weekends. Two weeks ago I did my first long run, a 15-miler where I spent a little over 2 hours 15 minutes on my feet. Today, my goal was to push that time to over 2 hours 30 minutes.

    Most of our group was meeting at 5:30am to do a series of 4 to 6 mile loops in Belle Meade and Percy Warner Park for a total of 16-miles. Nathan and I decided to meet at 5:00am to make sure that we got in at least 18-miles. We were lucky to get an overcast morning, with temps in the low to mid 70s at the start of the run, and low 80s at the finish. However, I’m not sure I ever remember a running in higher humidity without it actually raining. I had to lose my shirt after 7 miles, because it felt like it weighed 20 lbs. (We looked it up at the finish, and the humidity was at 91%).

    I made a small mistake before the run started, because I took a GU gel with 2x caffeine. While this is not unusual, I have recently been trying to cut way back on my overall caffeine intake. After Nathan and I finished our initial 2.5 miles before the group run, it felt like my whole body was shaking. I felt awful, and it was hard to believe how much effect the caffeine had on me. Luckily, this sensation subsided pretty quickly once we started the group run.

    I felt really good through the first two loops, maintaining an easy pace at just over 9 min per mile. For the last loop, we did the 5.8-mile route through PW park, which is extremely hilly. I still felt pretty good through the first part of this route. However, somewhat predictably, I started struggling once we crossed the 2 hour 15 minute mark, and the last three miles were really a struggle. The total run lasted just over 2 hours 45 minutes, and I was able to finish all 18-miles as planned with over 1,500 ft of total elevation gain.

    All-in-all, I’m glad to have this run in the books, and pleased with the overall length of time spent on my feet. My plan calls for three more long runs before Chicago (20, 20, 22), and my goal will be to make sure that I work my way past 3 hours 15 minutes in the aerobic zone, which is my goal time for this fall and winter season.

  • Cross Training – Tonight I did P90X: Chest and Back. Glad that I didn’t have anything planned that involved my legs, because they are trashed from the 18-miler this AM. 

Quest for 3:15 – Chicago Training Day 33

Log for August 5 – Training for Bank of America Chicago Marathon on October 9th.  Goal for the fall and winter marathon season is to break 3:15 for the first time.

Friday

  • 4-Mile Recovery Run – Friday’s are normally my “barefoot” days where I run easy miles in my Saucony Hattori’s. Sometime during the week the big toe on my right foot started to bother me (feels like a strain), so I decided to do today’s run in my normal trainers. This morning’s run was with Paxton through Bellevue, and it was incredibly HUMID. I completely soaked through my running clothes during a run that was barely over 30 minutes, and started at 6am. Also, my legs felt very tired and heavy after a hard track workout last night, but did feel better as the run progressed. We took this one very easy, and it was exactly what I needed.

    All week I’ve been joking with Nathan that he needed to setup an “aid station” for Paxton and I during our Friday runs. This is because our normal Friday route goes right by his house, and because he normally does not run with us on Friday. Last night at track, Nathan “apologized in advance” for not leaving out fluids for us during the run. However, this morning Paxton and I were surprised to find that Nathan had generously left water for us by the tree in front of his house. This was very cool, and actually very helpful due to the extreme humidity this morning. Big props to Nathan!! 

  • Cross Training – Tonight I did one set of P90X: Ab-Ripper X. Didn’t want to go too hard since I have an 18-miler in the morning. 

Quest for 3:15 – Chicago Training Day 32

Log for August 4 – Training for Bank of America Chicago Marathon on October 9th.  Goal for the fall and winter marathon season is to break 3:15 for the first time.

Thursday

  • 6.6-Mile Track Workout – Tonight’s track practice consisted of 400m repeats, and I felt REALLY good all the way to the end. I took the first two intervals relatively easy to try and adapt to the heat, which was again in the mid-90s. After these two repeats my remaining “fresh” intervals were between 84 and 87 seconds, and my “good” intervals were 79 or 80 seconds. I was actually surprised how good I felt. While the temps were high, the humidity was a little less than it had been, and we got a little cloud cover for the second half of the workout. With warmup and cooldown the total mileage was 6.6-Miles. It was good to have Nathan back at track after being off for a couple of weeks.

Quest for 3:15 – Chicago Training Day 31

Log for August 3 – Training for Bank of America Chicago Marathon on October 9th.  Goal for the fall and winter marathon season is to break 3:15 for the first time.

Wednesday

  • 6-Mile Recovery Run – After hard runs and cross training on Monday and Tuesday, it was good to run easy this morning with Paxton and Nathan. We ran through the Bellevue community and even worked in a lap around the vacant Bellevue Center Mall. The temps were mild when we started, but quickly heated up as we approached 7am. My legs were really sore when we started, but felt much better as we finished. I told Paxton that feeling better when you finish than when you started has got to be the sign of a perfect recovery run.
  • Cross Training – Tonight was a P90X double-header: Shoulders & Arms + Ab-Ripper X. Some of my favorite words in the English language are “You’ve just completed Ab-Ripper X boys and girls” by Tony Horton. That is a great workout, but it is tough. Even after doing it for over a year, it still kicks my tail every time.

Quest for 3:15 – Chicago Training Day 30

Log for August 2 – Training for Bank of America Chicago Marathon on October 9th.  Goal for the fall and winter marathon season is to break 3:15 for the first time. 

Tuesday

  • 11.25-Mile Tempo Run – My preparation for this tempo run was less than ideal since I had done a 5.25-mile trail run and P90X: Legs & Back AFTER 5pm on Monday. My legs were already very tired. The run started at 5am with Nathan and Paxton in Edwin Warner Park. We had to start early this morning, because I had an 8am meeting at work. I don’t like to get up that early, but the nice thing was that the temps were very mild, though the humidity was still high. For the first 6.5-miles, we did a modified version of our “Nature Center Loop.” Our pace for the first 3 miles was around 7:45, but after that my leg fatigue caught up with me I struggled to keep it under 8:00 min per mile. Paxton and Nathan were strong, and continued the faster pace.  After the first loop, we stopped for fluids, before finishing up the run. The break refreshed my legs slightly, and I was again able to push the pace a little. During the last mile, Nathan and Paxton took off like they were running from a pack of wild dogs. There was no way I could match their surge, so I just hung back and tried to finish smooth. All told my average pace was just under 8:00 min pace for 11.25 miles. Didn’t feel nearly as good as our 10.25-mile tempo run last week, but considering the trail run and P90X the night before, I thought it turned out fairly well. It was still a confidence boost to know that I could do an 11-mile tempo run under 8:00 pace with very tired legs and high humidity.

    On a side note, I’m very appreciative of Nathan and Paxton getting up super early to accomodate my 8am meeting. It is such a blessing to have good friends to train with who support each other, and who are a pleasure to be around.  

Quest for 3:15 – Chicago Training Days 28 & 29

Log for July 31 & August 1 – Training for Bank of America Chicago Marathon on October 9th.  Goal for the fall and winter marathon season is to break 3:15 for the first time. 

Sunday

  • Rest – Sunday is always my rest day, and thank goodness for a rest day today. Shortly after Sunday morning worship service I started feeling really nauseous, and ended up spending the rest of the day in bed. Don’t know what is going on or whether or not I’ll be able to run on Monday. 

Monday

  • 5.25-Mile Trail Run – I still felt nauseous in the AM, but began feeling lots better throughout the day. Ended up running at 5pm when the temps were still in the mid 90s. Not ideal, but ran fairly easy on the Blue, Yellow, and Candy-Cane trails in Edwin and Percy Warner Parks. The heat was very noticeable, but my legs felt pretty good. It had been over a year since I’d run the Blue trail, and I had forgotten how rocky it is. My schedule called for 7-miles, but since it was late in the day, and I was also scheduled to do P90X: Legs & Back, I decided to cut it a little short. Overall it was a fun run even though it was very hot.
  • Cross Training – Tonight was P90X: Legs & Back. The last time that I did this workout I was able to do 97 unassisted pull-ups, but that was almost three weeks ago.  Tonight I kept pace through the first 4 sets of pull-ups before I faded just a bit to finish with 94. I’m still very pleased with this, because I was confident I had lost more than this in 3 weeks.

Quest for 3:15 – Chicago Training Day 27

Log for July 30 – Training for Bank of America Chicago Marathon on October 9th.  Goal for the fall and winter marathon season is to break 3:15 for the first time. 

 Saturday

  • 12.8-Mile Marathon Workout – While last Saturday was about running easy and maximizing my time in the aerobic zone over 15-miles, today was about tempo and marathon pace work. We had a very large group that met at Edwin Warner Park this morning for the workout. At 6am, the temps were in the upper 70s with extremely high humidity. However early in the run it started raining, and the temps dropped throughout the workout. Some of the rain showers were quite heavy, which felt awesome. I love running in the rain (except for the squishy shoes)

    I knew that today’s workout was going to be tough for 2 reasons: (1) Most of the intervals were scheduled to be done at tempo pace, which is quite a bit faster than marathon pace. (2) My legs were very tired from logging a lot of miles this week, including a hard tempo run on Tuesday and track workout on Thursday.

    We started with a slow, 15-minute warmup where I only got in about 1.5 miles due to taking a short bathroom break. On a side-note, today I tried to not worry at all about total mileage, but to focus on being consistent throughout all of the intervals.

    Following the warmup, we began a series of 4 x 1.25-mile repeats at tempo pace (with approximately 3 min recovery). My goal for the tempo portions was to maintain a 7:00 per mile pace. My legs felt very tired and heavy during the first two intervals, but I was able to do both right around my goal pace. I think some of the sluggishness at first had a lot to do with the really short warmup. I started feeling a lot better during the second two, and even ran the fourth one a little too fast. During the recoveries between intervals I mostly just walked, and didn’t count this mileage on my Garmin.

    After the 4 x 1.25-mile tempo intervals, the group did a slow recovery jog for 20 minutes. I took this very easy (9:30 pace), and only ran about 17 minutes so I would have some extra time to re-hydrate and take a gel. Following this, we did a 15-minute interval at marathon pace. My goal marathon pace is 7:26, but for this workout I was shooting to average somewhere around 7:30, and came in just over that. I again walked during the recovery time, and didn’t count this on my Garmin.

    The final interval was 2 miles at tempo pace, which I again did right at 7:00 min pace, even though my legs were very tired. Overall this was a really hard, but really good marathon workout (Big thanks to Dan Ashmead for putting together the plan), and I felt good through most of the intervals. I especially felt good about the consistency of the tempo intervals from start to finish.

    Some of the folks in the group got in 14 to 15 miles, but I only logged 12.8 due to a shorter warmup, and walking through most of the recoveries. I did this workout in my Nike Vomero’s, and really wish I’d used my Saucony Kinvara’s for two reasons. (1) The lighter shoes would have been nice while doing the tempo intervals (2) The Vomero’s got REALLY heavy in the rain, and I think that Kinvara’s would drain a lot better.

  • Cross-Training – Tonight was Yoga. I have a lot of Yoga workouts to choose from and I went with P90X One on One: Fountain of Youth Yoga.
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