Tuesday, November 27, 2012

On The Road Again

Now that Thanksgiving is behind us and with the rest of the holidays bearing down, the mileage continues to add up. Add in two business trips and we have tons of fun ahead!


Last week I ran another 30 mile week with a 15 mile long slow distance (LSD), tying my longest run in ten years. This week, on the advice of my body and my PT, I took Monday's 7 miles off and gave into a three day rest -- my longest since September. As the miles pile up, so do the aches and i noticed for the first time last week that my mental endurance was starting to wane. Time for a rest and to remember, all this training will be in vain if I can't make it to the start line of the marathon healthy. The goal is to complete the marathon, not just train for it.

I am still scheduled for nearly 30 miles for the week with an 18 mile LSD Saturday. I may continue to take Monday's off as my long run increases. Only another month and then the race taper begins, so this is still the time to remain mentally strong and vigilant.

These runs, no matter the difference, will be key to remaining sane over the next few weeks. Between the travel, the culmination of a large year-long project, and the holidays these runs may be the right tool to keeping the mounting stress in check.

As they say, keep calm and run on!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Monday, November 12, 2012

Follow The Motto

The miles continue to pile up as my marathon training reaches the halfway point. No missed workouts or miles (knock on wood) which represents an accomplishment I am proud to announce.

The aches and pains continue to mount as well. All things considered, a little right quad and hamstring pain seem like small potatoes given the amount of miles. What's next?

The long runs get longer starting with 14 miles this week and culminating in not one, but two 20-mile runs. The weekday runs also increase a few more miles and the weekly totals reach 30 miles this week and build to 40.

To keep up with this plan, I need to stick with the mantra -- running till the wheels fall off! The right one might be wobbling, nothing a little duct tape, baling wire, and bubble gum can't fix.

Until we run again ...


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Friday, November 2, 2012

Tomorrow 11 miles

Hello my friend.  Although I may not be as consistent as other posting blog updates, I am still doing it many months after starting.  Accomplishments are baby steps and should be relished, right?  In comparison, I have another blog site with exactly 0 posts.  Zero.  Nada. Not one.

PeaceLoveRun2012
Speaking of zero, Sunday is scheduled to be a rest day and as of right now I am also scheduled to run the Beer and Bagel 4 miler.  Who doesn't like going for a fun run and then drinking beer with fellow runners, all before 11 am on Sunday morning?  I figure I will run my 11 mile long run tomorrow and play Sunday by feel.  If I go, I take it easy and then drop Monday and Tuesday and rest easy.  Or I take Sunday for rest and pick it back up Monday with 6 miles.  No need to rush to make a decision tonight. 

Speaking of rushing, I ran across as cool web page while looking for new songs for my running play list.  Rock My Run sells tokens that can be used to purchase running mixes made by professional DJs for a reasonable amount of coin.  So far I have downloaded two mixes and enjoyed them both as a nice change of pace.  Some of the mixes come with bpm (beats per minute) in case a person wants to use it for cadence speeds, either steady beats or mixes that build.  And they have all kinds of music . . . pop, rock, country, house, and others . . . and from different eras (80s, 90s, and today's hits).  Tonight I am surfing their lists to pick out some new tunes for tomorrow's long run and all the runs still ahead.

The miles keep building and start picking up steam from here.  Tomorrow is a nice and easy 11 mile run and since I have the time I think I will again run the Wabash Trace Trail, a short 30 minute drive from the house.  The views are pretty and the crushed limestone trail nicer to my body.  I need to be nice to my body, because according to the training plan, the last few weeks were merely "foundation" miles and now we start to "build" over the next many weeks, until just before Christmas, where I will complete the second of two 20-mile runs.  Can't wait!

See you on the Road!