Feeling Full of Fitness

 I've been putting in some pretty decent mileage over the past 2 weeks.  6 of my 11 runs have bene 10 miles over and I hit my first 20 miler.  In some ways I've been feeling pretty tired, but strangely my legs have felt really good.  Nary a niggle.  It's been another hot week with lows in the 70s but the heat has barely effected me.   

Wednesday I went out for a 10 miler.  Had some GI issues. Changed plans and started to head home.  Didn't make it and found myself in a corn field at the 6.5 mile mark.  Suddenly felt much better (must have been something in the corn) and wound up running 10 miles after all at a relatively easy 8:08 pace.

Thursday I started off feeling tired and ran a 8:20 first mile.  But then started to feel better and better and soon had a progression run going...  8:05, 7:50, 7:44, 7:25, 7:04, 6:36.  Legs felt great, never felt like I was straining, never even really was breathing hard.  Wound up with 7 miles at a 7:34 average pace.

Today was my day off so I only did 5.49 miles.  Started off slow and finished with an average 8:18 pace.

Restless legs and reasonable recovery

 For the first time in a long while I woke up in the middle of the night with a case of the jimmy legs.  I was tightening up everywhere and couldn't get comfortable.  Must be remanence of the 20 miler.  I woke up feeling okay though.  

The weather has taken a turn for the worse and the lows are in the 70s again.  Given my current situation I didn't have great expectations for todays run.  An easy 7 seemed like a reasonable assumption.

I drug ass getting out the door, but once I started running I actually felt pretty good.  After an 7:58 first mile I dropped the pace to 7:26 and 7:22 for the next 2 miles but then slowed back down to 7:35 and 7:40 for mile 4 and 5.  HR was at 147 for all 4 miles so effort was even.  I was surprised at how fast 2 and 3 was and also a bit surprised at how much I slowed down for 4 and 5.  

At mile 6 I intentionally picked up the pace and hit a 7:23.  By now my average pace was at 7:33 so I decided to keep pushing to get the average pace for the entirety of the run down to sub 7:30.   Mile 7 is downhill which helps and I ran 6:58.  At this point I was down to 7:29 pace and I figured I'd go ahead and get another mile to make it a full hour of running.  I was no longer running downhill but it never seems like it matters when I'm milling around the neighborhood tacking on extra mileage.  6:54 for the last mile and then kept going a wee bit farther to make it an hour.

Final Stats:

8.15 miles
1:00:15
7:24 pace 

In some ways 7:24 pace isn't all that fast but I still feel there were a lot of positives to be gained: it was still faster than I've been running for the most part. I was able to push it a bit without working too hard.  I was able to perform on tired legs.  The heat really didn't bother me that much.  This was probably at least approaching my planned marathon effort.

About 4 more weeks of training until taper time.  Man, that's gonna come fast!

First 20 miler

 Finally busted out that first 20 miler in years.  Pretty sure this is the first time running 20 miles since 2009.  Definitely, the fastest I've ever ran 20 miles. 

I'd been a bit nervous about this run.  I'd already run 18 twice this year... the first time running 18 I was pretty tired by the end but the 2nd time it went just fine.  But somehow the extra 2 miles it takes to get to 20 seemed daunting... and also, a poor performance would really have me doubting my marathon fitness.

I meant to wake up early to try to catch the best temperatures I could but didn't actually get out the door and onto the trail until around 9.  By then it was 65 degrees and quickly climbing.  However, with the shade on the trail, a slight breeze, and not too horrible humidity I never felt particularly uncomfortable.  

I started out relatively easy with a 8:01 first mile in what turned out to be my slowest mile of the day.  My legs didn't feel that lively initially but I soon loosen up and found my rythm.

I carried Gatorade in my hand for the first 4.5 miles before my first brief stop to take off my shirt and drop off my Gatorade at a picnic table.  I drank about 1/3 of the bottle and then got going again.  I cruised for the next 4 miles until I got to the town of Wyoming, Il... there's a bathroom here where I normally stop and grab a drink from the sink, but not today though.  Instead, I kept running, through town, and back onto the trail on the other side of town.

This was my first time ever reaching this section of the Rock Island trail.  It was new territory for me and after all the miles I've logged on the R.I.T over the years it was exciting to be exploring new ground.  I didn't get to see too much though because I soon reached the 10 mile point where I quickly turned and started my return trip.  I split the first 10 miles in 1:18:58 which is a 7:54 average pace.  

I back tracked the trail, and then back through Wyoming, past a pretty girl in a Sunday dress, and finally stopping briefly at the bathroom for some water.  I drank a good bit and also splashed myself down to cool off.  Refreshed I continued on.  I was a bit hard to get going after the stop but after about 200 meters I was back in the rhythm... in fact I started to pick it up a bit splitting 7:46, 7:47, 7:36, 7:46 for miles 12, 13, 14, and 15.

In the middle of mile 16 I had my last brief stop at the picnic table to put my shirt back on and finish the Gatorade.  This time it was harder to get going again.  I ran 7:52 and 7:55 for miles 16 and 17.  My heart rate up until this point was extremely consistent fluctuating around 140 (sometimes down to 137 and sometimes up to 143).  I think maybe mile 17 was uphill a bit because I started to push a bit and HR reached 148 suddenly even though I ran the 7:55.  

I though maybe I was running out of gas but I kept pushing at a steady effort and mile 18 was back down to 7:42.  At the 18 mile mark I knew I was about to go farther than I have since I was in my early 30s.  I started to lengthen my stride a bit while staying relaxed.  As I hit the 19 mile marker I was pleasantly surprised that I had split the 19th mile in 7:12.  One mile left and I was feeling good so I really started pushing.  I really wanted that last mile under 7 minutes and was probably down around 10K pace by that last 1/4 mile... I wound up splitting 6:48 for that last mile).  I split the 2nd 10 miles in 1:16:24 which was a 7:38 average pace.

Final Stats:
20.01 miles
2:35:27
7:46.1 pace

Huge confidence booster with this run especially finishing so sharp.  I was tired after the run but nothing extreme.  I went grocery shopping on my way home from the run and though I eventually caught a quick nap, still took the kids to the park and played with them a bit.

I'm a bit more tired today but still ran 5+ miles... the first mile was kind of rough in the 8:40s but by the 3rd mile I was loosened up and back running about 8:20 pace.  

Next test will be how I feel tomorrow and for the rest of the week.  

Turning it up to 11

 I'm supposed to run a marathon in 7 weeks... what the fuck am I thinking?!?  I don't feel ready but I don't know if I ever really would... am I being dumb or am I ripping the bandage off?

One thing for certain... if I want to run 26.2 miles in 7 weeks I'd like to get my mileage up a bit.

Here's my mileage from since Saturday's 5K:

Sunday:  12.02 miles (7:36 pace)

Monday: 10.12 miles (8:11 pace)

Tuesday: 10.03 miles (8:03 pace)

Wednesday: 6.51 (7:51 pace)

and today...

11.11 miles at 7:32 pace.

I averaged 145 HR for the run and kept the HR at or under 145 until the last mile when I picked it up a bit to 7:15 pace.  More or less an easy run.  Also, my longest midweek run ever.

Weather was 65 degrees and felt fine.  

Plan is a week or two of these double digit efforts.  Then polish it off with a few sub-threshold efforts once the weather gets in the 50s... then see what I can swing for 26.2

Versus 2

At about 1 year removed from my previous target 5K, its time to review my training and compare it to years past.  Starting on January 1 is a bit arbitrary considering I've been training all year long but whatever.  So, here's the arbitrary data, mostly for the purpose of making me feel good about my training progression.      

2021 vs 2020 vs 2019 vs 2018

2018:  Miles run before 5K (Jan 1 - August 11th, 2018):  102.63

2019:  Miles run before 5K (Jan 1 - August 10th, 2019):  266.92  (374.36 since previous race)

2020:  Miles run before 5K (Jan 1 - August 15th, 2020):  1358.3  (1894.11 since previous race)

2021:   Miles run before 5K (Jan 1 - August 13th, 2021): 1545.28 (2250.65 since previous race)

2018:  Miles run below 8 min pace:  9.08 

2019:  Miles run below 8 min pace:  67.55

2020:  Miles run below 8 min pace:  631.05

2021:  Miles run below 8 min pace:  762.17

2018:  Miles run below 7:20 min pace:  0

2019:  Miles run below 7:20 min pace:  21.33

2020:  Miles run below 7:20 min pace:  234.75

2021:  Miles run below 7:20 min pace:  269.92

2020:  Miles run below 7:00 min pace:  96.68 

2021:  Miles run below 7:00 min pace:  148.38

2020:  Miles run below 6:30 min pace:  7.13

2021:  Miles run below 6:30 min pace:  35.99

2021:  Miles run below 6:00 min pace:  7.63

2018:  Long runs more than 5 miles: 3

2019:  Long runs more than 5 miles: 13

2020:  Long runs more than 5 miles: 151

2021:  Long runs more than 5 miles: 165

2018:  Long runs more than 6 miles: 1

2019:  Long runs more than 6 miles: 8

2020:  Long runs more than 6 miles: 121

2021:  Long runs more than 6 miles: 134

2019:  Long runs more than 7 miles: 6

2020:  Long runs more than 7 miles: 98

2021:  Long runs more than 7 miles: 123

2019:  Long runs more than 8 miles: 4

2020:  Long runs more than 8 miles: 75

2021:  Long runs more than 8 miles: 99

2019:  Long runs more than 10 miles: 1

2020:  Long runs more than 10 miles: 29

2021:  Long runs more than 10 miles: 35

2020:  Long runs more than 13.1 miles: 17

2021: Long runs more than 13.1 miles: 19

2020:  Long runs more than 16 miles: 2

2021:  Long runs more than 16 miles: 6

2021: Long runs more than 18 miles: 2

What does it all mean?  Looking at my progression from 2020 to 2021 there is definitely steady progression but nothing huge.  I ran more miles, longer and faster but nothing compared to the step I took between 2019 and 2020.  From here out it's about consistency and incremental steps in training effort to continue to advance my fitness.  Not sure how much farther I'll be able to get but I hope to stay healthy and hungry so that I can find out.

My story up until now

 5K in the bag.  Next up, marathon.

When I started blogging to 2009 it was with the sole intent of documenting my ~100 day couch to marathon training program.  I ran the 2009 Chicago marathon and did okay... about as well as could be expected based on my fitness at the time.  

I followed that up with this blog with the intent of following up that initial marathon with continued progress... it worked out until it didn't.  I went all in on my 2010 Chicago training, got hurt, burnt out, had kids, etc... there was a time I thought I probably would never run again..  but eventually, my body healed and I started working out again.  I had a couple false starts in 2016 and 2017 before really getting going in 2018.  I logged 75 hours on the bike over 113 workouts and ran 213 miles highlighted by a 22:24 5K performance and a couple of 7 mile runs.  I petered out on running after a couple months due to various aches and pains and was back on the bike.  I still ran a few times a month so I didn't totally lose it but less than 20 miles a month. 

I started slowly building back up in April of 2019.  Got the monthly mileage up to 83 in July and finally got that double digit 10 mile run on July 28, 2019...  this training resulted in a 5K of 20:25.  I hit my first 100 mile month in September 2019 and by November was finally starting to do some real long runs working up to a 15 miler on December 22nd.

2020 started with a bang and I dropped a 1:30:55 half-marathon seemingly out of nowhere.  With Covid, 2020 was a lost year for racing but a great year for training.  I did wind up with a 17:56 (sub 6) 3 mile performance.  Ended 2020 with 2068 total miles.

Now it's 2021 and I'm ready to attempt marathon again... sort of.  Actually, I'm not sure how ready I am.  Marathon's scare me after being so cavalier in my first go around.  I hope I have enough base miles in my legs to handle the distance but I really don't want to overdo it and get hurt again.  

Training has been going well though... I only got in 12 miles on Sunday but I've run 10 miles on Monday and Tuesday.  First time with back to back to back double digit runs.  Neither Monday nor Tuesday's 10 milers were planned but the weather has been relatively cool (low 60s) and I've been running easy pace (low 8s) and the mileage has been feeling good so I just kept going...  8:03 pace today and averaged 134 for the heart rate.

About 6 weeks of training and a taper left to go.  Plan is to run 7:15 pace which should technically be easy for me... lol  Doesn't sound easy right now but hopefully with some cool weather and a taper I'll pull it off.

Old Settlers Day 5K Race Report 2021

 The week leading up to Old Settlers Day was probably the hottest of the year.  As I semi-tapered, I didn't run anything particularly fast or long but with the heat everything required more effort than I would have liked.  Friday I planned to at least run a shakeout but I spent the whole day cleaning instead and wound up taking the day off.  I wasn't sure how I'd feel on race day but when I woke up Saturday I felt great!  More spring in my legs then I've felt in a while and primed to run.  The hot weather had finally broke too and the temperature was at least reasonable at 65 degrees.

My father was in town for the race and my wife and daughter Maya were signed up too.  It was a family affair.  I woke up at 5:20 to start prepping for the 8 am race.  I split my time walking, jogging with my dad, stretching, nibbling on a bit of food, drinking a couple cups of coffee, waking up the rest of the family and getting them set, putting on my Vaporfly 2's, and then got my own 1.25 warmup in at 7:00 pace.  

We left the house at 7:40 and walked over to the start line.  Had enough time to say hi to a few people and do a couple stride outs before working my way to the far corner of the start line.  I could see some of the more serious runners grouped more to the center of the start line.  At 8 am the fire department set off an alarm to signify the start of the race.  Everyone sort of froze even though the race director clearly told us that would trigger the start.  I was probably only a fraction of a second but time stood still... an then we were off. 

I took off a bit fast but steady.  Within the first couple meters I was in 3rd place behind two of the fastest guys.  By about 400 meters I was still tailing the two leaders.  My watch showed sup 5:30 pace and I knew I needed to back off.  I eased up a bit and found comfortable rhythm.  The leaders pulled away and I was on my own.  There was a sharp right turn at about the 1/2 mile mark and I snuck a glance behind me and saw that I was about 20 meters ahead of the guy in 4th place. The first mile was a strong effort but was sustainable. I got to the mile mark at 5:42.3. 

I hit the back stretch of town still feeling okay.  There were quite a few spectators there and soon after the first water stop...  I turned down water but they helped me sustain my effort.  I cruised down the back 1/2 mile.  At the next turn I was able to sneak another glance behind me and saw that me lead had grown.  I kept the thought of the 4th place runner catching me in the front of my mind and used it as motivation to not slow down.  A couple more turns and another water stop... I turned down more water but waved and smiled as I sped by.  My 2nd mile split was 5:41.

By now my HR was 179 and I was starting to feel it.  The next 1/4 mile was downhill and then I was passing my house.  My step-mother, and 2 daughters Kenna and Nori were outside cheering.  They helped me drive on.  After passing my house the wheels started to fall off a bit.  It was a 1/2 mile stretch down Calhoun St. with no spectators.  The 2nd place runner was over a minute ahead and the 4th place runner was nearly a minute behind.  Anticipating the pain if I kept pushing now, I eased up just a bit knowing I'd still have a 1/4 mile push down the main drag to the finish.  The lull in place was quite apparent.  

As I turned right off of Calhoun I dug deep and started to push again.  One small segment of road and then another quick right on the main drag.  1/4 mile left and I could see the finish line off in the distance.  I hit the 3rd mile with a 5:49 split and then continued to pick up the pace.  I knew if I could finish strong I would be under 18 minutes fairly easily.  I gave a semblance of a kick and crossed the line in 17:53.  

My goal was to break 18.  I trained to break 18. and I broke 18.  I figured I could but you never know if it'll all come together as planned and it's definitely nice when it does.  There might have been a few more seconds I could have shaved off if it was a little cooler and I had some competition but overall I feel like I achieved about the best result I could have expected.

3.11 miles
17:53
5:45 pace

After the race I waited for my dad to finish in 26:30 and then we started backtracking the course until we found Maya and Natalie.  Natalie stuck with Maya and Maya did a good bit of walking but still finished in 43:17. I was third overall and the top 2 finishers got plaques which left me with a 1st place age group medal (2nd in my age group technically since the winner was also in my age group).

I was very happy with the race.  Really felt that I put it out there.  My HR data collaborates my effort.  Long distance running is about as close as I'll ever get to having a superpower.  It's just amazing that anyone (let alone myself) can go out and run 5:45 pace for 3+ miles... also that I could go from 8:15 pace, pretty much completely out of shape in 2016 to 5:45 pace.2 years ago I just wanted to break 20 minutes again.  Now I'm breaking 18... fastest I've been in 24 years.  Don't know if I can ever break 17 again but I'd like to try.  But the closer you get to your peak, the harder it is to improve.  17:30 is the next milestone...

...but for now the 5K is on hold.  I finally signed up for the Peoria Marathon in October and now its time to get serious about getting in some miles.

Battling the heat

Starting last Saturday, the weather took a turn for the worse.  It has been incredibly hot and humid.  

Saturday I cut a 10 mile run down to 9.  Sunday I cut my 12 mile run down to 11.5 (after I got an hour and a half in).  My HR hit 170 on that run during mile 11 and I was only running about 8 minute pace.  Tuesday and Wednesday I got out earlier but if anything it felt worse 77 degrees and 100% humidity when I left the house at 6am this morning.

I'm supposed to be tapering for my race this week (which I guess I technically have been) but even with less mileage and slower pace the effort level has been through the roof.  It's supposed to cool down Saturday morning.  Let's hope so... would hate to race a 5K in this awful mugginess.  

I've been averaging just under 8 minute pace for this week... I should probably slow down but there is no easy pace when it sucks so bad.  No amount of slowing down will make me comfortable, so I just been running at the pace my legs want to go and trying to get done as quickly as possible.

Zoning out

Another morning with temps in the low 60s =  another good run today.

7 miles...  8:05, 7:50, 7:44, 7:44, 7:48, 7:35, 7:14 

The whole run felt easy except for the last 1/2 mile when I was pushing it a bit.  HR averaged 140 bpm.  Cadence was at 177 which is high for me for an easy run but my legs were just turning over and I felt like I was floating.

Just after the 5 mile mark, I completely zoned out.  I was thinking about my daughter and next thing I knew I had ticked off about 1.5 miles.  I barely remembered the route I took... and during this period I was running my fastest pace of the run with no intention.  

I think I'd get some pretty stellar runs in if I could do that more often.  Could be really handy on a long run... or a marathon!

Final Stats:

7.27 miles
0:55:53
7:42 pace

Today was a good day

 With about a 50 minute window between Olympic finals, I had a tight window to get in my run.  A cool temperature just below 60 degrees didn't hurt my efforts either...  and most importantly I actually felt really darn good after yesterdays speedwork.  I don't know what it is but sometimes I actually feel better after running fast...  less hip pain and more overall life in my legs... not quite sure.

First 4 miles 7:21, 7:14, 7:20, 7:16.  Kept the turn over quick with a slight push to the pace but overall effort was easy... fast but relaxed.

Started to push it harder the 5th mile (thinking this would be my last) 6:52.  Then continued on for one additional mile 6:32 pace.  

Final stats:

6.01 miles
42:40
7:06 pace

Garmin was impressed anyway... new high score!

Nailing that "last" track workout #7

 For all intents and purposes (and intensive purposes as well 😜) today marked my last and also peak track workout.

Peak workouts call for pink vaporflys... Which raises the question: Can you cheat in a workout?  I kid, but those shoes are some kind of magic.  Hadn't worn them for a while and man do they pop!

There was some important track and field to watch this morning so no messing around.  I got out of the house at about 5:45 to hit my now standard 2.5 mile warmup:  7:19, 7:14, and 7:05 pace for the mile, mile, half.

I stopped for 1 minute and 40 seconds to gather myself and do some leg swings.  Then jogged to the start line, hit my lap split, and was off for 6X800m with 200m rest.  

This workout was very close to what I ran in Week 1 which was 6X800 with 400m recoveries.  I averaged 5:45 for that workout so slightly faster.  However, I cut the recovery in half for this one,  I ran more relaxed on this one (trying to emulate 5K feel and pace), and I finished with my fastest lap of the day instead of my slowest... All this on slightly tired legs. 

After my final 800, I tacked on a mile "cooldown" at 6:53 pace, which relatively felt "easy"... maybe more proud of this mile than the workout as it shows how much I still had left. 

HR finally got into the 170s on the last 2 intervals, peaking at 174.  I wonder if I should be getting my HR higher but I feel like my legs hold me back coming off my long runs.  Never know if I'd be better off taking an extra day off or if I'm getting an advantage running on tired legs.  Probably depends on the purpose of the run...  drawbacks of 5K training and marathon training at the same time...  oh well, no matter what I'm still building fitness so until I plateau no reason to change things up.

A day off, a day on, and a shakeout

I intended on putting in a good effort run on Saturday.  I even woke up early to do it.  I even got my running cloths and shoes on.  But as I walked a bit of a warmup, I didn't feel quite right.  Right hamstrings, a bit of a twinge in my Achilles;  nothing major or serious, just some soreness and tightness.  I decided it was time for a day off.  So I went back home and enjoyed some Olympics.  

The day off Saturday, parleyed into a pretty decent long run on Sunday:

16.02 miles
2:03:30
7:42 pace

I ran from home instead of hitting the rock island trail so it was hilly and in the sun.  Weather started in the upper 60s and got into the 70s.  Heat was really starting to effect me by the 14th mile and I wound up stopping at the HS track for a quick gulp of water from the hose.  This was my only real stop (besides on early pee break)... all in all, 1 min 54 seconds of stoppage allegedly.  In spite of the heat I negative split the run though with my last 5 miles:  7:38, 7:40, 7:34, 7:39, 7:21

Today, I went easy with a 4 mile shakeout at 8:07 pace.  

Big track workout planned for tomorrow if I don't get gummed up with travel for work.

2021 Goals Update

Haven't done a goals update in a while...  Oops.  I'm not going to lie.  I've lost some focus on this.  Really just been more focused on my key 5K race with the rest of my attention being on building up to be able to respectably complete a marathon.  That being said, I'm still doing ok, and will still probably make my goals.  May take an extra push at the end of the year on a couple ones.  

I'm enjoying my running fitness right now and actually feel pretty good.  I'm also looking forward to mid-October when I'll take a step back and 

1. 10,000 pushups:  7220 on pace for 12314.  I only did push ups twice in July.  Did 100 today though, set of 40 and then 60.  Saving grace on this is that it's a very low bar goal...  I'm sure I could knock out the rest of the pushups in a week if I really needed to...  On the other hand that's been my weakness as it limits my motivation to actually do them consistently, knowing I'm ahead of pace and can fairly easily catch up.

2. 7500 10,000 pulls ups: 5873 on pace for...   10017...  Just barely ahead of pace on these now, after yo yoing above and below for the last couple months.  It would be nice if I could get a bit ahead so I can take it easier as I ramp up and taper for marathon training.

3. 26 Hours on the Bike:   18:56 for the year... Haven't biked since mid May.  Absolutely no interest.  Much rather run.  I'm sure I'll hit this goal.  Definitely saving this for after my marathon.   

4. 2021 miles: 1484 for the year and on a pace for 2531 .  5th 50+ mile week in a row now.  My record is 8 weeks in a row  in April and May (during which half of those were 60).  Weekly mileage has been a bit suppressed by speedwork.  I've been mixing in some shorter efforts a couple times a week to aid in recovery.   But on the other hand the mileage is being propped up by my long runs which are longer then ever... to sum it up, fast as ever speedwork at the track, long as ever long runs on the weekend, lots of easy runs for the rest of the time.   My goal is to be back in the 60s for the end of August and September.