Monday, June 25, 2007
Start Me Up
Okay folks, my Boston training is trying to get off the ground. Unfortunately I haven't had much consistency in my training. Some weeks I can get out and train regularly, others, not so much. Regardless, I have decided to use the FIRST training plan for my marathon. Let me rephrase: I have decided to create my marathon plan based on the FIRST training plan. That should formally start July 1. I do not have every workout on every day planned. I am pretty sure I will need to adjust my training days on the fly.
There are a few things to note.
1 - I chose that plan because it gives you the three key run workouts and everything else you can fill in on your own. What I do not really like is that there does not seem to be any distinct recovery periods. That is why I am using their framework and making it my own.
2 - I am not much of a morning runner. I'd much rather have my workouts at 19:00, than 7:00. But this month I have been setting my alarm clock way earlier than I need to get up. I am trying to get my body awake earlier in the morning and even squeeze in some short morning runs before work. I feel so much more comfortable running and working out at night that I am going through some adjustments, like not sleeping enough. We'll see if I can make this experiment a success.
3 - With the early workouts, I will probably do some two-a-days. Hopefully this will get my running volume up a little. I think I will also do some bricks this year - maybe.
4 - I think the key to this plan is proper intensity. Now this is where it gets tricky. Get this: recent 5k PR is around 20 minutes. Recent 30k PR is around 2:10. Ummm, those paces are not too far off of each other. If I base my training off my 5k times, my expected marathon pace will be way too slow. So what I intend to do is base my training off my EXPECTED marathon time and back calculate. So this has me running some pretty fast intervals and tempo runs. Can I handle this? I don't know. But I figure I'll give it my best.
All right, so now some other news: I got through a sprint tri a few weeks ago. I'm hoping I can write a short report sometime. This past weekend was a DNS. After what I thought was a good week of training - 8 mile run, 30 mile bike than 45 mile bike on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday respectively, my old nemesis is back. That's right the trick knee is aching again. I can't seem to figure out what caused it. But what is worrisome is 1 - the biking seemed to aggravate it and 2 - it does not seem to want to get knocked out by a little anti-inflammatories. I am going give it a few more days; I'm keeping all my fingers and toes crossed.
Lastly: WIBA - I'll be there and hopefully I can be more than just a cheerleader.
By the way, does anyone think I can go and do Steelhead half IM just on a whim? Yes I may be that crazy.
PS - Great job to all the Ironmen and Ironwomen this weekend.
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7 comments:
Alan, really nice seeing you yesterday. It is so good to see familiar faces in a different town!
I think you will like the FIRST plan and it will work well for you. Your plan sounds well thought out.
Even though the initial wake up stinks, I think you may find that morning workouts can really be quite awesome. I love the feeling that it is out of the way and I am so much more awake than I otherwise would have been!
I say go for Steelhead--you can do it!
Sounds like a good plan. Be careful you don't go too hard. If your knee is acting up on the bike, I would recommend a bike fitting. I've had similar issues. If you're biomechanics aren't perfect on the bike, you can tweak your knees just like you would on a run.
I am lucky in that Emidio and Sons is about 1.5 miles from home. They cook me ample amounts of pasta.
I second checking the bike fit to address the knee. Saddle fore/aft or height can cause knee pain as can cleat adjustment. Also too much too fast if you took a long time off the bike can aggrevate things.
Good luck in your Boston training!
Yeah, I'm not a morning workout person either. And I'll see you at WIBA!!
I enjoy the PM workout. I don't like to feel rushed. My swim times often reflect this.
Plan looks solid.
Have fun with Steelhead.
I used the FIRST program for my last 2 marathon training and found the program to work well.
For my Boston training I did the 800 repeats on hills instead of the track. For the long runs I focused on negative splits for the second half of the run. I had no problem keeping the tempo runs according to pace.
On my cross-training days all effort was hard with a minimum of 1 hour workout. If you have any questions let me know.
Enjoy your training schedule. But make sure you baby that knee.
I'm also trying to adjust to more morning work-outs, but boy is it tough for us night owls.
Hope that knee heals up nice and good real soon.
You should sign up for Steelhead, Ferrah needs more attention from you. :-)
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