Pfitz, who's Pfitz?
Oh yeah, he's the guy with the marathon training plans right out of Dachau. I really tried to do Pfitz (I was looking at his 18/55 plan), but it was just too much too soon for me.
While I've been floundering the last 6 or seven weeks, I realized that I have two problems: I have pretty much been just running slow runs since my Half Marathon and I have been a slave to the "long run must occur on the weekend" theory.
Well this week I was able to tackle both issues. I ran my long run on Tuesday. As a Pastor, the weekends tend to be a little busy. Working up to the Half Marathon, I could get away with squeezing in the long runs on weekends, but it's just not an option right now.
I also really missed speed and tempo work. Thursday, I went out to the High School track and after warming up, I knocked out 6 X 800's--they felt great. I think I really needed to step on the gas and blow the gunk out.
What does all this mean for a training plan? It means I'm going to follow the F.I.R.S.T. plan for a first marathon. That would be the Furman Institute For Scientific Training. Here's what I love about FIRST: Just three: "Key Runs" a week--an interval, a tempo, and a long run. In between these you are supposed to do two XT days--this week I worked in a 7 mile mountain bike ride and the other was a easy two-mile run.
You can also do these key runs in whatever order works for you. So this week, I did 3, 1, 2.
7 miles tomorrow with 5 at tempo pace.
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Monday, April 25, 2011
CareNet Human Race 5K Race Report
Saturday was the Human Race 5K. It was a really great event.
Can I just start by saying how great it is to run a race in your own town. I left at 8:25 and showed up at 8:30 for sign-in. They had a very well-staffed sign-in table to handle race sign-in and t-shirt pickup.
The t-shirts were very well done and they had plenty in every size.
After signing in, I said hi to Linda Kalanquin, the Director of CareNet and looked for my friend Tom, who is a fellow pastor in our community. Tom is a three-time marathoner and I hoped to see him at the event.
The race was scheduled to start at 9:00, so I went for a little warm-up jog just before then. I'm not much a warm-up guy, preferring usually to just warm-up as I go, but I figured that 5K was short enough to warrant a little warming up. I got back from the warm-up and they had a few preliminary remarks--thanking the supporters, a quick story from a CareNet client, and then Tom shared a little--then off to start line.
A crowd of 40 or so participants lined up and away we went. The course was 1.55 miles up the Paradise Memorial Trail and back. They had volunteers doing traffic control at the three road crossings and a manned drink station at the turn-around point.
I quickly took the lead position and most likely started out way too fast. The trail goes uphill with a 254 foot elevation gain over the first 2.5K. I was going too fast, but it felt ok. The hardest part was actually being in the lead. I am used to being able to cue my pace off of runners in front of me and it felt a little loose without that. As I made the turn I passed my nearest competitor, a young lady who was about forty feet back. I told her "you're gonna beat me." She caught me a little ways down the road. We ran together for a while, but it was clear that she had more speed and more gas in the tank, so I told her not to let the old man slow her down.
She eventually took off and grabbed her first place finish. I came in second overall and first place among the men. It was a also a PR for me at 22:59. I'm going to cherish the race, because it will probably be my only opportunity to lead the pack.
After crossing the finish line I congratulated the winner and went to grab some water at the snack tent. I decided that I would just take a case of water over to the finish line and encourage the finishers with some water.
What a fun day! Can't wait until next year's event.
Can I just start by saying how great it is to run a race in your own town. I left at 8:25 and showed up at 8:30 for sign-in. They had a very well-staffed sign-in table to handle race sign-in and t-shirt pickup.
The t-shirts were very well done and they had plenty in every size.
After signing in, I said hi to Linda Kalanquin, the Director of CareNet and looked for my friend Tom, who is a fellow pastor in our community. Tom is a three-time marathoner and I hoped to see him at the event.
The race was scheduled to start at 9:00, so I went for a little warm-up jog just before then. I'm not much a warm-up guy, preferring usually to just warm-up as I go, but I figured that 5K was short enough to warrant a little warming up. I got back from the warm-up and they had a few preliminary remarks--thanking the supporters, a quick story from a CareNet client, and then Tom shared a little--then off to start line.
A crowd of 40 or so participants lined up and away we went. The course was 1.55 miles up the Paradise Memorial Trail and back. They had volunteers doing traffic control at the three road crossings and a manned drink station at the turn-around point.
I quickly took the lead position and most likely started out way too fast. The trail goes uphill with a 254 foot elevation gain over the first 2.5K. I was going too fast, but it felt ok. The hardest part was actually being in the lead. I am used to being able to cue my pace off of runners in front of me and it felt a little loose without that. As I made the turn I passed my nearest competitor, a young lady who was about forty feet back. I told her "you're gonna beat me." She caught me a little ways down the road. We ran together for a while, but it was clear that she had more speed and more gas in the tank, so I told her not to let the old man slow her down.
She eventually took off and grabbed her first place finish. I came in second overall and first place among the men. It was a also a PR for me at 22:59. I'm going to cherish the race, because it will probably be my only opportunity to lead the pack.
After crossing the finish line I congratulated the winner and went to grab some water at the snack tent. I decided that I would just take a case of water over to the finish line and encourage the finishers with some water.
What a fun day! Can't wait until next year's event.
Friday, April 22, 2011
Three Week Vacation
Well, it appears that I took a three-week vacation from the blog.
That roughly correlates with my running lately. Let me explain what I've been up to.
The first full week of April I was out of town. Had the opportunity to spend a week with my Dad in southern Nevada. We had a great time but unfortunately, I only got in one two-mile run that week. I had hoped that we'd get in a bunch of mountain biking, but our days were very full and tiring and we only managed one short ride. So there is this henious 5-day gap in my training log.
I tried to get back in the saddle the next week. I was out of town on business but managed to get in a quality run on Monday and Wednesday last week. Unfortunately, then I ended up taking two days off followed by a lame two-mile run, and then another two days off.
Yikes, my training log is starting to have all the charm of a West Virginia smile.
That roughly correlates with my running lately. Let me explain what I've been up to.
The first full week of April I was out of town. Had the opportunity to spend a week with my Dad in southern Nevada. We had a great time but unfortunately, I only got in one two-mile run that week. I had hoped that we'd get in a bunch of mountain biking, but our days were very full and tiring and we only managed one short ride. So there is this henious 5-day gap in my training log.
I tried to get back in the saddle the next week. I was out of town on business but managed to get in a quality run on Monday and Wednesday last week. Unfortunately, then I ended up taking two days off followed by a lame two-mile run, and then another two days off.
Yikes, my training log is starting to have all the charm of a West Virginia smile.
So this week I am endeavoring to get back into a regular training schedule. I managed to sneak in a 12 miler on Tuesday and a six-miler yesterday. I found a great (new to me) trail to run on. It is the old train tracks base that was used to bring lumber down from the forest. Train tracks are gone leaving a nice smooth, steady climb and no cars to worry about.
This weekend, I'm entered in the HUMAN RACE 5K. It is a benefit fun run for CareNet, a local pro-life crisis pregnancy center. I think it is their inaugural 5K, so I'm not sure how well organized it will be or even if there will be a timer. But, I really believe in the work this group is doing and I can time my own race on my Garmin. Can't wait! I am hoping for a new PR.
Friday, April 1, 2011
Cravings and Foam Roller Terrorism
Today is a rest or XT day. That means, I am doing some light flexibility work, some core strengthening stuff, spending some time on the foam roller and dusting off the unicycle.
I got through the flexibility and core work and my body sent a strong request: "we would appreciate it very much if you would be so kind as to feed us a Peanut Butter and Honey sandwich, if it's not too much trouble, thank you ever so much."
Into the kitchen I go.
Ok, all the PB and Honey craving cells in my body gave out a collective "that's just what I wanted." How do they know what they want? I have no idea. Most days I just try to eat a nice variety of things and let them get what they need that way. Today, it was definitely PB & Honey on the menu.
Back to the foam roller. These are the latest craze in the fitness world. But it turns out that the technology for foam rollers isn't new at all. It turns out that these have been around for some time. Vikings used to foam roller their victims as they plundered and pillaged, giving rise to the haunting battle cry, "plundra plundring och använda skumgummirulle." Later, they were used as a medieval torture device (ofergietan þæs hengen, broc þæm fám wealoa). Lately, our high tech military satelites have captured images from remote al-quaida training facilities where jihadists practice foam roller terrorism (نهب نهب واستخدام الأسطوانة رغوة). Seriously, these are great everyone should have one.
Now, where did I put that unicycle?
I got through the flexibility and core work and my body sent a strong request: "we would appreciate it very much if you would be so kind as to feed us a Peanut Butter and Honey sandwich, if it's not too much trouble, thank you ever so much."
Into the kitchen I go.
Ok, all the PB and Honey craving cells in my body gave out a collective "that's just what I wanted." How do they know what they want? I have no idea. Most days I just try to eat a nice variety of things and let them get what they need that way. Today, it was definitely PB & Honey on the menu.
Back to the foam roller. These are the latest craze in the fitness world. But it turns out that the technology for foam rollers isn't new at all. It turns out that these have been around for some time. Vikings used to foam roller their victims as they plundered and pillaged, giving rise to the haunting battle cry, "plundra plundring och använda skumgummirulle." Later, they were used as a medieval torture device (ofergietan þæs hengen, broc þæm fám wealoa). Lately, our high tech military satelites have captured images from remote al-quaida training facilities where jihadists practice foam roller terrorism (نهب نهب واستخدام الأسطوانة رغوة). Seriously, these are great everyone should have one.
Now, where did I put that unicycle?
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