Week 15 Re-Cap

Alright, the real "excitement" of Week 15 was me completing my first Duathlon (Run, Bike, Run) which I will blog about in my next entry (great pics included). Before I get to the race itself, I thought I would talk about the week in general. I met my weekly mileage goal, and did so without any really long runs. The longest was actually just over 7 miles. I did manage a little over 8 on Thursday, but that was broken up over 3 runs. Aside from the Duathlon which was a new event for me, I also ran for a short distance (3.7 miles) on a treadmill. It's been a long time since I've done that, and my primary reason for doing it was to get my speed up. As I had noticed the day before, and mentioned in my last post, I've been struggling with trying to get my speed up since I came back from Texas. I figured the best way to do that was to force myself to run faster on a treadmill. It definitely does the job, but I was definitely feeling it too, and it's clear I need to work on getting faster. It is a strong possibility I'll be using a treadmill in more of my workouts. That being said, still a good week for running.

My Totals for Week 15 were:
Total Runs Logged: 7
Total Miles: 26.07 (the 5Ks in the Duathlon weren't exactly 3.1 miles)
Total Time Spent Running: 3 hours, 14 minutes, 08 seconds
Average Pace: 7:27 (min/mile) (the race definitely helped improve my overall pace)

My new "as of" totals are:
Total Runs Logged: 79
Total Miles: 452.57
Total Time Spent Running: 58 hours, 49 minutes, 02 seconds
Average Pace: 7:48 (min/mile)

REFLECTION TIME: It's clear that for most people there will be some sacrifice in speed as you increase your distance. What I want to avoid is sacrificing too much speed. While I can run 1 mile in under 6 minutes, my real goal is to run 10+ miles in under a 7 min/mile pace. The Boston Marathon was held this past Monday, and when looking at the qualifying times for 2013 I noticed they had made them harder. For my age group, in order to qualify for the Boston Marathon I have to run another marathon in 3 hours, 5 minutes. That is just over a 7:03 min/mile pace. Interesting enough, the winner of this year's Boston Marathon completed the race in 2 hours, 3 minutes, 2 seconds. That equates to an average pace of 4:41 min/mile. It's insane, and I can't fathom running one mile at that speed let alone 26 of them. Interestingly enough, there is quite a bit of controversy right now regarding his finishing time. It's the fastest time ever recorded for a marathon, but it might never be considered a world record. You can read more information on it HERE.

As for me, I'm not looking to set any records...I'm just trying to get a little faster.

Week 13 and 14 Re-Cap (28 March - 10 April)

Following my rather "insane" weekend in Week 12, I took a proper 180 degree turn, and let my body rest. Now, it was far from a complete lack of inactivity, but as far as running goes, I definitely backed off of it. In paste extreme physical events, I have not let my body rest enough afterwards, and it has cost me. Trying to pick up my running schedule as it was before my races tends to be detrimental and prolongs my recovery time, and general feeling of not being at 100%. Truth be told, I probably could have taken it even easier than I did, but I really felt better after a few days, and I didn't want to get out of the habit of running. As it was, I wanted to stay loose without putting too much strain on my worn-out body. I kept the miles low, and the pace slow, and I think that all-in-all it was a good post-race week.

My Week 13 totals were:
Number of Runs Logged: 5
Total miles: 13.8
Time Spent Running: 1 hour, 50 minutes, 57 seconds
Average Pace: 8:02 (min/mile)

With Week 12 down, and my recovery period over, Week 13 was about getting back into running. Now, I wasn't training for any specific race, so my mentality with regards to running, was to merely get my 25 miles. With my longest run in Week 12 being just over 6 miles, I knew I needed to get a couple of longer runs in too. As such, I managed to work in 2 eight-milers (on Wednesday and Sunday). I've noticed that my pace on the runs greater than 8 miles haven't been that great over the past couple of months (really, since I came back from San Antonio). While I had some amazing runs in the colder weather, even before I left, I managed to get a few 8+ mile runs with a faster than 7:30 pace. Since, I been back, that has only happened once. I'm not really sure what the cause is for my slower pace. Slower pace or not, my goal is still to get out and run, which is what I'm doing, and what I did during Week 14. I think the best thing I can do right now is keep at it, and push myself a little harder on the longer runs. I know I'm capable of running faster, I just need to do it. Regardless, I met my goal in Week 14.

My Week 14 totals were:
Number of Runs Logged: 6
Total miles: 26.1
Time Spent Running: 3 hours, 19 minutes, 21 seconds
Average Pace: 7:38 (min/mile)

That brings my "as of" totals to:
Number of Runs Logged: 72
Total miles: 426.5
Time Spent Running: 55 hours, 34 minutes, 54 seconds
Average Pace: 7:49 (min/mile)

REFLECTION TIME: At the start of the 2011 I had one BIG goal in mind (run 1200 miles), but I also had smaller goals to help me along my way such as completing my first Olympic Triathlon (20 Feb), and of course my Insane XTERRA/Guam Marathon Weekend (26-27 March). With both of those events over, and the year not even 1/3 of the way over, the question now is:
"HOW DO I STAY MOTIVATED?"
While I still have my 1200 mile goal, the monotony of running can take it's toll on even the most dedicated of runners. Although I love the challenge, I am far from a dedicated runner (at least as I see myself). I suppose as with any long-term goal, you have to have smaller goals a long the way to serve as "check points". There are still several triathlons scheduled for the year, so hopefully that will keep my focused on staying on top of my running game. As for other events, I just need to keep my eyes open, and be ready to try something new.

Week 12 Re-Cap

Okay, so up until Saturday and Sunday (see My Insane Weekend Parts I & II) Week 12 was a bit "ho-hum." That was entirely intentional, though, as I knew I would need every last ounce of energy for the XTERRA Tri and Marathon. I did some running, but kept it pretty light knowing that I needed to keep my legs loose, but I didn't want them to be worn out. I also did some Yoga on a couple of days hoping that it would stretch me out a bit and relax my muscles. Considering the fact that I finished both of my races, I'd say I was pretty effective. If you didn't count the marathon and run portion of the XTERRA, I only ran about 14 miles with 6 miles being my longest pre-race run. Including the XTERRA and marathon in my totals, it was a very good week for getting my mileage up (though both races KILLED my average pace).

My Week 12 Totals were:
Total Runs Logged: 6
Total Miles: 45.5
Total Time Spent Running: 7 hours, 18 minutes, 46 seconds
Average Pace: 9:39 (min/mile)...my XTERRA pace was 14:38 and my marathon pace was 9:35.

My New "as of" Totals are:
Total Runs Logged: 61
Total Miles: 386.6
Total Time Spent Running: 50 hours, 24 minutes, 36 seconds
Average Pace: 7:49 (min/mile)

REFLECTION TIME! When people find out I completed both the XTERRA Triathlon and Guam Marathon in the same weekend (actually within 25 hours), the response is consistently, "You're Crazy!" That's probably a fair assessment, and to be honest, I like it. Looking back, it's hard to say why I decided to do both, other than I thought it would be cool to say that I did it. Realistically without any professional training or coaching it probably wasn't the smartest thing to do, but I think the fact that I did it on my own is important. People love to make excuses for why they can't don something challenging whether it be lack of equipment, training, know-how, or fitness. I am far from a professional, and if I was able to do both events, ANYONE is capable of doing one or the other. All it takes is a little will power and the determination to see it through.

My Insane Weekend Part II (40th Guam Marathon)

Around 11:30AM on Saturday, 26 March I finished the XTERRA Triathlon. A mere 15 hours later I back up and getting ready for my next great challenge of the weekend...the 40th Annual Guam Marathon! Here I am somehow smiling at 3:30 in the morning even though I know what is about to happen, and how much it's going to hurt.

At 4AM 89 of us took off from the University of Guam. I'm somewhere up in the front (though I didn't stay up there for long).

Here I am around Mile 8. I was still going strong and feeling good. Actually, that's not entirely true. It was about this time that I started to feel "twitches" in my legs and I knew that cramps would be coming soon. I knew there wasn't a lot I could do but try to get as much water and Gatorade at the aide stations and take as many GU power gels as I could stomach (that number is about 7 by the way).

At Mile 19 my calves cramped up and I was done running. I tried several times to run again, but every time I would instantly cramp up. With 7 miles to go I had no choice, but to power walk my way to the finish line. Not a "glorious" way to finish, but I was determined to cross the finish line.

4 hours, 11 minutes and 2 seconds after starting the marathon, and about 25 hours after my first race had started I crossed the finish line. The cloud cover (and early start) helped to keep it relatively cool during the race. Thank goodness for that because it was brutal enough, and the heat would have made the race just about unbearable.

Eventually I was able to cool down enough and dry off so that I could change out of my sweaty clothes and sport my new medal.

As for the race, I got it all on my GPS. It was pretty cool to see that I had run from one side of the other (even though it was narrowest point). For the most part, there was very little area that was covered twice with the exception of the "out and back" in the upper left corner. The total distance there was about 5 miles.

Here's a picture of it zoomed out to show you that Guam is small island, but it's not that small. I am a little curious to see how far down the island we would have gone if we hadn't done the "out and back"

Looking back on the race, now that my legs are mostly feeling better, it's pretty crazy to think I did it. If I were to do it again (who's to say what's happening in 2012), I would definitely do some longer runs. With 17 miles being my longest run in preparation for this marathon, I know I need to get my mileage up (a couple of 20 miles runs) if I want to make it the full 26.2. I think I did all I could for hydration and rest (considering Saturday's activities), and the only thing else I could have done was train smarter. Still, my goal was accomplished...I finished. Although there were a few people who did the marathon and a leg of the XTERRA Triathlon, and some people who did the XTERRA Triathlon and a leg of the marathon relay, I am the only person who did both in their entirety. That's pretty cool.

Weeks 10&11 (Getting Ahead and Tapering)

I swear I've been trying to write this blog for close to a week, but time has seemed to get away from really quickly recently. Still, I'm here now, and I've got some recapping to do. If Week 9 was for catching up, then Week 10 was all about getting ahead. I knew that in preparation for my marathon (it's tomorrow, 27 March, by the way), that I would need to get some serious miles in. I was hoping to do a 20-mile run or so over the weekend, but I had to settle for 17 miles. Still, it was the farthest distance I've run since I ran the AF Marathon in Sep of 2008, so I was glad I got the distance in. It gave me some confidence that I would be able to actually finish the marathon (though I won't be setting any records while doing it). I also ran with a Camelbak during the race which I won't do during the marathon, but it helped keep me hydrated, and was probably the only reason I was able to do that distance. Overall, I logged more miles in Week 10 than I have in any previous week. The 17-miler helped, but I had 4 other runs that week that were greater than 7 miles, which I felt was adequate leading up to the two-week countdown for the marathon.

The Totals for Week 10 are:
Total Runs Logged: 6
Total Miles: 53.3
Total Time Spent Running: 6 hours, 57 minutes, 3 seconds
Average Pace: 7:49 (min/mile)

I'll do the "as of total" shortly

As for Week 11, I classified it as a tapering week, which if you don't know is when you start cutting back on your running leading up to a race. It is to ensure you aren't over-trained and injury-prone. The reduced running gives your legs, joints, and back a little rest and recovery time which helps lead to improved race-day performance. Truth be told, it was still a decent week of running, and I would have likely hit my 25-mile goal, but Friday after my run, I started feeling really sick, and didn't feel better until the following Monday. I will take that as a sign that my body did not want me to run, and so I didn't. Most of my runs were fairly short this week with the exception of a 9-miler on Wednesday morning. I definitely noticed a slower pace. I'm not sure if that was a result of my bug coming on, the weather, or if my body was just tired from the previous week. The slower pace probably helped, since I won't be going super fast through the marathon, and the slower pace was closer to my goal marathon pace (though that will probably be even slower than I had hoped).

The overall totals for Week 11:
Total Runs Logged: 6
Total Miles: 22.9
Total Time Spent Running: 2:56:44
Average Pace: 7:43 (min/mile)

At the end of Week 11 my new "As Of" totals are:
Total Runs Logged: 55
Total Miles: 341.1
Total Time Spent Running: 43 hours, 5 minutes, 50 seconds
Average Pace: 7:35 (min/mile)

Coming up very soon, I'll be talking about what I did today (26 March). I'll give you a hint if you haven't checked Facebook, it definitely wasn't resting, and probably not the smartest thing to do before a major race. That being said, it was EXTREME!!

Tomorrow's the marathon...I'll be blogging about that (and Week 12's running) very soon.