One Week Break From the Long Run

Since last writing in mid-August, I ran 2 consecutively longer training runs leading up to Labor Day weekend. 19 miles on August 21st and 22 miles on August 28th. I felt fine after both endurance building runs. My weight has been steadily dropping too, down to 141 lbs from about 146 lbs when I started training in earnest exactly 3 months ago.

I've also decided not to run the Singapore Marathon in early December due to logistical and financial reasons. Just isn't quite worth it spending $3,000 to run a marathon on the other side of the world at this point. So now I'm looking at several local marathons. Mind isn't made up yet but I better choose one soon.

Yesterday I took a different path and ran The Oaks Mile, an inaugural 1 mile race down Moorpark Road in Thousand Oaks. It was a fun diversion but I'm not exactly sure it was the best move for me. On the plus side, it gave me a chance to test my speed. I ran a 5:15 mile, about 15 seconds slower than what I'd be happy with, but not a surprise given my lack of any speed training (heck I haven't really done any track work for over 10 years) and 1 week off a 22 miler.

But after the race a familiar, nagging little soreness reappeared in my left knee. Not so bad that I can't run or walk, but something that I better take care of with ice and Advil.

So today I intended to go long again, but 45 minutes into the run realized the 1 mile race made my legs stiff and slightly sore. I bumped into some friends halfway down Sycamore Canyon and ran back up with them. Time for a nap!

Been Running Since May 5, 1993 and Tallying Mileage Ever Since

Since running the Santa Barbara Marathon on December 5th, my training has been pretty sparse.  I took the first 3 days post-marathon off and ran only 10 miles the entire week.  Then more recently, my bad back problem made a reappearance and I was hobbling around for a week, walking like an 99 year old man, beginning on Christmas Eve.  Thanks to my stellar chiropractor I was back in action after 2 treatments.

On New Year's Eve, after dining on sushi with my 6 year old and reading Power Ranger stories to my 4 year old, then after a couple glasses of bubbly, I updated my 16 year old, 6,100 row Excel spreadsheet that tracks my daily mileage.  In fact, I updated the spreadsheet while celebrating the New Year with my Twitter friends.

Yes, my obsessive compulsive side forces me to jot down how much time and how many estimated miles I run each day in my daily calendar book, then periodically (used to be weekly, then monthly, now annually) I updated the manual scribbles from my book into the monster spreadsheet.

If I lose this spreadsheet, I lose a big part of me. This 1.3 MB spreadsheet is the Bible of my running. I used to study it like I was studying for an exam. It was fun to see trends...weekly mileage, how I did in a race after running at a certain level, etc. Now it is more chore than anything. But it is something I must do.  It is a 16 year running journal and I'm determined to maintain it.

My running began on Cinco de Mayo 1993, the day after telling a marathon runner co-worker, in my drunken stupor at a chili cook-off, that I would run next year's Los Angeles Marathon. While I don't remember the specifics of that first run, I look at the spreadsheet and see that I ran 3.2 miles that day.

Something I DO remember about that first run is that I had to stop because, as I recall, my ankle hurt. So I ran a few blocks, stopped, started again, stopped, and so on. I see in the log that the next day I did not run, but the day after that I ran 3.2 miles again.

How did I know it was 3.2 miles and not 3 miles or 3.5 miles? Well for many years, in my youth and without wife and kids and life's goings on consuming my time, I would literally drive the course I ran and track it on the car's odometer.  I drew a map of my neighborhood and tracked distances for various courses, streets, turnaround points, etc.  But I was really into it back then.

Today I measure most all of my runs by time, not by actually measured mileage. I have a pretty good gauge on my running speed and generally can estimate fairly well what my pace is, be it 7 min/mile, slower or faster.  Obviously it isn't 100% accurate, but based on the 42,900 miles I've run between May 5, 1993 and December 31, 2009, I think my pace estimate is pretty well dialed in.

So here's to a Happy New Year and New Decade 2010 and may you resolve to track your mileage in a monster Excel spreadsheet like me!

For the record, I logged 1,971 miles in 2009 over the course of 14,346 minutes (or about 239 hours). Wow, that is a lot of time spent running! But I love it!

Tapering Off the Mileage in Preparation for a Marathon

This past week I ran a total of 41 miles with a long run of only 7 miles.  I had planned to run longer today (Sunday) but sleep (or lack thereof) needs required me to stay in bed and vedge out this morning.  Well truth be told, I owed my wife a "sleep in" morning today in exchange for something she provided to me.  We bartered. I gave up my last opportunity for a 10 mile tempo run in preparation for the marathon in exchange for, well, let's just say that it is something that married couples with young kids usually do not get enough of.

If my wife reads this, I am dead meat.  So if you enjoy reading this blog or Conejo Valley Guide in general, sshhhhh, do not tell her.

I'm doing a 3 week taper for the Santa Barbara Marathon on December 6th. The rule of thumb I use for a 3 week taper is to run 75% of "normal" mileage in the 3rd week pre-marathon, 50% 2 weeks out and 25% the final week.

My mileage in week 4 pre-marathon was 54, which means my 41 miles was exactly 75% of that.  I don't usually grab a calculator and try to get precise with these calculations.  I just go with my gut.  I got lucky last week.

So this coming week, Thanksgiving week, should not be a problem "forcing" myself to run less, given the holiday goings on.  I do intend to gastronomically enjoy the holiday, but will do my best not to overeat too much.

The final taper week is usually the hardest, especially if you've been training really hard. Since I haven't been training really hard for this marathon, slacking off the mileage won't be mentally or physically difficult for me. 

The final 3 days pre-marathon one should perhaps only run once or twice, just to stay limber.  No training you do the final week before a marathon will help your marathon.  It's too late...what you DON'T do will help you more than what you do do (or doo doo, for that matter).

Some people do 4 week tapers, running 80% of normal week 4, 60% week 3, 40% week 2 and 20% week 1.  Nothing wrong with that plan either. 

Don't get too caught up in precision. The percentage don't have to be exact.  The overall goal is too ease off the mileage in the final weeks prior to a marathon in order to allow the body to recover and rest up for 26.2.

29 Weeks of Training, 3 Weeks of Tapering

Yesterday I ran 20 miles with a buddy, my first 20 miler for 9 weeks, and my last 20 miler until the Santa Barbara Marathon on December 6th assuming all goes well.

Last week was my 29th week of training for the marathon and I manaqed 54 miles.  Over those 29 weeks, I've managed to run 1,219 miles and an average of 42 miles per week. My low point was 16 miles (the week I got the swine flu) and my high point was 2 consecutive 57 mile weeks with 2 consecutive 20 milers.

While I didn't achieve my peak mileage goal of 60 miles per week, I'm happy because I'm not injured!!  Training has had peaks and valleys but overall I KNOW I can finish the marathon without a problem.  While I won't be anywhere close to my 2 hour, 35 minute PR, I'll be happy to finish in the 3 hour, 3 minute (7 minutes per mile) range.

I've been pessimistic about my training of late due to constant, recurring setbacks.  Back problems, knee problems, swine flu, colds, smoke in the air, heat, more back problems, tiredness, you name it.  I'm not one to not speak my mind.

But I'm also a stickler for documenting my daily training, which gives me the opportunity after 29 weeks to see the big picture.  While my mind wreaks havoc on my psyche by telling me my training has sucked for 2 months, I look back at the stats and see, heck, I may not be training for a marathon record, but I've done some homework!

What surprised me the most is that my average weekly mileage over 29 weeks was 42.  I was surprised by that because all I think about is the 16.5 mile swine flu week and the 25 mile vacation cruise week and how much fitness I must have lost.  But not only did I run an average of 42 per week, I actually ran 16 or more miles 7 times over 7 months, including 5 18+ milers.

So I shouldn't be so hard on myself.  I may not win my age group in the Santa Barbara Marathon. But heck, I've done a lot of training and by golly, I'm gonna have some fun!

Marathons for most of us are an individual fitness test.  We're not competing against the other runners present that day. We set our own goals and work towards them.  For the majority, the goal is to finish.  For others, it is to achieve a particular time or personal record.

My goal for this marathon is to finish at or near 3 hours.  I don't expect to be the fastest 45 year old at the race.  I just want to have some fun with it.

Double Up Your Runs When You Need to Double Down Your Training

The past two mornings I've had a hard time waking up.  So here I am less than 2 months from my marathon running 15 minutes this morning. That ain't gonna cut it!  Time to double up!

I don't usually enjoy doing 2 runs a day.  One quality 40 minute run is better than a 15 minute and a 25 minute run in my opinion.  But ya gotta do what ya gotta do.

I'm already feeling vulnerable in my training because I've been in a 4 week training tailspin due to illness.  So I need to do whatever it takes to make one last ditch mileage buildup before tapering off for the marathon starting in a month.

Today we welcomed the first rainstorm of the Fall here in Ventura County.  What a pleasure to see the rain out there.  Last night there was a very light rain that made my 2nd run of the day quite pleasant.  It was a solid 2nd run that made me feel good physically and emotionally. Yes, although I almost fell asleep at 8 pm reading my 4 year old to sleep, I was able to drag myself out and run again!

Second runs build mental toughness. It ain't easy lacing up those shoes at night in the dark. But doing so builds up that "I can do it" attitude that marathoners need to meet their goals.

Note:  Do be particularly careful running at night.  Always run facing traffic. Wear a reflective vest.  Run in familiar areas, preferably well lighted.  Running in the dark increases the possibility of stepping on things you don't want to step on.

Cloud Cover, In-N-Out Burger and 12 Weeks Until Marathon

Logistics and luck are the recurring themes in my quest for a marathon comeback. In fact, the 2 Ls have been key factors in most all of my prior 2 dozen marathons.  The difference between the two is that Logistics I have some (but not TOTAL) control over. Luck, well, is just that.  Some say you create your own luck by doing the right things at the right time, but that's debatable.

For example, today was my longest planned run to date (and I did do it...more on that later). Logistically I had it all nailed down. All my stuff was ready, bottles filled, hat, sunscreen, watch, bandaids, socks, gels, etc. all in their places.  Got to bed at a "decent" hour.

No alarm planned. I decided to let my internal alarm clock wake me up at 6 a.m. I was up at 6:30 a.m. Not too far off. Since I'm training alone, there's no planned start time to my runs. I got up, ready, and here comes my 3 11/12ths year old down the stairs. Uh oh, in the interest of maintaining my marriage, I got the little guy settled, TV on, breakfast ready, toys and games out. But now we're talking a 7 a.m. start for a 2 1/2 hour planned run. A slight curveball had been thrown at my logistics and planning, but I took it in stride without too much impact. Good logistics, bad luck, good outcome.

Last night I succombed to my kids' request and we drove through In-N-Out Burger for dinner (well, ok, they didn't have much arm twisting to do).  The kids had their standard Meat/Cheese/Bun while I ordered a hamburger with everything, including grilled onions. In so doing, I was veering away from my last positive experience of consuming a plain cheeseburger the night before a long run.  As I was downing the burger on the ride home*, I noticed the onions tasted like they had been sitting on the grill for awhile, somewhat (and uncharacteristically) yucky, but not enough to stop the inhalation as I drove.

So of course this morning my bad decision to eat something that didn't quite taste right caused some gastric distraction.  But thanks to good logistical planning this morning's "In-N-Out" performance did not significantly impact my long run. Bad logistics last night, bad luck, good logistics today, no harm no foul.  That's what a training run's all about.

So on to the run itself. Aside from the multiple pit stops, it was even better than last week's great run. Yet another run to PCH from Newbury Park via Sycamore Canyon, turning left onto PCH until my watch hit 1 hour, 17 minutes, then turned back to finish in 2 hours, 36 minutes. Nearly even splits, even with the severe uphill finish.  Started nice, easy and slow, and finished solidly, with little soreness.

An example of good luck today...CLOUD COVER the entire run!  A distance runner's dream! The weather was only mid-60s the entire run and that made it quite enjoyable to not have to deal with heat for once! And yet again I caught several beautiful deer on my descent to the ocean...they seemed to enjoy watching me huffing and puffing as they nibbled their breakfast.

So my mileage estimate for the day is 21.5 miles and for the week was 57 miles. With exactly 12 weeks until the Santa Barbara Marathon, I'm 100% confident that my body is ready for the 26.2 mile distance. The key now is to get a couple more 20 milers in but also to start tuning up my speed a bit now that I know the distance is a non-issue. To that end, my plan is to run the Point Mugu Half Marathon next Saturday, Thousand Oaks Alliance for the Arts 10K on 9/26, Jason's Race 5K on 10/11, Calabasas Classic 10K on 11/8 and perhaps one more half marathon.

*On a side note, I think it is much more dangerous eating an In-N-Out Burger than driving than holding a cell phone up to my head. Reminded me of this humorous video.

19 Weeks In, 13 Weeks To Go...Less 3 For the Taper

So it was 4 1/2 months ago when I first committed to running the Inaugural Santa Barbara International Marathon.  April 27th to be exact, about 7 1/2 months prior to the marathon.  Normally 5 or 6 months of preparation is adequate for a decent marathon performance but because my training has been inconsistent and marred by injuries in recent years, I gave myself some extra time.

Boy am I glad I did. While (knock on wood) today I feel perfectly fine, I've dealt with plenty of setbacks these first 19 weeks of training...sore toe, sore knee, debillitating back spasm, sore throat, cold, fever, you name it.  But I'm back and feeling good once again!

Last week I ran a total of 51 miles, with a long run of 18 on Sunday morning.

Weekly training has gone like this:

Week 1 (4/27-5/3): 38 miles (6.5 long run)

Week 2 (5/4-5/10): 35 (8 long)

Week 3 (5/11-5/17): 46 (9 long)

Week 4 (5/18-5/24): 42 (8.5 long)

Week 5 (5/25-5/31): 43 (10.5 long)

Week 6 (6/1-6/7): 40 (ran a 10K race)

Week 7 (6/8-6/14): 30 (sick/flu)

Week 8 (6/15-6/21): 41 (10.5 long)

Week 9 (6/22-6/28): 47 (12.5 long)

Week 10 (6/29-7/5): 50 (11 long)

Week 11 (7/6-7/12): 51 (15 long)

Week 12 (7/13-7/19): 57 (19.4 long)

Week 13 (7/20-7/26): 57 (21 long)

Week 14 (7/27-8/2): 25 (vacation week)

Week 15 (8/3-8/9): 34 (back spasm on 8/7)

Week 16 (8/10-8/16): 38 (ran with back brace)

Week 17 (8/17-8/23): 50 (15.5 long, hilly trail run)

Week 18 (8/24-8/30): 41 (hot weather/smoke, 7 long)

Week 19 (8/31-9/6) 51 (18 long)

So what's next?  The last 3 weeks of training pre-marathon are tapering time.  That leaves 10 weeks of "real" training.  I need to get 2 or 3 20 milers in the bag to feel comfortable.  With that I'll seek to push into the 60+ mile per week range if I can (which if I blog a bit less I'll get to bed earlier I'll have more time to run in the a.m....).

I also need to do some local races to "tune up" a bit and gauge my fitness level.  First up is the Pt Mugu Half Marathon on September 19th.  There are a number of fun 5K/10K events coming up too. When I run a race in preparation for a marathon, I don't take it too seriously.  The main goal is the marathon.  But it still feels good to race and stimulate the few fast twitch fibers left in this old long distance runner's body.

Run More, Think Less, Eat Chicken Nuggets??

Before I move on to today's topic, how about an update on my training. I ran a total of 50 miles last week on the final road to recovery from the latest in this aging runner's string of injuries. 15.5 of those miles were the Bulldog 25K trail run in Calabasas on Saturday.  Otherwise, darn it, my left big toe once again is sore, probably from the jarring 4,000 feet of downhills on the Bulldog course.  I'll get over it!

For those of you keeping up with this blog, you probably know that while I like to train hard, I don't take training too seriously. What that means is, I don't like to get too caught up in precise training schedules, measuring and writing down every aspect of my runs, watching everything I eat, etc.  Doing so take some of the enjoyment of running and competing away from me. But that's just me.

Or maybe it ain't just me...

Dinner of Champions: Dinosaur Shaped Chicken NuggetsI laughed when I read about the superhuman Usain Bolt's pre-world record shattering 100 meter race meal of chicken nuggets.  I also grinned when I read how nonchalant he is before each race...smiling, joking around, having fun.  But when that gun goes off, he's a lightning "Bolt."

Then I read an article in the August 19th Wall Street Journal about 31 year old Kara Goucher, a top American marathoner who competed in the 5000 and 10000 meters at the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics. I LOVE the quote "Ms. Goucher has taken all the tactics generated by U.S. running experts...the charts, the mileage recommendations and high-tech motion-sensing computer readouts - and stuffed them in a dumpster."

After decades of "highly structured training" telling runners "how many miles to run on how many days and how quickly to do it" U.S. runners were becoming less and less competitive.

On the other hand, Kenyan and Ethiopian runners shot up the ranks through an aggressive "run first, ask questions later" style.

Goucher takes this approach she "focuses on running hard and fast for as long as it seems right" according to her coach, 3-time New York Marathon winner Alberto Salazar. 

The article also quotes Olympic Marathon Bronze Medalist (and former Agoura High School standout) Deena Kastor "For so long, people...were focused on figuring out the exact science behind setting records. But there is no exact science."

So fellow runners, ponder and weigh the need for precision and analysis in your training versus the simplicity of just GETTING OUT THERE and running!  Listen to your body. If you are feeling good, run hard! Have a plan, but have some flexibility. It may well just pay off as you train for your next race!

Set the Training Bar Low While on Vacation

Last week I took a break from hard training.  While on a 7-day family cruise to the Mexican Carribean, I managed 25 miles of easy running.  This Royal Carribean ship had a running track that was a fifth of a mile long as well as a gym stocked with plenty of treadmills.  So all of my miles came while at sea.  This was a needed break after last Sunday's 20 miler and prior weekly totals of 47, 50, 51, 57 and 57 miles.

Many of my runner friends, particularly the marathoners, are obsessive about their training.  I put myself in that same boat.  We have a hard time backing off the mileage, even when we know it's GOOD for the training to RECOVER!

In fact, I take a look at my weekly totals above and my brain still murmurs..."hey, you were SO CLOSE to reaching 60 miles in one week" and "how am I gonna 'get back' into hard training again?"

But after 16 years of running, 24 marathons, tens of thousands of miles, hundreds of races, injuries, setbacks as well as fun, accomplishments and excitement, I've learned.  Set the bar low while on vacation.

I told myself, my goal is to run a minimum of 20 minutes each day.  Anything over that total is icing on the cake.  It didn't matter how fast or slow I ran those 20 minutes.  They could be on a treadmill or running circles on the deck of the ship. Or even little circles around the dessert bar.

So on Day 1 when I ran only 25 minutes, I felt GOOD about it!  I set the bar so low that it would be easy to exceed my training expectations. 

I could have taken the entire week of like more sane people who completely relax and enjoy their vacations.  But that would be way too mentally damaging for me. Not to mention, staying physically fit on a cruise offering 24/7 food enabled me to EAT my fair share!

Also helping my case was my 5 solid prior weeks of training and 2 solid 19-20 milers.  I had "miles in the bank" so taking it down a notch for a week was no big deal.

So go ahead! Take that vacation, enjoy it and then get back into training with renewed vigor!

Some Long Runs Can Be Brutal! Sycamore Canyon 20 Miler Today!

Well I went back to the mat today for another long run.  This was kind of unplanned as I had planned to take a break this weekend but other activities next weekend preclude me from doing a long run. 

Some friends were running trails at 5:30 a.m. today but I was out until 1 a.m. last night and my body wasn't agreeable to the early start.  So I woke up at 6:30 a.m. and got out the door around 6:45 a.m. 

I call this the Turf to Surf to Turf run, Newbury Park to PCH round trip via Sycamore Canyon.  Living in the Conejo Valley allows quick access to trails that take you to the ocean.  I started the run from my house and ran to the trailhead at Wendy and Potrero in Newbury Park.  After reaching the Satwiwa Indian Culture Center I took the Sycamore fire road down into the canyon.

Most aspects of this course are outstanding! Nice wide paved road with trails on the side (giving you the choice of running pavement or dirt), nice and cool in the early morning as you run towards the ocean, plenty of rest/pit stop areas on the way down and nice and peaceful and beautiful.  Before I reached PCH 65 minutes into the run, I encountered a curious deer, a scraggly coyote and no more than 2 dozen people, mostly cyclists.

Today's goal was to run solely for time...2 hours, 30 minutes, out and back. So after passing the Sycamore Campground (by the way, I noticed a number of empty spots down there), I ran another mile or so up PCH before turning around 1 hour, 15 minutes into the run.  I felt pretty good, downed fluids regularly, had a couple GU packs (on top of the 1 GU pack for breakfast...yuck, but I wasn't hungry) and went nice and easy.  One pit stop on the way down, but otherwise no stops this run.

There was very little cloud cover at the beach and it started to warm up...noticeably.  About 1:40 into the run I started thinking, this is gonna be a bit of a challenge today. I eased up on the pace as I started the upward climb up towards Newbury Park.  It was getting warmer and I there was more direct sunlight.

I was starting to get tired and realized the finish of this run was gonna be kind of brutal.  The most challenging aspect of this particular course is lovingly referred to as "The Black Bitch" - the 800 foot, roughly 3/4 mile ascent up the canyon.  I was out of fluid long before reaching that steep hill and was basically running with the mindset of "one stop at a time" at that point.

The most fun aspect of running up that hill is that it gave me the opportunity to pass by 4 cyclists who had passed me 3 miles prior.  Seems running up that beast of a hill is an advantage over cycling!  The climb is still brutal, but the opportunity to actually pass people makes it slightly (let's not exaggerate) fun.

So with a small detour I made it home in 2 hours, 39 minutes.  I didn't measure my mileage but I'm going to credit myself with 20 miles.

I type this an hour later, mostly pain free.  My big toe is a little sore but otherwise, no blisters, no chaffing, no major aches and pains!  Yeah!!!

So for the week (I track mileage Mon to Sun), I matched last week's personal high for the year of 57 miles again.  I promise, this week, will be a down week!

TIME TO GO RELAX!!