My Marathon Training Team

This week, I began to put my team together for the NYC marathon.

On Saturday and Sunday, I was in NewYork attending the wedding of a very good friend. As a result, I bagged my Sunday Long Run. On Monday I contacted Matt Russ and scheduled metabolic testing. Matt has got some real high-tech uber-geeky training stuff planned for me. I'll be running with my heart rate monitor and GPS satellite tracking device. After my runs I can upload my data for his staff to review, critique and suggest corrections.

This is how the numbers work out:

• My Resting metabolic rate (RMR) is 2080 calories per day.
• My Aerobic threshold is 176 BPM
• My Anaerobic threshold is 184 BPM.

After vacation in 2 weeks I will be meeting with a sports nutritionist. The plan is to lose another 15-20 pounds before the marathon. Amazing, since I've already lost about 12 pounds since I started training in March.

My Aching Ankle

Over the last week or so my right ankle has been aching ever-so-slightly.

After my long run on Sunday (13 miles) if was a little tender to touch along the inner aspect of the ankle; however I was able to ice it and place someAspercream on it in the evening and was able to run (with some discomfort) on Monday morning.

On Tuesday, my ankle was still hurting and that (plus my overall fatigue) kept me from Running on Tuesday.

I was able to run 8 miles this morning (which is a PR for distance in a pre-work AM run) and only noticed actual pain in the first 1 or 2 miles.

My plan is to take it easy next week in anticipation of a reasonable performance at the Peachtree 10K on July 4th. Part of me keeps telling me that I should completely rest my ankle now, however, I need to complete at least one more workout for this week to maintain my current 4 runs per week and > 30 miles per week trend that started in July.

What A Difference A Week Makes!

Last week, I entitled my long run post 13 miles the hard way.

This week I should name my long "13 miles the dumb way".

First of all, I was happy that I was able to get in my Sunday long run. We went to the North Georgia Mountains to pick up my 10 year old son from camp, and so I could not run in the morning. The temperature was hot so I estimated that a 3 hour run that started at 5 PM would start out hot but be cool towards the end.

I used a new circular route that I had never run before. I used mapmyrun.com to calculate how long it would be and got it to be about 12.5 to 13 miles.

Wow, was it hot. And of course, keeping my heart rate down was a challenge. I found that my heart was up above my MAF rate of 135 even when I was walking up hill. So (of course) I decided to abandon my MAF heart rate at an early stage in my run. My plan was to run at a "comfortable" pace without regard to my heartrate.

As you can see from the attached chart, my heart rate immediately jumped into the 150s although I did not feel fatigued at all.

However, the impact of the heat and the early increase in my heart rate became readily apparent at miles 10-13 when my legs felt like lead and any thoughts of picking up the pace were clearly pipe dreams.

Chalk that up as another learning experience.

SATISFACTION

I've said it before, and it's true, that preparing for a marathon is an emotional rollercoaster. A great run is often followed by a poor run, fatigue, illness, or all of the above.

But today I am struck by the fact that I have (in some way) made progress this week and I am satisfied in the fact that I was able to accomplish all of the things I set out to do this week.

• I ran for 4 days.
  
• I increased the average duration and mileage for the week.
  
• I was able to maintain my MAF pace (most of the time) and
  
• I did not injure myself or become sick.

Okay, admittedly these are small milestones. But they are milestones nevertheless. And who knows maybe someday when I hit a rut at a later stage in my training I'll be able to look back on this post and feel better about what I'm doing.

Sent from Onyeije's Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

The Ultimate Guilty Pleasure

Okay. Have you ever heard an old song on the radio and just couldn't get it out of your head?

Well it happened to me yesterday. I heard this song and just kept humming the tune without really knowing the words or the artist. So then I thought wouldn't it be nice to download the song into my ipod so I can listen to it during my runs.

Well thanks to the internet that was not a problem. A few quick searches got me the name of the song and the band. I was then able to download the song in question from itunes.

Classic 1970s electronica with strings and essentially meaningless lyrics. But then to top things off I was also able to pull up an early "video" of the performance. Priceless.

Here it is if you're interested, but I must warn you, its addictive in a weird kind of way.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3dLR14ag3Y

Enjoy.
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Two Weeks of Base Building Completed !

On June first, I took the unprecedented step of SLOWING DOWN in order to SPEED UP.

It still sounds counterintuitive. Although my reading of the physiology tells me that it is sound. The most amazing thing about the last two weeks is the fact that I have increased the amount of running I have done (ie hours per week) without feeling worn out.

I am also impressed by the fact that I have enough energy for a kick at the end of a 7 or 13 mile run.

There are only 2 weeks until we begin training for the NYC Marathon with Team For Kids. Currently, we are sending Emails back and forth on Yahoo and getting to know each other. I'll be interested in taking a look at the training schedule when it comes out, and I intend to follow it to the letter.

Tonight's run was interesting. Since I overslept in the morning I had to run after work. It was about 85 degrees at 8:00 PM and it was difficult to keep my heart rate at MAF (maximum aerobic fitness) level tonight, so (of course) I said forget it and sprinted the last half mile.

So much for consistency. Still, it was a good run and I felt comfortable.

13 Miles the Hard Way

Ran 13 miles today as my long run at just above MAF.

I did 13 miles at an average heart rate of 148 BPM which is 80% MHR and 13 BPM higher than MAF. The pace chart below shows that I started out at MAF pace and then picked things up at the end.



The increase in heart rate was due to a half-hearted attempt to increase my speed while staying near my MAF. In the end I accomplished neither. (I was over my MAF and not that speedy).

Admittedly this reflected frustration, but I am determined to get back to my base building plans tomorrow with a 6-7 mile AM run.

NYC MARATHON, HERE I COME

I got word on Friday that I was accepted as a participant in the Team For Kids charity and will be running in the NYC Marathon.

I'm very excited.

I had originally said that I was going to use this year for recovery and building my base prior to attempting to run a marathon in 2007. I entered the NYC marathon thinking that I would not be accepted. ... And I wasn't.

But my desire to run the marathon this year. To make all of this training seem as though it had a purpose was undeniable.

So I applied to participate as a member of TFK. The 48 hour wait before I knew for sure was stressful, and now the stress of knowing that I will be in the marathon and being serious about my training makes the former stress look trivial.

But I keep telling myself, if others have done it, I can do it too.

The stress is a motivator not a distraction.

Bring on the challenge!

TIME TO BE PATIENT.

The only word I can think of to describe today's MAF run is 'unsatisfying'.

Perhaps the best part of the run is that I actually got out of the door. Running at a heart rate of 135 BPM has its benefits (as I've described in earlier posts) but it also can just be a drag.

My first mile every morning has to be run at a ridiculously slow pace and because of the two big hills leading toward Cumming Highway, I find my self walking for most of the distance. Things get a little better in miles 2-4 but fighting the urge to run faster is bothersome.

However, the process is good in that it forces me to be on a plan and to strictly monitor my heart rate for each run. I hope that this build up in my aerobic base will benefit my speed later.

(Although secretly, I fear it will have no effect on my speed). Anyway, I have to be patient and wait for the desired results.

Wow. As I write this, there are only 10 minutes before the results for the NYC marathon lottery are posted. I wont get my hopes up. Apparently on 23,000 out of 90,000 applications will be accepted. If I'm not accepted, I'll start to plan for another marathon in November or December.

After all, November 5th is too soon, isn't it?

(If you think that that sounded like a lame attempt to try to convince myself that I don't want to run the NYC marathon.... You are absolutely correct.)

We'll see.

Sore and Anxious

I'm sore today.

When I started my low heart rate training, I was amazed at how I could run so much longer (albeit much slower) and not feel any worse for the wear. Okay, so it was only four days of Maffetone-style running over a 5 day period of time but the sheer mileage (at least for me) without residual effects were stunning:

• June 1, 2006: 6.5 miles
• June 2, 2006: 6.2 miles
• June 3, 2006: Rest day
• June 4, 2006: 14 miles (!)
• June 5, 2006: 6.5 miles

So maybe I overdid it with the 14 miles on Sunday or coming off my longest weekend run and tying my longest weekday run (back to back) was not wise.

I guess another way to look at this is that I am working out slow twitch muscles that I have previously not worked out with my previous (faster) workouts and the soreness represents progress in terms of recruiting muscles for aerobic activity that were previously not being utilized. At least (based on my reading) I think that is how Dr. Maffetone would look at this situation.

I overslept this morning and could not do my AM run on 6/6/06.

The question is whether or not I should go for a MAF run tonight after work? Decisions, decisions.

With regard to anxiety, tomorrow is the day that the New York City Marathon announces the people selected in the lottery. I did not tell anyone that I would like to run in the 2006 NYC marathon when I signed up a few weeks ago. I guess if I am not selected it would have been good not to let anyone else know. However; if I am selected, I would really need to become very serious about training.

In a way, I'm almost hoping that I am not selected so that I can continue to build my base and look to another marathon at a later date.

But, on the other hand, if I am selected I see no way (short of a terrible training injury) that I would pass up the opportunity.

Hence the anxiety.

My Maffetone Experiment: Long Run

Today, I did my longest long run ever.

14 Miles.

And the amazing thing is that because I was maintaining such a low heart rate and a slow pace, I actually had lots of zip in my legs at the end of 13 miles. In fact, I took the last mile in at a much faster pace than the previous miles (while ignoring my heart rate).

The best part is that I don't feel tired, cranky or sore.

If this method of building an aerobic base works as well as others have described in increasing overall speed, I think I've stubled unto something great.

My Maffetone Experiment: Day Number 2

Today was my second day running using the Maffetone Method which puts an emphasis on aerobic training at low heart rates to increase endurance.

Yesterday's run (6/1/06) was 6.5 miles at an average pace of 14 min 55 sec. My average heart rate was 131 which is below my suggested MAF heart rate of 135 BPM. Total running time was 1 hour 37 min and I burned 781 calories according to my HRM.

Today's run (6/2/06) was 6.1 miles at an average pace of 14 min 53 sec. Average heart rate was 131 BPM. Total running time was 1 hour 32 min. Burned 814 calories. (Not sure I know how I can burn more calories during a shorter run? Perhaps due to less walking today?)

So much for the numbers.

Here are my observations at 4 hours following this run.

• Minimal soreness, no ankle pain and no knee pain (whatsoever). This is uncommon after a 5+ mile run early in the morning. Too soon to say if it is just a fluke or related to the nature of the MAF training.
• Lots of pep in my step today.
• I had a little more trouble maintaining my heart rate under 135 BPM this morning. What I've been doing is slowing down my pace when the HRM says my HR is between 136 and 139 and walking if my HR goes over140 until it gets down to 130 before starting to run again. I'm sure the graph of my heartrate will look like the teeth of a saw after today's run.

Just heard about a website with podcasts regarding endurance training. It is EnduranceRadio.com and they have an interview with Jesse Leitner on today's podcast. I will definitely check that out.

Just started reading Dr. Maffetone's book (Training for Endurance) last night seems very interesting. So far I like his iconoclastic way of looking at training. I will also be ordering his other book (Eating for Endurance).

My First Three Months Back on the Road

I love this graph.

Let's hope I can continue to progress. I know that my pace will slow down when I begin my Maffetone training, but hopefully my mileage will increase.

My Maffetone Experiment

The month of may turned out to be a quantum leap in terms of mileage. My pace remains slow but has imprved substantially over the last 3 months.

The main difference between my running this year and that of last year is my ever-present fear of being re-injured.

Recently, I discovered the Maffetone system for endurance training which incorporates low heart rate training to improve aerobic fitness. The FAQ on this method provided a perfect description of me in the following statements regarding runners with poor aerobic fitness:

1. I am incapable of running at low heart rates,
2. I have difficulty completing mylong training runs and my pace slows down in the last several miles, just in order to finish them.
3. I am completely shot at the end of my long training runs, or even your short runs.
4. I am sore most of the time and ... plagued by minor injuries frequently, or get sick quite often.
5. My race times are not improving
6. I am very reliant on carbohydrates to get you through training runs.

These statements were written generically in the FAQs provided by Jesse Leitner and at coolrunning.com, but it's almost as though it applies specifically to me.

So I've decided to try slowing down and seeing if it will help me to speed up.

The Maffetone method indicates that I should run at a maximum HR of 180-40-5 which is 135 BPM. Rather slow when you consider that my running since march has been at an average HR of 159-160 BPM.

My book on the Maffetone Method arrives today. I can hardly wait.

Sent from Onyeije's Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

A good month

A few words about the month of May seem appropriate. This is the third month of my running comeback. There are so many things I'm doing differently this time around and they appear to be making a difference in my overall fitness and commitment to training.

First and foremost is my paranoia regarding getting re-injured. I realized that a large portion of my running prior to both of my injuries last season had the same formula. Run hard for multiple days in a row for short mileage, break down, become discouraged. Stop running for a long period of time. Start running hard again and repeat the cycle.

After my knees went bad on me last Fall and the doctor told me he thought it was early osteoarthritis I thought I was through with running.

However, thanks to chondroitin and glucosamine and a little patience I slowly came back.

So what do I have to show for it?

Two straight months of 60+ miles.

Longer weekday runs.

Two consecutive 20+ mile weeks for the first time since I took up running again.

And most importantly no injuries and more energy. I know this will sound repetitive due to the multiple false-starts announced on this Blog regarding comebacks...

But this time I think I'm on the right track.
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MONTHLY MILEAGE TO DATE

Back on the Road - For Real.

After a prolonged layoff, I'm back.

Let's hope I can keep it up.