Marathoning in Perpetuity

Ran 3 miles on the treadmill the second fastest pace I've ever maintained for a distance > or = to 3 miles (5K PR = 16:32 from July 2007).  Ran 16:30 for 3 miles. 

The 10 miles were done in 60:46 on the treadmill (of course!) in the morning.  Last night I did 16:30 for 3 miles on the treadmill-my second fastest 3 mile continuous run of my life (fastest is 16:32 for 3.11 miles on the treadmill July 2007).  The 3 mile run was done by starting the treadmill in the gym and pushing "speed up" button until it registered 10.9 mph (5:30 pace).  When it felt like it was going at a continuous speed, i.e. done speeding up, I looked at the distance: .06 miles, then I ran until it said 3.06 miles at the same speed.  This took 17 minutes (and zero seconds).  So I gave myself 16:30 for 3 miles.  Probably within a second of being accurate.  This morning the 10 miles included the "warm up" (the really slow .06 miles or whatever while it gets up to speed, which usually adds about 10 - 15 seconds to the run, and irritates me), but otherwise was done continuously at 9.9 mph.  This evening after work I went back and ran 8.6 mph for 5.85 miles.  The first 1.2 miles were at 4 - 6% grade (incline), at first this felt very easy, but after 1.2 miles it felt very hard, and I just wanted to run easy, so I let myself because for the evening double distance and pace were unspecified.  Just getting in the miles.  My current schedule is: Monday = speed work, mile repeats, or fast miles sprinkled into a 10 to 13 mile run.  Tuesday = Medium long, essentially a time trial over 10 - 15 miles (currently medium long pace is set at 9.9 mph, this was the first week at that speed, last week was a half marathon PR of 81:00 when the medium long pace wasn't specified, once we get a 15 miler at 9.9 mph we may up the tempo of "medium long" days, this is adapted from Matt Fitzgerald's book "Brain Training" for runners).  Wednesday = easy.  Thursday = Tempo (current tempo pace is set at 10.6 mph, get at least 4 miles, even if it's by doing 2 mile intervals, desire up to 13 miles of tempo running, if we have the stomach for it).  Friday = easy.  Saturday = long (20+ miles).  Sunday = recover (easy or rest, alternating weeks).  Total weekly mileage is currently set at 70 - 120.  Doubles are optional.  Weight training is optional. Every 7th week is a cut back week where weekly mileage doesn't exceed 50 - 55 miles, no long run w/ days off on the Sunday preceeding and succeeding the easy week.  I take successive days off any time I feel any kind of injury or "deep fatigue" settling in to heal and refresh/rejuvenate.  The plan is to do the workouts successively faster and embrace pain, love pain, more by the time Los Angeles rolls around.  Hoping to break 2:37:19 (which we euphemize as 2:36).  Spent some time in the dry sauna this evening.  When I woke up in the morning was 151.4 nude on digital electronic scale, after evening workout was 143.4.  Typically I can't dehydrate myself more than 8.0 pounds even if I try.  So I had my work cut out for me "accidentally" getting so dehydrated, and needing to fully replenish by the morning so I can do a nice medium length easy run.  The 60:46 for 10 miles is the 2nd fastest of my life.  My third fastest is from age 18--another running lifetime ago--when I did "Pine Knot" (on hills, at alititude) in 61:50.  My best 10 miler (the last 10 miles of an 11 mile run in 64:44) remains 58:15 from 2006.  For now.  I hope to take that time down around 55:00 or a little under (just under an hour for an 11 mile run hopefully) by early February 2009. 

Did 6 miles, then 4.39 miles, then 1.61 miles at 6:03/mile on the treadmill this morning. In the evening after work went back and did 7.5 miles more.  In the evening I was running 8.9 mph (6:44/mile) but it felt ridiculously easy (but also very nice, and yes I was definitely high--on beta-endorphin, naturally ;) so I gradually increased to 9.3 mph (6:27 pace) to the finish.  Actually this run wasn't continuous either.  I saw an old friend, Nick Recentio, and had to stop to make sure he saw me.  By the end of the evening run, and a certain amount of time spent in the steam room at the gym I was 7.5 pounds lighter than I was this morning, and had eaten I think fewer kcals than I'd burned off for the day.  Sadly, dinner followed.  My legs hurt SO bad, which is weird, I haven't had ANY exercise related pain (other than my lower back which made me quit pushups and ab exercises temporarily) for ... months?

Didn't run today.  Came home from work still planning to run, but decided to "listen to my body".  I'm hoping this will enable me to get a 50K long run in tomorrow.  I don't know how many times I've done a long run hoping for 50K.  Usually, it turns out as 20 miles.  

Discontinuous miles.  Numerous pit-stops.  Very easy running. 7:13/mile.  

Ran 2 miles 13:00. 

4 miles 25:00.

4.7 miles 29:00.

3.11 miles 18:53.

All the stops were due to digestive distress.  Which is a big part of the reason I end up running on the treadmill.  Probably the last 2 miles were 5:56 pace.  I could have done more, faster.  But I was discouraged because really it was the second day in a row I had lots of digestive issues and it thwarted a long run.  This is the first weekend in a while that I haven't gotten in any sort of long run.  I think Tuesday is a day off, so tentatively I'm planning to run doubles tomorrow, but the evening run will depend on how I feel and if I want to do it, and no pace or distance will be specified.  I don't think I'm gonna plan ahead when I'll actually do the planned long run on Tuesday.  Just sort of wake up and see how I feel and try to get it in when it makes sense.  For now I guess that's the plan.  Of course if it doesn't happen by Tuesday I'm gonna have to shine this long run on and I really hate doing that because that decreases by one the number of long runs I get in my build up to Los Angeles, and I can see from today's run that my body really is already prepared to make huge gains on it's next long run, probably in speed not distance, as there seems to be some sort of psychological blockage with increase my long run length.  My longest in October was 23.64 miles (5 mile warm up, quick necessitated stop, then 30K PR, all on the treadmill, of course).  I'd like to be doing a regular ultramarathon length training run at least every month and thinking about adding a 50 miler in the Spring.  But I'm beginning to think maybe not this year, because actually I'd really like to be sure to get a BQ at LA in February, then actually GO to Boston and run that, and of course go ahead and try to PR.  I'm sure I'll learn stuff in LA.  So maybe I'm shining on the thought of doing an Ultra for another year. 

1 kilometer @ 5:10 mile pace.  1/2 mile @ 5:10 mile pace.  Jogging to fill out 11 miles easy.  Some hills up to 5% grade.  Tomorrow: new diet until Christmas Eve.  Hoping to drop 5 pounds, get healthier, run faster, run farther, enjoy running more!

20 miles on the treadmill in 2:08:05.  Lifetime best.  Continuous running.  Ate three powerbar energy bars and drank a half gallon of water during the run.  Weight is morning weight, nude on home electronic scale.  Starting vegan diet today, until December 24, God willing.  Hoping to drop 5 pounds.  LA Marathon changed the date from February to May, so I may run the Phoenix marathon in January with an eye to getting my BQ (and then some!), God willing.  I'd also like to break my little brother's "family record" of 2:45 in the marathon.  And lower my PR in the marathon further in Boston in April.  I'd like to do about 4 marathons a year, and train well for them all.  

Easy recovery day.  My digestion seems to be handling the act of running better since the advent of my new diet!

After warming up for 6.3 miles did 10K (really 6.22 miles) in 35:12 on the treadmill (actually 6.3 miles, but that's 'cause I had a running start when I started doing tempo pace), continuous running at 10.6 mph, a lifetime best pace for any distance beyond 4.12 miles (I believe, I'm going to have to double check my training logs for the last 3 years to verify this), and a best for 10K by :22 seconds over a PR set on July 2007--but that PR was progressive, i.e. negative split from 6:03 pace--for the first mile--down to 5:28 pace, for the last mile, whereas tonight was just a steady tempo run.  Finished up after 10 o'clock at night.  Lifted weights for my quads (quadriceps extensions using the fraction-of-your-own-weight-machines), went in the sauna in the men's locker room for probably almost 45 minutes.  Had skipped breakfast and lunch today, then eaten a high-carb meal (probably 12-1500 kcals) finishing around 5:30 p.m.  

My hamstring is messed up.  I was going to take 3 days off, but the way I eat I'll probably have gained a pound if I do that.  So I cross-trained today, did 93 minutes of stairclimber with 14 times 1 minute "hard" sprinkled into the first 80 minutes.  Heart rate was probably close to 160 on average, which is I guess the main thing as long as I'm injured to try to get as much volume as possible, including "long" sessions once a week to "replace" if it were possible the long run, and make sure my heart rate is right where it would be if I was running!  

Hamstring still hurting.  87 minutes of stairclimber at Level 16 (supposed to be 133 steps/minute, actually 131 steps/minute).  heart rate pretty constant 160 but i felt like i was killing myself.  can't wait to get back to running.  thinking about doing a lot of treadmill hills when i come back.  

Whole back of upper right leg still hurting.  Did 1 hour 52 minutes of stairclimber at level 14 (supposed to be 118 steps/minute, but the machine can't count, it's actually 114 steps/minute).  Heart rate was usually 144, except when I was dehydrated and toward the end, sort of bonked, was gonna get the closest thing to a replacement for a "long" run (albeit at an easy "pace"), but just totally bonked.  

Hamstring still hurting me a little.  Still sore and tight.  Today level 17.0 for 38 mintutes after level 16.0 for 7.5 minutes.  Had to finish up and get to bible study.  My heart rate was only 160 but I really really felt like I was working, like practically a tempo effort.  

did 94 minutes of stairclimber at level 13.1 (112 steps / minute, level 13 is supposed to be 111 / min & level 14 is supposed to be 118 / min), then squeezed my clothes out and got some water, then ran 6 miles in 38:17 with the last mile a comfortable 5:56. 

Last mile in 5:39 (progressive from 5:56 to 5:24 pace), last 6 in

39:00, first 4 at 6:49 pace, first 8 at 2 - 3% incline, last 2 flat. 

Pit stop necessitated after first 4 miles.  Otherwise just an ordinary

10 mile run.  My hamstring is still sore deep inside up toward the top,

I think it's sustained some sort of damage.  But I haven't run for 5

days, and I gotta get back in the swing of things with now Phoenix

scheduled for mid-January, I don't have time to baby it.  It is

drastically better.  Probably what I'll do is very little fast running,

and I think now I'll focus on getting a minimum of essential volume in

(like 70 miles including a long run and a day off for recovery each

week), and focus on getting a lot of incline for strength, and

finishing out the runs maybe a bit faster than marathon or half

marathon or 10K or 5K race pace depending on how good I feel.  Running

within myself has felt good the last two days.  It feels good to be

running again, even if I don't feel like my body can handle right now

the volume I really want to be putting in every day.  

After running tonight, in a totally dehydrated state I was 140.2 lbs nude.  That's the lightest weight I've seen on a scale in 9 years.  I've really only got 12 lbs left to lose--from 148 to 136, but I no longer have enough time before my next marathon, since it's Phoenix in January.  And I'm scared I won't be healthy.  There isn't much time to train, and my hamstring, and now right Achilles are bothering me.  In order to get my heart rate up to 160 on the stairclimber I have work, what seems to me, very very hard.  That's what's aggravating my Achilles.  Tonight I did 60 minutes at level 16 (average 15.9, 16 is supposed to be 133 steps / minute, I counted it at 130 steps / minute).  Then squeezed the sweat out of my shirt and socks, grabbed some water from the drinking fountain in the gym, and hopped on the treadmill for 7 miles in 41:27, finishing the last couple of miles at 5:46, at which point I was thoroughly done working out. 

Had to stop after 2.25 miles.  Running on the treadmills in the gym in West Hills.  After the first 2.25 miles was running 9.4 mph for the duration.  

Ran 1.92 miles in 12:30, had to make a pit stop.  Ran 4.92 miles in 30:00, had to make a pit stop.  Ran 3.8 miles at 6:05 pace, and I was done, went to the dry sauna in Santa Clarita.  Hamstring bothering me less than it has been.  In fact probably bothers me less now when I'm running than at other times of the day!