Boston Push

Just starting to ramp up to an 18 week training program to prepare for the Portland Marathon, and qualify for Boston.

Felt good today and just went out and ran. Not really pushing it, but pace was around 7:30. 

Felt a little slow, but I also took it easy. Been doing a lot of school work.

I don't know if they are exactly "marathon pace miles;" they were done at the pace of my previous marathon PR, but I am shooting for a pace of 7:15 for BQ. I still do not have my "marathon legs." This is a lead up to an 18 week program, so I am not real worried. I have yet to do any real speed work either. Anyway, did 12 miles right around 8 minutes or so. Felt alright, but my legs were tired at the end.

Went for about a 30 mile bike ride with a lot of hills. Felt good despite long run yesterday, but could still tell my legs were a little tired.

I ran a good run today. I went out and ran a few miles at marathon pace, 7:15, and then another 3 at about a 6:40 pace. I felt good, but the last five miles of easy, 8:00, my intestines started hurting. This is the second time in a month this has occurred. The cramping and pooping continued on through the night. I am debating if the high mileage approach is best for preparing for a Boston push. 

I tried to go out today and run a six mile run to get my legs going, and to show myself that the cramps from yesterday were just a fluke. Mistake. About 2 miles into the run I started feeling uncomfortable, and by 4 miles I was cramping again, and by 5.5, I had to walk the remainder to prevent myself from going in my pants. I don't know what is going on with my gut. I am going to take the next day off and try and hydrate myself to see if that will help.

Woke up yesterday with a sore throat, and now I am have a stuffy head and some congestion. I guess I am getting sick. I am taking today off and hopefully will be able to do my long run tomorrow. I am still two weeks out from the start of my 18 week training for the Portland Marathon. I intend to do a mid-mileage plan, peaking at around 70 miles/week.

Still sick. Ran with the fiancee for about 7.5 miles at a very easy pace. I am debating whether a high mileage program is preferred over a lower mileage with cross-training, e.g., the FASTT program, is better. Any opinions out there?

I went biking for about 2 hours at an easy pace. Still sick with congestion and the morning phlegm hack fest. It is getting better though, and you have to love the sexy, gravelly voice it gives you.

Went out for my first real run since last week. I am still a little sick, so I only pushed myself for about 3 miles. I had intended to have my mileage up to about 40 last week, but that did not work. I am going to try to get this week in the range between 35-40, but we will see how that goes with school and my health.

 I was very apprehensive about running today, as the last two runs at marathon pace or faster have produced profound lower intestine cramping. I am unsure what has brought this new cramping phenomenon about, perhaps the start of getting sick? There was no cramping today, though I had some feelings in the upper GI, not really discomfort, but a pressure. I ate my dinner, though, and drank my water, and have had no problems tonight. Hopefully, this is a fleeting memory in my running log.
 

I did 10 miles today, with no GI distress. I saw the doctor yesterday concerning this problem, and she did not seem too concerned. She thought it was probably connected to sickness, stress from school, lack of sleep. I hope that I have seen the last of these problems and that I can get down to training.

The run went well. The first five miles were done at a 7:15-7:20 pace, and I did not feel like I was pushing too hard. The last five were done easier at a 7:40-8:00 pace. I let up on the second 5 miles, still scared about GI distress. I am still 2 weeks out from my 18 week plan, and I am still debating a low mileage high intensity and a high mileage plan. I seem to run better after having a day off - my running pace and intensity are at a higher level. If I do a lower mileage plan, I will be able to train with specificity, i.e., train closer to how I will be running the marathon.

 

I did the unthinkable today - I ran without a watch! 

I have a Polar 625x that is coupled with a foot pod to measure running pace and miles. I love it. I have found it to be very accurate, within 0.1 mile with minimal calibration and usually even closer to actual mileage. I go out every run, even if it is an unfamiliar course, and I know about what my pace and mileage are. It has also been nice because now I can be running and know what my pace is just by feeling the wind in my hair.

 But today, today I left it at home and had one of those "run like you were a kid day." I ran a normal course, so I knew it was 6 miles, but I didn't let heart rate or pace dictate my run. I enjoyed the sun, nature, and even got to see two deer feeding off the side of the trail: one doe and one year male with fuzzy spike antlers. I think too often I get caught up in my pace, even when I am running recovery or easy miles. It was a nice change of pace (no pun intended).

 Saturday it will be back to the pacer when I run my long run. I have been running my long runs in Bend, OR, which is about 3500-4000', and after June, all my runs will be in Bend. That is about 3300' higher than the Portland Marathon, so I hope the "altitude" training will translate to a faster marathon time.

Rest/Travel to Bend day.

Today was my long run. I did the first 7.4 with my fiancee, and we went at a slow steady pace around 9:30, with the uphills being significantly slower. It was all trail running and the terrain was varied with a good deal of uphill running. I think we ended up going around 1000' uphill, and this was all done at an elevation of 4000', significantly higher than Portland at around 300-400'. The last 5.6 miles were done on my own at a faster rate, but by the end I was pretty pooped. Overall, my pace ended up being around 9 minutes with a HR average of 152, but with a lot of uphill running.

 I really enjoyed the run. The trail was beautiful and followed a bubbling creek for a good portion of the run. If you are ever in Bend, OR, I recommend running in Shevlin Park and the Deschutes River Trail.

One week left until my training program for Portland. After some of Sasha's comments, I am really optimistic about making my 7:15 goal at Portland to qualify for Boston.
 

Just a run, with a mile of marathon pace thrown in for good measure. I like to run at a higher pace each run, if perhaps just to prove to myself and my obstinate body that I can do it. So I ran 6 miles today, about a 7:45 pace, with one thrown in at 7:15.

I felt tired today and started wondering how a 7:15 will be possible. But I reassured myself I still have over 18 weeks left and miles and miles of speed work before the marathon. This week is the start of about a three week period of crap with school, so it is going to be a challenge to keep up the mileage and to keep up with school. The good new is that in 3 weeks, I will be finished with the classwork portion of pharmacy school. Only one year of rotations, and then I will be a pharmacist - for better or worse. 

I grudgingly did 6 miles today. I had an exam this morning and was up late studying, so I really didn't want to do anything but lie around. I dragged myself off the couch and went out, and of course, once I was about a mile into the run I felt good.

 Went 6 miles at about a 7:30-7:40 pace. I am uncertain because my shoe pod is giving different readings than it did previously. I recently switched shoes, so that might be why. I need to recalibrate it to get accurate readings. Anyway, I am getting close to my marathon plan. I am excited about starting a regimented plan to have structure to my training.
 

Oh, it was another tough day for running. I was suffering from post traumatic red wine disorder. We had a little celebration for a friend last night, and while I know it is really bad for the training, I partook in some of the celebration and woke up feeling awful. However, one must suck it up and take their medicine, so I got out and went running today.

I only did 4 miles, but they were physically and mentally therapeutic. First mile was at 8:00, just crusin' and taking it easy. Next mile was 7:52, followed by 7:40, and finishing at 7:06. I felt good at the end and for the rest of the evening.

When I start my training program, I am going to couple it with changes in diet as well for optimal results. This will mean minimal alcohol intake (I say minimal because I still need that occasional beer, I mean I live in Oregon the home of microbrews and coffee), cutting out virtually all soda (I really love my diet pepsi), and cutting out other junk food (candy, chips, etc.). I want to make sure that I have done everything I can to get that BQ time. 

Well, I think I will go out for a little run before my long run tomorrow. Hmm...what would be a good run? I know, seeing that I have to go into Portland for school, I will just pack my running stuff and head over to Forest Park. Back when I used to live on the West side of Portland, I used to hit these trails, but the western trails. Never go to the East side much, but how different can it be? Well, the Eastern side of Forest Park is pretty much going up and down canyons. So, my anticipated 10 mile jaunt turned into an 8 mile gruel-fest where I managed to cover about 1300' in climbing in about 4-5 miles. That is why I cut my anticipated easy 10 mile run down to an 8 mile hill run.

The run was fun though. The trail winds through Forest Park, which is the largest urban forested park in the US. The trail is all single track and goes up an down through the Tualatin Mountains on the west side of the Willamette River. I averaged about 9:00 miles for the whole run. It was a good time, but it was a little bit more than I had anticipated. Oh well. Who can complain when you have great scenery, beautiful weather, and a good run? 

Today was my long run. I think trail runs are much more interesting and fun, so I took off on Phil's Trail, west of Bend. This trail is primarily used by mountain bikers, and that is all I saw on the trail. Funny enough, throughout my run, I kept catching up with a group of about 7 mountain bikers as they rested at each trail junction. The third time they saw this runner coming down the trail to them, they commented they were going to have to really start putting the hammer down. To their defense, this part of the trail was the uphill portion, so it was easier for me to keep up with them. The last stretch of trail I shared with the mountain bikers was on a steep switchback section, where I actually caught the last of their group and passed her on the uphill. However my glory was short lived as this was the top the ascent, and once it hit the downhill, they were nothing more than spots on the horizon that disappeared never to be seen again.

The trail was a nice one that twisted through a forest of what I think was Ponderosa Pine. The first seven miles was all uphill. I started around 4000' and ascended to about 5100'. the last seven miles was downhill to flat back to the start, but as they say, the downhill can never make up for the uphill. I averaged about 8:40 miles overall. This was supposed to be an easy run, but I found myself pushing a little harder than I should on some of the uphills. Oh, well. Sunday will be an easy day of biking with the fiancee, so I should be fine. The marathon training starts on Monday, however, Monday is a scheduled off day, so I guess it really starts Tuesday.

Today was a day of biking with the fiancee. We did about 2:30 hours; I guess it was about 38-40 miles of biking with around 2000' of climbing. It was not actually a rest day, but it was nice day.

Rest Day. Tomorrow is the first day of my 18 week plan.

Wait a minute. Wow, am I a dork who cannot count. My marathon is 18 weeks from next Sunday, not last Sunday. So...my 18 week program does not start until next Monday. Oh well. It will give me the opportunity to up my mileage. Goal this week will be around 40-45 miles.

Today's run was not a fun one. I think I have been pushing too much on my long runs, doing hills at an accelerated pace at high altitude, followed by bike rides. My legs felt very fatigued today. I ran the seven miles doing 100 m strides, but it felt forced. My legs muscles also felt a little sore at the start, but that went away once I got the first mile down. 

I might need to get more sleep, or modify my diet. I can do the latter, the former will have to wait for two weeks when school ends. Luckily, though, I miscounted the number of weeks to the Portland Marathon, so I don't start my training until next week. This means I can avoid running in tomorrow's 92 degree heat, though I doubt I will. I will just run slow. 

Not a good week. Lots of school, and I am very tired. Got a mile in while trying to calibrate my foot pod. Ended up doing it wrong, and the battery died.

Went out and ran 6.5 miles around a 8 minute pace. I have been very tired this week, and today was no exception. My shins and lower calf have been sore this week. I am taking it easy this week to let my legs recover a little before a 50 mile week next week. Run was uneventful. I am getting a little unmotivated to run. I hope this passes soon. 

Recalibrated the foot pod and got a mile in. Spent the day with school stuff and then I had to drive to Bend. Tomorrow I will try to get in a good long run. 

Oh, wow. Today I had the biggest bonk I have had in a long time. The day was hot, around 90 F. The trail was an up and down trail. And I did not have enough food or water with me. All this combined for a really tough run. I was so tired afterward that I just came in and laid on the floor for about half an hour. This whole week I have just felt a lot more tired than any time in the last month. I am going to go biking tomorrow - I have really been enjoying my weekly bike ride. I am contemplating doing a duathlon later this month. I need to keep focused though. I have abandoned my running training for a marathon in the past when I started to get burned out. To date, the longest I have trained for a marathon is about 12 weeks, and that was my fastest marathon 3:27. When I tried to do a 16 week plan, I abandoned it at about week 10. This was my first marathon, though, and I am not sure I knew what I was getting into.

Biked with my fiancee and her triathlon team. We biked up to McKenzie Pass, just west of Sisters, OR. It was a great ride and climb. About 1:45, 1:15 going up, 0:30 coming down.

Rest Day

Did 8 miles around a 8:00-8:15 pace. My shins are still a little sore. I also did some strides (does anyone know if that is supposed to be striding to full sprint speed or to marathon pace?). 

Finals are here and coming to an end. Forced to take the day off to work on a group project. 

Ran again about 8:00 pace. My legs are tired towards the end of these runs and my pace falters. My shins hurt toward the beginning of runs and then the pain resolves while running. I am trying to stretch and ice after runs to help alleviate the pain.

I am playing the catch-up game with my plan. I was supposed to do

recovery runs on Wednesday and today, but I was not able to run

Wednesday, and I had to do Thursday's scheduled run today. School is

almost over, though. Run was around 8:00 pace again. 

Supposed to do a little recovery run, but my shins are hurting. Going to take it off and do my long run tomorrow.

A six mile run with my fiancee. It was good to run a slower pace, and it saved my shins. Because I was studying for my last exam on Monday, I did not have time to do my 15 mile long run, which I will instead do tomorrow after the exam.

I did not get much sleep last night after staying up late to study. I was unsure how my run would go...but it went great. I ran at Leif Erikson Drive in Forest Park. A little history on this route: Leif Erikson Drive was designed to be a feeder street to provide access to a designed development area in the hills of West Portland. However, the geography proved to be too difficult to build on and the developments were scrapped. Fast forward to now, and we have Forest Park, what I believe to be the largest forested urban park in the US. The run went uphill for most of the way out. I ran 7.5 miles out and turned around and ran back. Usually I don't like out and backs, but the forest and the midday running time, leaving me mostly by myself, inspired my run through the woods. On the way out I averaged about a 8:10 pace, but was able to make up the time on the way back to average just below 8:00. Good run, little shin pain, happy Darren.

Did a fairly easy 8 mile run, around 8 min/mile, with 10x100m of strides up to about a 6:10-6:40 pace. My shins felt good despite running on asphalt. 

Since my run schedule was off due to my long run on Monday not Sunday, and not taking a day off after my long run, today was supposed to be a 12 mile run. I thought one of the recovery 5 mile runs would be better. I went out to run, but just did not feel like running today. The skies were gray, the wind was blowing, and I still had a lot of packing to do. I decided to give my legs a rest and do the 12 mile run tomorrow. 

Nine mile run with some speed work thrown in.

Moving all day, no running.

Moving.

I have been moving for two days and then today put everything in storage. Involved a lot of going up and down stairs, but today was the first time I got a run in. A little tired, but it felt good to get out there.