Pool Running is Fun

AM: 12 miles in light rain

PM: 1 hr. pool run

That's 100.5 land miles and 21 pool "miles" for a total volume of 121.5 pretty damn solid once again.

AM: 21 progression: last 7: 5:46, 5:56* (tunnel mile/GPS screw up est: 5:38), 5:32, 5:21, 5:25, 5:16, 5:10

PM: 1 hr. pool run

great progression on a humid day. Always interesting/sad to see local race results where Greg and I could have easily won several races with good awards. We stick to the marathon training hoping for that perfect day when it comes. Hopefully the sacrifice is worth it.

AM: 1.5 hr pool run + foam rolling

PM: 9 miles home from work

tired today after the loop yesterday. Don't feel that great

AM: 10 miles + lifting circuit, stretch, foam rolling

PM: 5 easy + strides and drills

Still tired from Sunday. Once you run hard for 7 miles of a 21 miles run, you get tired enough that it takes a few days to feel good again. I think I could be in danger of getting a slight cold too so I got 9 hours of sleep last night

AM: 2.5 WU 17x400m 1 CD

PM: rest

I had to abandon the planned workout. My legs were garbage and not recovered. I was falling back and not feeling good and once I started getting slower George canned the workout. Apparently doing to loop on top of multiple 120 mile weeks and working full time is a little too much. You spend so much time balancing doing too much and training to get the best out of yourself. Sometimes you go a little over the edge and you've got to me smart enough to know when to pull it back. A few days of lower mileage should help me recover. I knew I wasn't right when I still felt beat and my enthusiasm for running was pretty poor.

AM: 1.5 hr. pool run

PM: rest

back in the pool today to recover a bit. Decided to not run today in order to correct my over reaching and allow my legs to catch up

AM: 10 easy + standard core routine, stretch, foam rolling

PM: 5 easy

felt so much better this morning. Legs are more recovered and I'm eager to run. A good workout tomorrow.

AM: 17 mile 4321 run. I averaged 5:28 all segments included with a nice progression. Feel better today

PM: 1 hr. pool run

That's 86.5 land miles and 30 "miles" of pool running for a total volume of 116.5. I needed that break to recover.

AM: 11 easy watching the Army 10 mile. Very windy day.

PM: off. meant to pool run or run again but was very busy and decided to rest up a bit as Columbus is in a week and I was pretty tired from Saturday's effort.

AM: 10 easy + standard core routine, stretch, foam rolling

PM: 5 easy + 4 fast strides and drill set

beautiful, amazing day. About 50 degrees, very low dewpoint, and no annoying cyclists. First "crisp" day of fall. It's like floating along running in this weather. Best time of year. Apparently it's a holiday today, something to do with Columbus. Whatever, I'm at work.

AM: 3 WU 1600,2x1200,2x800 2.5 CD     5:12,3:43,3:44,2:25,2:24  total: 10.5 miles

PM: 5 easy + lifting circuit, stretch, foam rolling

nothing too crazy here. During marathon training, the intervals aren't all that fast as the legs are always beat up due to hard long runs and mileage.

AM: 1.5 hr. pool run

PM: 5 easy

feel good. great weather

AM: 7 easy + standard core routine, stretch, foam rolling

PM: 5 easy

great weather again, feeling good.

AM: 6 easy with a fast pickup mile + drills and strides

PM: rest

AM: 4 easy in West Virginia

PM: rest

I do not have a lot to write about with this race report, other than what I need to record in order to prevent the same mistakes in coming races.

It was unusually warm/humid with 60 degrees and 94% humidity, so not great running weather. The event was great and the course was good and well managed. I am disappointed in my effort today but I'm glad that even in my shitty state I still kept going.

I wanted to run a PR today and when the gun went off I went out a little fast. It felt a bit too quick for the beginning of the race but I shrugged it off thinking I could maintain the pace and get even faster later. I should have paid more attention to how I was feeling inside and not paid so much importance to the damn time on the clock. I even said the night before that "you can't win the race in the first half but you can sure as hell lose it." I was forcing a pace based on the fitness I wanted to be in and not the fitness I was actually in.

My GPS was useless and it was all over the place with the builds. I went through 4 miles in 21:00 and 5 miles in 26:30 which is actually great but shortly there after my legs got really heavy, which is unusual that early and Greg floated away. I spent the next few miles feeling sorry for myself as others were passing me. I didn't have the confidence and the mental tenacity to stick it out and although I tried to rally several times my legs were done.

My only conclusion is that the training I've been doing this cycle is simply too much. 100 land miles and 21 pool miles is too much while working full time.  I really should stick to maximum weeks of 90 land miles but keep the length of the quality days up. Training too hard is ironic. You spend so much time going after it but what good are workouts if you can't recover sufficiently? Plus I had a lot on my mind and wasn't all there when it got tough.

Results

AM: 1.5 hour pool run + standard core routine, foam rolling

PM: 8 miles easy

AM: 10 miles easy + lifting/core routine, stretch, foam rolling

PM: 5 miles easy. Hot. in the 80s ran shirtless.

AM: 10 miles + standard core routine, stretch, foam rolling

PM: 5 easy + 1/2 mile straights and curves

warm, humid. Had to go shirtless this morning, in October. Considered turning the air conditioner on. In a few days the current lows will become the normal highs and it will be cool again. Pretty disgusting for the evening run. It was 85 degrees today. Not sure how it's this warm in late October but hey

AM: 10 miles + alternate core routine, stretch, foam rolling

PM: 5 miles

humid, warm again. It's gross. This morning it was 69 degrees at 6:00 am. The normal HIGH temperature this time of year is 67 degrees with normal lows in the 40s. Saturday's high temp is only 58.  Weird. 

AM: 2.5 WU 2x3200m 2.5 CD  10:34 (5:22, 5:12), 10:12 (5:14, 4:58)

PM: 5 easy, stretch, foam rolling

AM: 12 miles

PM: 1 hr pool run

Great weather but windy.

Thats 96.5 miles of land running + 15 miles of pool running for a total voulme of 111.5

AM: 21.5 progression run. Feel good, did not crush myself into oblivion this time. Last 5 in 27:02. Pretty good.

PM: 1 hr. Pool run + foam rolling

AM: 1.5 hr pool run.

PM: 7 miles

Legs are very tired this morning. They are not sore, just tired and out of stored glycogen. That's an easy fix: carb up. Giant bowl of cereal and orange juice this morning. 

AM: 10 miles + standard core routine, stretch, foam rolling

PM: 5 miles

AM: 3 WU 25x400m 2 CD

PM: 1 hr. Pool run

Great workout this morning. I'm ready to go. New Balance Vazee Pace shoes are great

77,79,77,76,77,78,76,76,75,76,76,75,75,74,75,74,74,74,74,73,73,72,73,71,66

AM: 7 easy + standard core routine, stretch, foam rolling

PM: 5 easy

AM: 5 easy + light core routine, stretch, foam rolling

PM: 5 easy

legs are still not recovered enough for a race

Decided to run a 5K today since there was some money to win and I wanted a race to blow the mental and physical cobwebs out of my legs for the marathon in two weeks. I thought it would be an easy win, I guess not!

I knew Witters and Jurkovich were coming but I had no idea Nico was in shape to run sub 15:30 and coming in on tired legs after Wednesday's workout, I wasn't sure how my legs would feel. Luckily, I still won enough to win back my entry fee + a little extra. Not to mention that I ran just three seconds slower than my 5K PR after months of marathon training. I'm in 2:24-2:28 marathon shape I'd wager and still ran a decent 5K. This means that I'm in great shape.

First mile: overpass hill but managed a controlled 4:56 with Witters pacing. Second mile was the turn-a-round cone mile in 5:01 which I fell off the pace a bit. It sure would be nice to run 4:55-4:55-4:55 in a 5K. Anyway I was in the lead at about 2.6, that's when we went up the overpass hill and Nico and this new guy came by me and kicked it in. I had no kind of kick whatsoever in my marathon legs after the workout Wednesday so I couldn't catch them. However, when I turn my attention back to shorter races, I feel like going after a sub 15:00 before I get too old is not a stretch.

Two weeks till Richmond

Results

PM: 6 miles + standard core routine, foam rolling

That's 92 land miles plus 21 miles a pool running for a total of 113

AM: 13.5 easy. Went down to spectate the MCM and then started my run and ran back home.

PM: 1 hr. pool run

AM: 8 easy + lifting routine, stretch, foam rolling

PM: 5 easy

starting to scale it back a little bit