50K Training

50K Training Schedule

I officially start 50K training today. I looked at training plans online and settled on this one. Similar structure to marathon plans I've used in the past, but with longer long runs. 

The schedule is a slightly modified plan from the Run for the Toad, a 50K trail run in Ontario. The structure and distances of the plan looked good, so I converted the kms to miles, and changed Mondays from “Rest” to “Rest or Cross train.” That’s what I’m used to in past marathon plans. On shorter mileage weeks, I may cross train more. On the biggest mileage weeks, I'll need the extra rest. I’ll probably modify the Wednesday workouts also. My 50K race isn’t very hilly and there are no hills nearby to train on, so I won’t do much hill training. I also may switch the longest runs from Saturdays to Sundays, may substitute cycling/running bricks for some of the weekend runs, and will probably experiment with some run/walk intervals for the longest runs.

My target event is the 21st Annual Rocky Raccoon 50K Trail Run at Huntsville (TX) State Park on November 5, 2011. http://trail-race.com/stone/rocky_raccoon/

Weekly Training: January 24 - 30

(The graphic is from my page at dailymile.com.)


This was better than the previous week, but still just trying to hang on to as much conditioning as possible while this knee continues to recover.  It looks like a lot of miles, but only six of Saturday's eleven were running; the rest were cycling.  However, the cycyling was much less knee strain, and I'll take what I can get.

Don't get me wrong.  Cycling is great, it's just not comparable mile-to-mile with running.  With that in mind, instead of substituting cyling miles for running miles, I substituted cycling minutes for running miles at a ratio of 10 minutes of hard cycling for each scheduled running mile.  The rationale for this conversion was based on run training at roughly 10 minutes/mile.

By the end of the week, knee soreness was gradually improving, and I'm optimistic about working more running miles back into the mix.  Daily yoga practice is now up to 156 days.

YTD: 98.2 miles running, 104.3 miles cycling, 202.5 miles total.

Weekly Training: January 17 - January 23

(The graphic is from my page at dailymile.com.)

A pathetic week, five miles on the bike Monday and a six mile run Saturday.  I had rested a sore right knee since for a week and it felt pretty good, but soreness and a little swelling developed after Saturday's run.  I'll have to allow more recovery time.  I'm also forced to consider the possibility of dropping out of my March 12 marathon. 

I tried to maintain the activity I could, and continued with normal schedule of weights, core and yoga, even investing extra time to these activities.  My daily yoga practice is up to 149 days.

YTD: 91.9 miles running, 36.8 miles cycling, 128.7 miles total.

Weekly Training: January 10 - January 16

(The graphic is from my page at dailymile.com.)


Week: 28.09 miles running, 10.0 miles cycling, 38.09 miles total.

Lowlight:  Sore knee condition, cancelled Thursday run.  Soreness was gone by Saturday morning, but returned after Saturday's run.  Cancelled Sunday run.

Weekly Training: January 3 - January 9

(The graphic is from my page at dailymile.com.)


Week: 40.08 miles running, 26.8 miles cycling, 66.88 miles total.

Highlight: 20 mile run, 1/8/11.

Marathon Training - 20 Mile Run

20 Miles - 03:24:00 - 10:11 minutes/mile pace

My original plan was to run 10 miles today and 20 tomorrow. However, with 90% forecast of thunderstorms for all day tomorrow, I wanted to make sure I got my LSD run completed.  I moved the 20 miler to today, and I'll take whatever I can get tomorrow.

This run went pretty well. I planned to try to keep it a little slower, on the high side of 10:30, but I had to keep pulling myself back in the first couple of miles. I finally settled into a comfortable stride around 10:14 pace and cruised in that neighborhood through about 12 miles. I struggled a little in the low and mid teens, caught a little second wind at about 17 miles, and finished feeling good. Mile splits: 10:53, 9:59, 10:09, 10:15, 10:10, 10:13, 10:15, 10:12, 10:19, 10:15, 10:15, 10:08, 10:25, 10:23, 10:28, 10:26, 10:18, 10:06, 9:39, 9:21. More stats at http://connect.garmin.com/activity/62495323

Weekly Training: December 13 - 19

(The graphic is from my page at dailymile.com.)

This week started poorly and ended well.  After resting Monday, I struggled through my midweek runs, experiencing lingering soreness from the December 11 half marathon.

I'm totally accustomed to the half marathon distance.  I run a similar distance almost every week in training, and it doesn't faze me.  However, after the half marathon race, I had considerable soreness deep in the lower abdominal muscles.  I attribute the difference to the hills on the half marathon route; I train in an area that is almost completely flat.  Because of the soreness, I ran Tuesday, Wedesday and Thursday comparatively slowly and never found a smooth running rhythm. Finally, after after another rest day Friday, I had a great 10+ miler Saturday, pushing the pace, calling it my "long-ish" pace run.  Sunday, I ran the same distance and route more slowly, calling it my weekly "long" run.

I had my fun.  I ran two races in the last three weeks.  In the process of extra pre-race rest and post-race recovery, my weekly mileage slipped from the 50 mile range into the 30s for four weeks.   Now, it's time to get in serious training mode, build miles, and get ready for my March 12 marathon race.

This marathon training cycle "officially" started in early November, with a modification of the same 18-week training plan I used for this year's marathon.  To date, I have not paid much attention to the schedule, because my routine runs follow the same general pattern, and my routine mileage has been higher than that in the first 6 or 7 weeks of the training plan.  The training plan builds mileage from week to week, so I intended to just pick it up when the plan's mileage caught up with my current in the 6 to 8 week range.

My plan will be a modified version of Hal Higdon's Intermediate 2 program.  I plan to add a few miles to it, to raise the peak weeks from 50 miles to about 55 miles, and to build to the 20-mile runs earlier, allowing me to put four 20 milers in the schedule instead of three.

Running miles- YTD: 1,836.9; Month: 98.7; Week: 40.4.

Training Tips Thursday - Run/Walk

I just thought I'd mention the run/walk method.  It's a widely used training method, most popularized by Jeff Galloway.  I don't use it regularly, but for certain specific training, I found it to be valuable.  Here is a link to a good article on Galloway's Run Injury Free with Jeff Galloway page.  The article does a good job of explaining the details and recommending different run/walk ratios based on pace.  Galloway defines a method for running a marathon, taking scheduled walk breaks through the first 18 miles.  I didn't use the method in my first marathon, but I did take a few short unscheduled walk breaks.  Perhaps I would have run a better marathon if I'd taken scheduled breaks.  For my next marathon, my goal has been to strengthen my overall training enough that I don't have to walk at all.

However, I did find this method very useful in the distance-increasing phase of my first marathon training.  When faced with running 16, 18, and 20 miles the first time, I took scheduled walk breaks.  Here's how I did it.  For example, when I first wanted to run 16 miles, on my first attempt, I alternated two minutes of walking with every eight minutes of running.   I found that it really helped me make the distance the first time.  The second time I ran 16 miles, I reduced the walking by about half, alternating one minute of walking with every nine minutes of running.   By the third time I ran the new distance, I found that I could run the entire distance.  I repeated this as I came to each new distance milestone up to 20 miles, and it helped a lot.

Training Tip of the Week - A Must-See Video for Runners!

I try to watch for good information on running mechanics and form.  Like most runners, I just started out running, any way I could.  Over a period of time, watching really good runners, I've seen a lot of things that I try to emulate.  I certainly don't have anything close to great form or perfect mechanics, but I try to be conscious of it and to gradually improve.  A 26.2 mile marathon race is a real test of endurance.  It's difficult just to finish such an extreme distance.  After finishing a first marathon, a runner's goals usually focus on running the next one a little quicker.  Answers to both enduring the distance and improving speed may be found in running mechanics.  Running more efficiently uses less energy, leaving more energy for those last gruelling miles between 20 and 26.  Running more efficiently will also result in improved running pace.  Dave B., one of my friends on dailymile.com posted this video on his page, and it's worth sharing with my running friends on the blogosphere.  It contains a whole lot of good information on mechanics, more than I can absorb at once, so I'm saving it to refer to.  Enjoy!



What do you think?  Do you see some ideas that you can use?

Training Tips Thursday - Marathon Pacing

In a marathon race, it's suicide to start out at a pace that is way too fast!  It's a sure way to crash later, before reaching that tough 26.2 mile distance.

Every runner who runs a marathon wants to run the best race possible.  Running too fast may cause a lot of trouble making the distance.  However, running slower than necessary leaves time on the course that could have been used for a quicker finish.  A first-time marathoner often has no idea how to target a marathon race pace.  When running subsequent marathons, the runner's goal is normally to run the distance quicker than a previous race.  Either way, the runner may be trying to set a target without knowing what he ore she is really capable of.  I've found some good tools like the McMillan Running Calculator .  This tool lets the runner enter a "best time" at one distance to get an estimate of pacing at another distance.  Of course, this assumes that the runner is adequately trained to the rigors of the other distance.  A 5K race time would be a meaningless marathon predictor if the runner had never run more than 10 miles.

I recently came across an article on the Running Tips for All website that gives another method to determine possible marathon pacing, using times from interval runs of 10 800 meter repeats.  Pretty interesting.  Excerpts from the article follow:

The 10 x 800 Marathon Workout
If you think you can run a 3:30 marathon, then try running 10 repeats of 800 meters on the track. Each 800 should be 3 minutes and 30 seconds. Recover for 3 minutes and 30 seconds. And repeat. If you are shooting for a 4 hour marathon, then your 800 repeats should be 4:00 minutes (with 4 minutes recovery). It’s that simple! Yes, it also works for a 2:09 marathon, as well as a 5:30 marathon.

Determining Your Workout Pace
If you are not sure what pace you can hold, then start with your best guess and give it a try.
If you can’t do all ten at pace, your intervals need to be slower. Do all ten and still have plenty of energy? Cut the intervals down. You may have to change the workout several times over a two or three week period until you arrive at a workout pace that you can hold consistently. You should try to do your last 10 x 800 workout about two weeks prior to your marathon, but by then you should have a good idea what pace you should be running.

Marathon Training Program: Week 17 - Taper Week 2 - One More Week!

(Graphic from my page at dailymile.com. The mileage in the graphic includes both running and cycling miles.)

On my first taper week, I took advantage of the additional energy from reduced mileage to experiment with pace a little, and pushed it a little hard on a couple of runs, finding speed I'd never experienced before.  Taper is all about recovery for the race, so I approached the second taper week more cautiously.  I still ran a little over my anticipated race pace, but kept the pace at a comfortable level without pushing it.

This week, I concentrated on stride and rhythm, trying to maintain a smooth, efficient flow.  My approach to these runs was to start easy, run the middle miles nice and steady, and to finish a little quicker.  This week, I timed my splits to get a better feel for the flow of each run.

I continued to add some cycling miles for cross-training, but fewer miles than previous weeks. Weekly totals: 26 miles running, 13.2 miles cycling, 39.2 miles total, plus three weights workouts and two core workouts:

• Monday: Rest.
• Tuesday: 4 miles running.  Splits: 10:04, 9:36, 9:40, 9:37.   1 mile cycling.
• Wednesday: 6 miles running.  Splits: 10:19, 9:50, 9:47, 9:33, 9:06, 8:41.  6.05 miles cycling.
• Thursday: 5 miles running.  Splits:  9:57, 9:31, 9:29, 9:01. 6.15 miles cycling.
• Friday: Rest.
• Saturday: 4 miles running.  Splits: 10:04, 9:47, 9:24, 9:06.
• Sunday: 8 miles running.  Splits: 9:46, 9:44, 9:20, 9:26, 9:36, 9:31, 9:17, 8:18.

This leaves one last week of taper.  I plan a couple of very short, easy runs, no leg activity in my weights workouts, and very little cross-training.  I'll increase carb intake all week, especially from midweek on, and hydrate well all week. 

17 weeks down, 1 week to go!

Marathon Training Program: Week 16 - Taper Continues!

 

(Graphic from my page at dailymile.com. The mileage in the graphic includes both running and cycling miles.)

 

This was an incredible running week.  After a breakthrough 21-mile run to finish the previous week, everything seemed to get easier this week.  Running paces that felt normal in the past suddenly felt slow.  Most of my Tuesday runs, following back-to-back long runs Saturday and Sunday and a rest day Monday, have been slow and sluggish, elevenish on pace.  This Tuesday's 5-miler felt comfortable at 9:01 minutes/mile.  Wednesday's 8-miler felt easy at 9:21 pace.  I pushed myself a bit on Thursday's 5-miler and logged it at 8:18 pace, tantalizingly close to an 8-minute barrier I never thought I'd cross.  After a rest day Friday, I couldn't help testing the the possibility of breaking 8 minutes.  Saturday, I pushed pretty hard and posted my scheduled 4-miler at 7:43 minutes/mile!  I probably pushed too hard for a taper week, and had really tired legs Sunday morning.  Fortunately, Sunday's schedule only called for 12, and I logged this one at an easier 10:18.  With two more weeks to taper before the marathon, I will not test pace further, and will run the rest of my training schedule "nice and easy."

I've also continued to add more cycling miles to my cross-training.  It really helps my legs feel better after the heavy running miles.  Weekly totals: 34 miles running, 28.35 miles cycling, 62.35 miles total, plus three weights workouts and two core workouts:

• Monday: Rest.
• Tuesday: 5 miles running, 7.85 miles cycling.
• Wednesday: 8 miles running, 6.5 miles cycling.
• Thursday: 5 miles running, 1 mile cycling.
• Friday: Rest.
• Saturday: 4 miles running, 11 miles cycling.
• Sunday: 12 miles running, 2 miles cycling.

16 weeks down, 2 weeks to go!

 

 

Marathon Training Program: Week 15 - Taper Time!

(Graphic from my page at dailymile.com. The mileage in the graphic includes both running and cycling miles.)

I'm going into taper with an amazing, breakthrough 21-mile run. Hal called for 20 miles at about 45 seconds/mile slower than race pace. I've been using 10:15 to 10:30 minutes/mile for my estimated race pace, so I set out to hold this one at 11:00 pace. I also wanted to use this run as a marathon "dry run" for all of the variables I could think of, including nutrition and hydration.

I set out to run 10 2-mile loops that took me past a water fountain at Rogers Park on the odd miles, and past my home on the even miles.  I left water bottles on my front porch; this let me grab a drink every mile, just like it will be with aid stations at the race.  I ate a Kashi energy bar and tanked up on Gatorade before I left, and stuffed a couple of Clif Shots and a package of Shot Bloks in my pockets.  I also wore the same shorts, singlet, socks and shoes that I plan to race in. 

I started out feeling great, and had to hold myself back to avoid exceeding the 11:00 pace through the mid teens.  I chewed on the Shot Bloks from around 5 miles through about 15. In the mid-teens, I got tired of holding myself back, and let myself speed up a little.  I kept waiting for it to get more difficult, but it never did! I don't mean difficult like all runs start to get in the teens. I mean legs screaming, feet throbbing, I-want-to-quit difficult. 16 came and went. I used one of my Clif Shots at 16, and never needed the second one. 18 came and went. On to 20, still didn't get any more difficult, and my 20 mile time was 13 minutes better than two weeks prior.  I still felt strong, so I decided to add an extra mile and see what I had left.  

I let loose on mile 21, and ran it in 8:23.  This was a total surprise, to be able to run an additional mile at record pace, after already running 20; my 5K PR pace is 8:37!  Overall 21 mile pace was 10:33.  It felt great to finish the core of the training schedule with a strong, confidence-building run like this. I finished with a 1-mile loop on my bicycle; it makes my legs feel so much better after running to add a brief cycling cooldown.  I have gradually added more cycling miles to my routine; it's a great form of cross-training for a runner.

Weekly totals: 51 miles running, 22.75 miles cycling, 73.75 miles total, plus three weights workouts and two core workouts:

• Monday: Rest/cross-training: 6.75 miles cycling.
• Tuesday: 5 miles running.
• Wednesday: 10 miles running, 8 miles cycling.
• Thursday: 5 miles running.
• Friday: Rest: 6 miles easy cycling.
• Saturday: 10 miles running, 1 mile cycling.
• Sunday: 21 miles running, 1 mile cycling.

 15 weeks down, 3 taper weeks to go!

Marathon Training Program: Week 14

(Graphic from my page at dailymile.com. The mileage in the graphic is a little higher than below, because it includes 16.6 crosstraining miles on bicycle on Monday, Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday.)

This was my last "step-back" week, a week of reduced mileage to recover from the previous high-mileage week, and to prepare for the next high-mileage week.  This was a relatively easy week, 34 miles total:

•  Monday: Rest
• Tuesday: 5 miles
• Wednesday: 6 miles
• Thursday: 5 miles
• Friday: Rest
• Saturday: 6 miles
• Sunday: 12 miles

This was a fairly uneventful week, although I had more weekend fatigue than normal for reduced mileage, as a result of working on home improvement projects most of the weekend after running.  I also developed a little sensitive twinge in my left foot and ankle.  A little tendonitis?  We'll see how it feels after a day's rest.

The coming week brings the last of three 50-mile weeks with 10 and 20 milers back-to-back on Saturday and Sunday.  If I survive this last big week, I've got it made!  The following three weeks are for tapering mileage to recover for the marathon race!

14 weeks down, 4 to go!

Marathon Training Program: Week 13

(Graphic from my page at dailymile.com.  Mileage in the graphic is a little higher than below, because it includes bicycling miles.)

Week 13 was essentially a repeat of Week 11 mileage, the peak mileage of the schedule, following a reduced mileage recovery week.  Midweek: 5 miles Tuesday, 10 miles Wednesday, and 5 miles Thursday.  After a rest day Friday, weekend mileage: 10 mile pace run Saturday, and a 20 mile long run Sunday.  Total miles: 50.

The distances of the midweek runs have become routine, but the peak weekend miles continue to be extremely challenging. The Sunday 20 miler was gruelling, run while still fatigued from Saturday's 10.

I thought the second 20 miler was supposed to be easier than the first, but it wasn't. Unlike my first 20 miler, I ran today with no walk breaks, and finished 5 1/2 minutes quicker than the 20 two weeks ago. My legs really started screaming after about 16, and the last two miles were absolutely painful. However, I felt great afterward; the pains from the stress abated as soon as I stopped running, leaving a pleasant deep burn.   I saw a lot of runners out this morning, some alone, and a lot in groups of 3 or 4. I crossed paths with a group of 3 for a couple of minutes before they turned off, and found they are also running The Gusher May 1. One of them told me she was the race director, and was helping the other two ladies train for the 5K. They asked which distance I was doing, I told them the "full." We exchanged encouragements and continued in different directions.

Next week is another welcome recovery week, total miles: 34.

13 weeks down, 5 to go!

Marathon Training Program: Week 12

This week was a recovery week.  Total miles were reduced from 50 miles to 34, and the weekly long run reduced from 20 miles to 12. 

Tuesday's run was a little slow and sluggish; I still felt fatigued from Sunday's 20.  Wednesday's run felt pretty normal, and by Thursday, my legs felt the effect of fewer weekly miles.  Thursday's and Saturday's runs were both a little quicker than my typical training pace and Sunday's 12 mile run averaged 9:40 pace, my quickest ever for 12 miles.

Next week's schedule returns to 50 miles, with back-to-back 10 and 20 milers on Saturday and Sunday.

12 weeks down, 6 to go!

Marathon Training Program: Week 11

(Graphic from my page at dailymile.com)

Week 11 was the most challenging week so far, 50 miles total. Each day's run increased by 1 mile, and the week was capped by a 10-miler Saturday followed by a 20-miler Sunday.  Sunday's run was a new PR distance; passing the 19-miler from the previous week.  This week also saw a weekly distance PR, again passing the mileage from the previous week.

Sunday's 20-miler was a tough run, unexpectedly so, since last week's 19 didn't seem that difficult. However, last week was the first increasing week after a recovery week, so I guess I was a little fresher. Today, my legs started screaming at about mile 15. At mile 15, it was as if my legs knew they had run as far as they had last week, and tried to tell me that they weren't going any farther. So the last 5 miles were all about the mental battle. That is actually a good thing. It should be good preparation for the similar battle in the last miles of the marathon.

Next week is a very welcome recovery week.  The 10-milers drop to 6, and the 20-miler drops to 12.  Total miles: 34.  After that, the following week goes back to 50 miles total with 10 and 20 mile runs again.

11 Weeks down, 7 to go!   

Marathon Training Program: Week 10

This was a challenging week of training, 45 miles total.  The week contained rest days Monday and Friday, 4-mile runs Tuesday and Thursday, 9-mile runs Wednesday and Saturday, and a 19-mile run Sunday.   Sunday morning's 19-mile run turned out to be a breakthrough run. 

Sunday's run was a new PR distance; my longest previous run was 18.2 miles in October, 2009 so I expected it to follow the typical pattern and be really difficult toward the end.  However, a somewhat unexpected result occurred.  I kept expecting it to get really difficult toward the end, and it never happened! Sure, the little expected aches came as the miles rolled into the teens, and the pains at the end of the run approached expected levels.  But the fatigue factor I expect beyond 15 or 16 miles just never came.  In addition, the physical effects after the run were much less than I normally expect.  I've been accustomed to feeling significant deep muscle soreness in calves, hamstrings and glutes after my long runs, soreness that lasts for a day or two.  After this run, I had minor soreness for several hours after the run, and the soreness was almost completely absent by late Sunday afternoon.

These results are a tribute to the effectiveness of a great training program.  I'm using the Intermediate 2 schedule from Hal Higdon's Training Guide.  It is such a well-designed program!  Each week, the schedule alternates short and long runs with strategically placed recovery days.  Through the first 12 weeks, weekly miles increase two consecutive weeks, then step back for one week before increasing again.  The program makes steady gains by pushing the body just short of its limits, and backing off to provide needed recovery just when it's needed.

The schedule's peak distance is scheduled in the coming week, adding 1 mile to each day's run, 5-10-5 on Tuesday-Wednesday-Thursday, and 10-20 on Saturday-Sunday, for a total of 50 miles.

10 weeks down, 8 to go! 

Marathon Training Program: Week 9

Week 9 of the 18 week schedule represents the half-way point in this training program.

This week was a third step-back/recovery week, following two more weeks of increasing mileage. The biggest difference from the previous week's schedule was a reduction of Sunday's long run from 17 miles to 12 miles.  I changed the distance on several of the runs slightly from the scheduled miles, the weekly total worked out the same.  I ran two extra miles Tuesday, three less  Wednesday, and one extra Sunday.

On Sunday, I ran the marathon route for my May 1 race, The Gusher Marathon, following the 13.1 mile half marathon course.  On race day, half marathoners will run the course once and full marathoners will run it twice.  I'll probably run the course again, when a similar distance next falls on my training schedule.  On race day, it shoud be an advantage to already have a feel for the course.

The next two weeks will be challenging: a 45 mile week and a 50 mile week.  Long runs increase to 19 and 20 miles!

9 weeks down, 9 weeks to go!

Marathon Training Program: Week 8

After a significant increase in intensity in Week 7, Week 8 represented very little change.  The midweek 4-8-4 and Saturday 8 were identical to Week 7, except that the Saturday 8-miler was at a pace of runner's choosing, instead of at marathon pace.  The only mileage difference was the Sunday long run  increasing from 16 to 17 miles. 

This week's 17-miler was not nearly as difficult as last week's 16-miler.  While miles in the mid- to upper-teens are never easy, I felt pretty strong up to 17.  Last week's run felt like a struggle for survival from 13 to 16 miles.

Week 8 total: 41.1 miles, a tie with the week of 22 November, 2009 for my highest mileage week ever.

Next week will be the third step-back/recovery week, after which mileage increases again.

8 weeks down, 10 to go!