Monthly Archives: May 2008
May: Twice as nice as April
In this final week of non-training, I laid off running a bit to give my feet some extra rest before I began official training on June 1 for the Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon in Virginia Beach. It gave me a chance these past couple of days to get a little more comfortable on the bike to know I can easily do 4-6 miles starting off on my cross-training days. It’s better than being completely unfamiliar with how my body will do on a bike.
To sum up May, I’ll admit that I’m a bit disappointed that my mileage totals aren’t higher, but I knew coming into this month that I’d have to take things slow. I knew this was a transition month — it was about building some kind of base without injuring myself. So, the goal of being injury-free was easily accomplished. When adding up my miles, I ran 40.8 miles and biked 21.6 — both more than twice my mileage in injury-plagued April. I also got in at least 20.9 miles of walking. I also lifted weights six days out of the month — less than what I wanted, but I’m noticing improvements each time I lift. The month was also interrupted by being out of town for five days, so all in all I’d have to say I’m pleased with how the month played out.
For the year, my running total is 250.4 miles; I’ve walked at least 107.5 miles; and I’ve logged 45.1 miles in biking. Everything would be much higher if not for my injuries.
Looking ahead to June, my plan for my first week of training is to get in about 15 miles, one day of biking and one day of weight lifting. The second week is going to be a challenge since I am traveling to the Outer Banks for a friend’s wedding. It’ll be nice to get away and run along the beach, but it kind of throws a kink into early training plans. Running-wise for the month, I’d like to hit 60-65 miles. I’d like to get in about 25 biking miles as well. I don’t want too big of an increase so I don’t burn out too quickly. I have to remember this is just a half marathon and not a full marathon that I’m getting ready for. I want to increase my long runs slowly and hit double digits again by the end of July.
I know that the half is still a little ways off, but my early goals are to set a PR for that distance. I’ll be turning 30 in a few weeks, so it would be a great way to start off a new decade. There are some other races this summer that I’ll be doing that’ll hopefully get me ready for the half. Like I have discussed before, it would be great to set PRs in a 5k and 10k, but right now I’m focused on staying healthy and building my mileage up.
Flipping the switch
I have mentioned a few times that June 1 will be the official start for training for the Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon. Is it really that easy to switch to the training mind frame. Yes … it is.
While the first week or two probably won’t be too drastically different from what I’m used to, once I flip the switch to training mode, there’s something that changes both mentally and physically. When in training mode it’s much easier to break into a routine. For example, I’ll have tempo or interval days, a mid-week longer run, a much longer run on the weekends, etc., etc. Also when in training mode it’s much easier to blog about my specific runs. Generally speaking, it’s kind of boring to write about an easy run unless something strange happened. I find it much more interesting to discuss intervals, plus it helps me track my progress.
A couple of things that will be different with my blogging this summer vs. last summer during marathon training are my plans to track my weight and to make small lifestyle changes each week during training. Since the marathon, I’ve let my diet slip and losing weight is a must. I haven’t gained any more than usual in the “off season,” but it’ll help me tremendously to drop a few pounds. My first weigh in will come this Friday.
Each week during my training, I plan to write about a lifestyle change that I will make that week — or maybe made already — and then stick with it through the race (and hopefully beyond). They’ll be simple, like giving up french fries or adding certain foods to my diet. When I first lost weight in 2004, I made a lot of small changes that made a big difference and hopefully the same will happen this summer. When I was training for the marathon, I often felt I could eat whatever, and really I could, but something just feels different this year.
With this all being said, I have a few more days to do what feels right before flipping that switch. Just like last year’s marathon training, I look forward to having you on my journey come June 1. I greatly appreciate all comments and suggestions along the way.
I can still run “fast” if I want to
I’m on a brief trip to visit the in-laws in northeast Ohio, but I managed to get in a decent 4 miles yesterday, which included a quarter mile interval in 1:50. While it was only a quarter mile, it felt good to know I can still run at that pace. It felt pretty good, and I’m really looking forward to getting speedwork in once I begin my “official” training for the half.
That’s all from me for now! Just wanted to get in a quick update.
100 days, 11 hours …
If you haven’t noticed, I tend to notice milestones. Well, today marks 100 days to go until the Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon. While I’m not in “official” training mode just yet, I realize that this race isn’t all that far away. I do have all of June, July and August to prepare, so that eases my mind just a bit.
While I’m discussing this race, has anyone out there tried Cytomax? It’s the new official sport drink for this race. I’ll of course try it beforehand to make sure my stomach can handle it, but any insight before trying it would be great. Free samples would be even better.
Take It and Run Thursday: Cross Training
Today’s “Take It and Run” theme over at the Runners Lounge is cross training. It’s an interesting theme for me considering that I really only recently discovered the benefits of cross training. For four-plus years I’ve thought running was just the thing to do to get or stay in shape. For a brief time in ’04 I lifted weights, but I thought it only made my arms look better. I didn’t realize that it could help my running.
If you’ve followed my blog, you know that in the past month or so I’ve taken up bike riding and weight lifting after back-to-back injuries this past winter. Now that I’m pain-free again, I am feeling the best I have felt in a long time when running, and I have cross training to thank for that. By mixing in a little bit of weight lifting and a little bit of bike riding, it’s taken my focus off running a little bit. My running is feeling more care free these days, and that’s a good thing. Running feels more natural than it ever has before — I always felt I was thinking about it too much.
I know I have a long way to go to get back to the shape I was in, but I can guarantee that cross training will be a big part of my training this summer for Virginia Beach’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon. I hope in three months I can revisit this subject and actually offer some advice on what to do. I’m already considering taking part in 2009′s National Duathlon Festival, so getting in better biking shape will be key to me later this year.
Oh, and if you’re wondering why I haven’t mentioned swimming … well, to put it simply, I don’t swim. I’m not totally ruling it out — I did do a marathon after once saying I never would — but I highly doubt it’ll happen anytime soon. In addition to needing lessons, I also would need to join a gym or join my neighborhood pool this summer, both impossible considering things going on in my professional life.
Yo Bloggers!
Since I enjoy reading other people’s blogs as much as I enjoy writing my own, I wanted to give a shout out to a few posts I’ve noticed over the past couple of days.
First off, congrats to Rob for finishing his first marathon this past weekend. I’ve really come to enjoy reading Rob’s blog over the past several months as he has been on a weight-loss journey and a marathon journey.
Next I’d like to congratulate Joe at Learning to Run for staying focused on running while his wife gave birth. He’s running on empty, but consistently, and he even ran to the bank the other day — literally.
Then there’s Jason, who has moved his blog to Recast in Iron. Jason and I haven’t met yet, but we have done two of the same races in the past six months or so — the Richmond Marathon and the Shamrock Half Marathon. His plans this year are for a triathlon and another marathon, and then an Ironman in 2009. I say go for it — it’s something I’ll never do, but I’ll support him 110 percent.
Lastly, I have to give a shout out to Jeff and his Running Diary. Jeff and I know each other via his wife, and I hope that I’ve given him some valuable running advice in the past few months. The main reason for my shout out, though, is because of his recent post and how he ran just fine without his iPod. I’ve tried to convince people that you don’t “need” music to get through a run, especially in a race. Jeff proved it and I didn’t even suggest that he try it.
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