Stage 12: DNF, DNS, DNT

Let's make this short and sour.

Something was not right in my hip and so my Saturday run was cut short. I basically shut it down after five miles, but I still had to stagger another 3 miles to the car. It's Thursday now, and still a little sore.

I can't imagine any realistic scenario where I run a sub 3:10 marathon in a little over three weeks. As I see it now I have three options:

DNF - Did not finish. Go out and race. Give it what I can and if I blow up, so be it. But will I pay the price and be hurting for months?

DNS - Did not start. Shut down the running now. Rest up. Come back when the body and mind are ready to go again.

DNT - Did not try. Run the marathon but force myself to dog it. Ugh not sure if I can have that mindset.

Anyone have anymore options?

I don't know what it is. The marathon gods must really hate me. This is my fifth attempt at a marathon and my fifth time getting hurt within spitting distance of race day.

It's gone from SUCK to BLOW!!!

And I'm out....


Monday: 2.5 mile run easy run
Tuesday: No workouts
Wednesday: 3 x 1 mile, 1 mile warm up 1 mile cool down
Thursday: No workouts
Friday: Sand Volleyball cross training
Saturday: 8 miles
Sunday: No workouts

Weekly Totals:

* Swim: 0 meters
* Bike: 0 miles
* Run: 15.5 miles


Preview of Stage 13: Decision time?

Stage 11: Taking Inventory

I really don't know what's going to happen on October 21st. I'm lacking in confidence right now. A lot of it is a total lack of structure in my running "plan." I feel as if I am cramming for a final exam. While that might have worked in school, I can't think it will translate well in marathoning.

I ran somewhere close to 20 miles on Sunday. I'm not sure how to rate my run. I had some good miles in the middle of the run. I ran low on fuel at one point. Tried to run through a "side stitch" at another point. Had a bear of a time finding a porta-potty. I must have hit a few wrong buttons on my watch because not many of the numbers made sense. So I have no real idea about pace or even time. So that adds up to more negatives than positives huh.

Okay so a quick inventory of things.

I have another 20 miler planned for a few weeks. Maybe I will bump up the mileage on the long weekend runs in between.

I seriously need to do some tempo work asap. I want to be able to tell what 6:50, 7:00, and 7:10 minute miles feel like.

Maybe I can squeeze in a 10 mile mid week tempo run.

Oh so much to do. So little time.


Monday: 5 mile run up tempo in the am/4 miles easy in the pm
Tuesday: No workouts
Wednesday: 4 mile run easy in the am/5 miles with hills in the pm
Thursday: No workouts
Friday: Volleyball cross training
Saturday: No workouts
Sunday: 20+ mile run

Weekly Totals:

• Swim: 0 meters
  
• Bike: 0 miles
  
• Run: 38 miles

Stage 10: Calm Before the Storm

9/11. I know I'm a day late, but please let us not forget.




IM IW 07. Awesome job out there, athletes, volunteers, support crew. I'm sure it was an amazing day. I am inspired by all your reports.

This is going to be a quick post.

I decided to recover a bit. I remember the last time I was training for a marathon. Right about this time I tried to squeeze in as many training runs as I could and I ended up hurt. During my run on Friday, my legs just did not have it so I bagged the long weekend run and decided I would just gear up for four big weeks. This is what I hope to do the next six weekends:

Easy 20 miler
Solid 12-15, possibly after a ride
Race 20k
20 miler
10 miler
Marathon


Recap of Stage 10:

Tuesday: No workout
Wednesday: 5.5 miles easy on the track
Thursday: No workout
Friday: 6.5 mile run
Saturday: No workout
Sunday: No workout

Weekly Totals:

• Swim: 0 meters
  
• Bike: 0 miles
  
• Run: 12 miles

Preview of Stage 11: Let's get it on. Four big weeks till marathon taper. I can do this.

Stage 8 & 9: Conditioning

Just got back from the SF Bay area and a little R&R. August was a tough month at work and that break was absolutely necessary. So let's recap the workouts from the last two weeks.

Stage 8:

Monday: No workout
Tuesday: 6.5 mile run
Wednesday: 6.5 miles on the track
Thursday: No workout
Friday: No workout
Saturday: 2:45 trail run - 16ish miles
Sunday: 20 minutes on the bike trainer

Weekly Totals:

• Swim: 0 meters
  
• Bike: 6 miles
  
• Run: 29 miles

Stage 9:

Monday: 45 minutes on the bike trainer
Tuesday: 45 minute Zone 3 run - 6ish miles
Wednesday: No workout
Thursday: 2 mile easy run
Friday: No workout
Saturday: 8 mile trail/hill run
Sunday: No workout
Monday: 3 hour run trail -18ish miles

Weekly Totals:

• Swim: 0 meters
• Bike: 15 miles
• Run: 34 miles

So there's a lot of things that are keeping the hamsters running in my brain. (By the way, anyone remember the show Herman's Head? Back then I didn't think it was half bad.)

1.) Gawd has it been hot out there. After my last track workout, I took my socks off and wrung them out. While in California, I wanted to run a little more, but when the mercury hits triple digits, you have to respect that heat. I was staying in San Ramon, but one day I went out to Berkley. There must have been a 30 degree difference in temperature. Now I normally don't care too much about the weather - I actually like running in the heat, but I know on my marathon race day in October, I won't have heat. Chances are better for snow and I wish I could train and acclimate to that.

2.) I have thrown out my training plan and now I am pretty much winging it. Call my a heretic, call me nuts. Once again I am off marching to my own drum beat. I'm sort of okay with that. I will admit this improv training is a little nervous, but I need to trust myself.

3.) By the way I have recently turned off my watch. At my last track workout, I was running my quarter splits too fast and got my panties all bunched up. I ended up having a terrible and unproductive workout. So all my runs since, I have not cared about my pace, my distance, and to some degree my time. Yes I will turn the clock back on, but I needed to get a grip.

4.) My legs are in good shape, primarily from a lot of biking. But the rest of the body has not yet been conditioned to running long distances fast. I believe I have the ability to hit my mark, but if I don't it won't be because my legs aren't strong enough. As a matter of fact, I think my brain has been slowing me down. The last two weekends I have bumped up my long runs quite a bit. I've gone from 15 miles a week to 15 miles in one run. And all the little discomfort and fatigue that are associated with running long are sending too many signals to my brain. I need to condition the entire body and the mind. Seems like I do a lot of rewiring upstairs. Sigh... if only I could just flip my brain off for a little while and just run hard.

5.) IM WI 2007 will be here soon. This race obviously has some significance to me. I wish I could be there in person. Next Monday will be interesting. I hope I can break away from work to register online. Part of me is hoping I don't get in. That part of me is worried about the right heart rate zones, about miles per hour, about my run pace, about how many gels to eat, about being anal with the training again. That part doesn't care about the chills of anticipation in the water, about the uneasiness of flying down Garfoot Road, or the euphoria of seeing the golden statue on top of the capitol building. What to do.

So to all the IM WI racers out there (way too many to list here, but they know who they are)
Kick Ass!!!

Stage 10 preview: For this week's workouts, do I gear up for a 20 miler or recover? What about both?

Stage 7: A New Hope?

First great job to to IM UK folks, like Charlie. Those of you at IM KY or IM Canada, like Mike, kick some butt!

Let me state this now: I do have a passion for my job and my career that I knowingly chose. But I am still adjusting to this new busier, stressful lifestyle of mine. It really has left me with a little less brain power at night, so my blog posts are lacking my creativity. Sorry about that folks. But I do want to continue to be held somewhat accountable for my training and will continue to throw up some ramblings here. This disclaimer is being written because a few days ago while I was watching Star Wars: Episode IV, (yes you read that correctly, I was on the trainer) I had some ideas for a Star-Wars-opening-credits-esque post. But it's Friday morning and I haven't come up with enough material.

So anyway, what did I do last week in terms of my training? Well maybe I am back on track and maybe there is still some hope for me.

Monday: No workouts
Tuesday: No workouts
Wednesday: Run 5 miles - 3 miles of hill intervals
Thursday: Bike 42 miles mostly flat with a good wind. Our group still averaged around 20mph for the entire ride.
Friday: 1.5 mile open water swim
Saturday: 13 mile run. Pace for the first 6 miles were too fast. Ran most of the rest about 30 seconds slower at a more comfortable pace.
Sunday: 30 minute easy trainer ride.

Well I've really followed my marathon plan to a T. HA HA. I'm not even sure I've done any of the recommended workouts on any given day. So here's what I am planning on doing from here on out.

I've basically got about 8 weeks or so. First let's pretty much scrap the speed work. Let's focus on volume and more importantly pace. The weekly run volume will come up, and I'll build up to maybe two or three 20 milers or three hour runs soon. I am going to try to get runs in four times a week. I also want to drill the 7:00 minute pace into my legs, my brain, my lungs. I want that the be almost second nature. My run schedule has changed so that I can have some company on my runs. Thus no more TUE/THU runs. Let's try to run MON/WED/SAT and another day.

So I am still hopeful I can have a successful marathon in October, but it's going to take a lot of focus these next few weeks.

And now, the kicker: I can barely manage training for a marathon and I am strenuously considering IM WI 2008. I have been thinking the last week or so that maybe it is possible to do IM without obscene amounts of volume. Am I out of my mind? It's probably not as far-fetched as I think. I've already got a base, right? Anyone want to join me? Or rather, does anyone want to go to Madison to sign me up? Pretty Please?

Weekly Totals:

• Swim: 1.5 miles
• Bike: 50 miles
• Run: 18 miles

Preview of Stage 8: Back on track?

Stage 6: Crazy

Great seeing all the CTC peeps at the GCT this past weekend.

As for me, what a crazy week....

Monday: No workouts
Tuesday: No workouts
Wednesday: 4 miles easy
Thursday: no workouts
Friday: no workouts
Saturday: no workouts
Sunday: 7 mile trail run

Weekly Totals

• Swim: 0 meters
• Bike: 0 miles
• Run: 11 miles

Uh oh...Is the plane to Boston getting grounded??? Running less than 20 miles a week and still running a marathon. That's crazy....

Preview of Stage 7: A new hope?

Stage 5: Take It Easy

First off, one more thing about the Sweet Corn Challenge. Cliff, I also would love to see a profile of this year's ride as well as previous years' rides. Unfortunately I don't have one. But according to Papa Louie, there was just under 5,000 feet of climbing for his ride. So a fair estimate would be to double that for the 100 mile ride and we get about 10,000 feet of elevation gain. For reference, the famous 120 mile Triple Bypass has 10,310 feet of climbing. Hmmm, who would have thought a ride in NE Ohio could have as much climbing as a ride in Colorado.

In Week 5, I once again fell short on my workouts. I feel really bad about missing my run on Sunday, but hopefully it will help me in October. So last week I sent in my registration for this and then my left shin starts complaining. Now I'm worried about full blown shin splints. I am feeling my way through this, trying to balance not going too hard or too long. I think I have the conditioning, but I need to somehow get that running volume up. My current thought is to try to squeeze in as many short 20-30 minute runs as I can throughout the week. My legs need to get used to 26.2 miles of pounding.

Monday: No workouts
Tuesday: No workouts
Wednesday: 3 x 1200 (4:22/4:33/4:43) w/ RI = 400 jog, 1 X 1600 up tempo (7:24) , 6 miles total
Thursday: 40 miles, avg 23+ mph, 30 minute run off the bike
Friday: 3 mile run easy
Saturday 4 mile run easy
Sunday: No workouts

Weekly Totals

• Swim: 0 meters
• Bike: 40 miles
• Run: 16 miles

I do have several things I would like to write about, but quite frankly I don't have the mental energy tonight.

Preview of Stage 6: Life is a box of chocolate...

Stage 4: Sweet Corn Challenge

One hundred five miles...

Hill after hill...

The sun and the heat...

The humidity...

The rain and the chill after a passing shower...

The flat tire...

Why was I struggling so much?

Maybe it was the endless hills.
Maybe it was from the tubing and camping the day before.
Maybe it was the fatigue from work.
Maybe it was the lack of conditioning.
Maybe it was my poor preparation and attention to nutrition.
Maybe it was my stubbornness to attack every hill.

Yet my faithful companions (IronSis Cas and no-longer-a-century-virgin Marie) and I...

We kept riding.

Maybe it was the constant barrage of f-bombs from my mouth.
Maybe Ironman really has honed my mental toughness.
Maybe I am in better shape than I believe.
Maybe I drew strength from my fellow riders.
Maybe it was the allure of sweet corn and a hearty meal at the end of the ride.

But in the end...

We made it.

I rolled into the parking lot exhausted.
My legs were spent.
My spirit battered, yet somehow unbroken.
That was one of the hardest rides for me...

Ever.

And looking back now, all the maybes are irrelevant.
It doesn't matter how or when or what.
All that matters is:

"I did it."


~

Weekly workout:

• Monday: 1600 meter swim
• Tuesday: Off
• Wednesday: 7.5 miles, hill repeats. ~3:30 up and down intervals
• Thursday: 7.5 mile trail run
• Friday: Off
• Saturday: 2 mile run
• Sunday: 105 mile bike

Weekly Totals:

• Swim: 1600 meters
• Bike: 105 miles
• Run: 17 miles

Preview of Stage 5: Week 4 was a recovery week of sorts. But going forward, the looming question remains: "Where are the runs?"