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Log for July 6th – 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

• 5.7 mile trail run – Ran with Paxton on the Candy Cane and Red Trail at Percy Warner Park.  I was not nearly as sore one day removed from my fall as I anticipated, and was happy to be back running again so soon.  We did most of the run at a fairly easy, but consistent pace.  The Red Trail is a pretty hilly track (~800 ft of elevation gain), and Paxton really looked strong this morning.  Overall it was a really good, fun run.

• Cross Training – After missing Monday and Tuesday, I was able to do P90X Legs and Back tonight.  I was a little concerned about doing pull-ups with the wound on my right hand, but ended up doing 97 total unassisted throughout the workout.  This is a new record for me by 2, and I now have my sights set on breaking 100 for the first time soon!!  Bring It!!

Log for July 5th – 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

• 6.6 mile tempo run – Ran with Nathan and Paxton on our normal loop around the HR Greenway and through Bellevue.  I took a bad fall during the last mile when I hit some loose gravel and slipped.  There is a nasty scrape on my right palm, my right shoulder is “strawberried,” and there are several scrapes, bumps, and bruises down my right-side (Legs, torso, arm).  Lucky to not have any joint / muscle / bone injuries, but already really sore, and gonna be bad tomorrow.  The run was going really good until the fall.  Had a nice sub 8-minute pace going, even after the 12-miler yesterday.  Paxton looked fantastic.  Even with the fall, I’m gonna try to get right back on the horse again tomorrow with a 6-mile trail run.

  

• Cross Training – Second day in a row to miss cross training.  Partly due to the injuries from my fall, and partly due to an unexpected family matter.  Gotta get back going tomorrow.

Log for July 4th – 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

• 12.1 mile tempo run – Ran with Ed, Grady, Dawn and John on Old Natchez and Del Rio.  Took the first 3 miles as an easy warmup at about 9 minute avg pace.  Next 3 miles got progressively faster, and did the last 6 all well under 8 minute avg pace.  Best I’ve felt on a run in a long time.  Overall average pace was 8:12 per mile.

• 2.25 mile walk – with Olivia and the girls in PW Park.

• No cross training – Had a July 4th event that took all evening, so was not able to do any cross training.

I finished tweaking my training plan for the 2011 Bank of America Chicago Marathon this afternoon.  It is 14-weeks, and begins tomorrow.  While there are some deviations (i.e. recovery weeks, taper, etc.), the general template is as follows for Running and Cross Training:

Running

• Mon: 5 to 7-Miles – Trails
• Tue: 7 to 11-Miles – Tempo
• Wed: 4 to 6-Miles – Recovery
• Thu: 5 to 7-Miles – Track
• Fri: 4 to 5-Miles – Barefoot
• Sat: 14 to 22-Miles – Moderate or Interval Workout
• Sun: Rest

Cross Training

• Mon: P90X – Legs & Back
• Tue: Insanity – Plyo Cardio Circuit
• Wed: P90X – Shoulders & Arms (1/2) + Ab Ripper X
• Thu: P90X – Chest & Back (1/2)
• Fri: P90X – Ab Ripper X
• Sat: P90X – X Stretch or Yoga
• Sun: Rest

Let me know if you have any questions or feedback.  Also let me know if you want a copy of the full plan in spreadsheet format.  I would be happy to share.

My goal for this fall and winter marathon season is to break 3:15:00 for the first time. 3:15 was my goal when I ran the Twin Cities Marathon last October, and I was able to hold that pace for 22 miles before I hit the wall and never recovered (Finished in 3:25:38). I did not try for 3:15 again last season, but did set my current PR of 3:24:13 in San Antonio 6 weeks later. Last year 3:15 would have been a BQ for me, but with the revised standards it is now 3:10. However, I know that improving upon my PR by 9 minutes will be hard enough without the added pressure of an extra 4 minutes. Also, even if I did qualify, my dad and I have a big golf trip planned for Scotland next April during the same time as Boston.

This season, I’m tentatively scheduled to run 4 full marathons, and I’m going to try and not overemphasize any one race. There are so many factors outside of my controls (e.g. weather), so my goal is to break 3:15 in any one of those races.

My first shot will come at the Bank of America Chicago Marathon on October 9th. My training program for Chicago starts tomorrow, and at this moment I’m making a few last minute adjustments to my schedule. I plan to chronicle my journey toward 3:15 on my blog over the coming months.