My life for the past 12 months or so has been almost completely consumed by my first year as a high school biology teacher (with the remainder of my time mostly allotted to being a soccer dad). Though I love my new job, I’ve never worked so hard in my life (thank a teacher, please, it’s an incredibly demanding, yet incredibly rewarding job!), and all secondary pursuits necessarily took a back seat. Among those activities that took a hit was my running.

Since last summer, there have been many weeks were my mileage total was a big, fat zero. At first it was hard to come to terms with the fact that I wasn’t running much, but eventually I realized that I just needed to let go. I’d been a first year teacher before (at the college level), and I knew that things would get easier in subsequent years. The hiatus from my hobbies would be temporary, but necessary.

My approach could be summarized by the following:

1. Stop stressing about not running.

2. Run when I had the time, but always prioritize family time, grading, and prepping for school. Keep work stress manageable (top priority!), and use running as a release when possible.

3. Ignore pace and mileage. The slow, 2 mile run became a staple. Walking was employed frequently  – Northwood, NH is crazy hilly!

4. Take advantage of vacations and snow days – I ran a lot over school vacations, and snowshoeing on snow days (we had 5 this year…) was an opportunistic alternative to running.

What I discovered was that the break was a net positive. Sure I gained some weight (there will be no sub-20 5k’s for me for awhile…), but my fitness took less of a hit than I expected. For example, I celebrated the end of the school year by running over 20 miles in 36 hours at the Rock Lobster Relay in Maine (great relay, and some beautiful scenery on Mt. Desert Island!). My training for this was minimal – I hadn’t run 20 miles in a week since the previous summer – but my residual fitness, maintained in some form by the smattering of runs completed during the school year, was enough to get me through without any trouble. In fact, I managed to keep my total average pace under 9:00/mile, which I did not expect. The human body is pretty amazing, and the benefits gained from running are long-lasting.

Now, half-way through the summer, I feel like I’m clawing my fitness back. I ran 25 miles last week, and hopefully will get in a 30 mile week before school starts back up. I plan to run a half marathon this Fall, and get back to reviewing some shoes (on a smaller scale than in the past). I’ve come to realize that the extended hiatus has reignited my passion, and allowed me to develop a new relationship with the sport that I love. I’m excited to get back at it!

Last week when I opened up my training plan email I saw the following workout on the schedule:

Wednesday: 8 miles total. Warm and cool splits are up to you. Include the normal drills and strides in the warm-up. For the speedy stuff, run 4 x 400 with 1600 slow jog recovery (about 1 minute per mile slower than normal easy pace). Each 400 should be at about 95% effort, essentially the best you can do. This is a true speed workout. Don’t hold back!

When I first read it I thought about emailing Caleb – 4×400 didn’t seem like very much, especially considering that I did 16×200 a few weeks ago. And the 1600m rest interval between reps seemed kind of long. I’ve done 400m track workouts many times in the past, but usually run the reps around 5K pace or a bit faster. But the 95% effort thing jumped out as a new twist. I figured Caleb knows what he’s doing, so I planned to do the workout as specified. I vastly underestimated how difficult it would turn out to be!

If you’ve ever tried to run 400m all-out, you’ll know where I’m going with this post. I ran my first ever timed 400m on the track last year during the Craftsbury running camps. It was pretty cool to be timed by an Olympian (Lynn Jennings), and I managed my best 400 of the three weeks of camps in 64 seconds. It was hard, and the second half of an all-out 400 is a time when you learn a bit about your pain tolerance.

I drove myself over to the track on Wednesday and ran a 3-mile warmup at easy pace. If you want to try this workout you may not need a full three miles of warmup, but if I was going to be running fast I wanted to make sure I was nice and loose. I hit the track and took off on my first rep. I figured if 100% effort is 64 seconds, then 95% effort should be just a bit slower than that. It felt great to let it fly, but by 200m I was reminded of the world of pain that running a hard 400m can create. One lap of the track doesn’t seem like much, but when you’re almost maxing out the speed it’s incredibly difficult. I completed the first 400 in 70 seconds, so right about what I was aiming for. It hurt.

I decided to walk 200m to bring my heart rate down, then jogged the remaining 1200 at about 9:30 min/mile as Caleb suggested (my easy pace is around 8:30). I was a little scared after that first rep so I took my time.

I repeated the routine three more times, clocking 400s of 72, 73, and 72 seconds. I may have thrown up in my mouth at the end of the last one. I suppose that might be a sign of a good speed session!

This was one of those workouts that you finish and it gives you a sense of accomplishment. It was a taxing workout, but it felt good. I felt like I gained something from it. And the next day my legs were sore, but they actually feel a bit looser than they have in awhile – maybe something about the speed knocked some of the rust out.

If you’re looking to try some speed work this workout might be a “fun” one to try, I highly recommend it :)

In my last post, I talked about the reasons why runners should vary their pacing from day to day. In this update, I’ll provide a simple way to think about structuring training weeks, so that you can apply pacing variation to get the most out of your body.

A Training “Week” Does Not Always Equal 7 Days

The first step in determining how to structure your training weeks is to figure out how much recovery time you need between hard workouts. This varies greatly from runner to runner, though there are a few general approaches that work quite well. Two of them use a traditional 7-day week, and the other uses 9 or 10 days per training “week.”

1. The Traditional Week: You’ll note that most “stock” training plans that you can download or purchase online feature 3 “quality” days per week (usually a workout on Tuesday, a workout on Thursday, and a long run over the weekend). This is the most common training week used by recreational runners, and for people with jobs and families, as well as for younger runners, this is the best fit. When using this approach, I only schedule 2 strenuous sessions and use the 3rd workout as a moderate/support day. If you use the traditional approach, either do (a) Hard workout Tuesday, moderate workout Thursday, long run with some speed mixed in; or (b) Hard workouts Tuesday and Thursday, steady SLOW long run. If you are using this approach and find that you feel flat or tired for your workouts, then switching to one of the other options can help you.

2. The Single Workout Week: Depending on the specifics of a cycle, I will mix in a 1-workout week for my runners, even if they are on a traditional schedule. In this approach, the long run stays on Saturday/Sunday, but the weekdays feature one hard session, usually on Wednesday. This allows you to run hard during your Wednesday workout, but still have time to recover before the weekend long run. I like this approach as a standard for many masters runners (who need more adaptation time in general), or for the later-cycle weeks in a race buildup where the workouts are taxing and specific (i.e. long tempo runs, long intervals, etc.).

3. The Expanded Week: Another approach that can be very successful, and one that you will see used more frequently by elite athletes that don’t need to fit in long runs on the same day each week, is the 9-day or 10-day training “week.” Within this block of days, three workouts are generally targeted (one of them being a long run). This allows for two or three days of adaptation between all hard efforts, in an effort to allow for better recovery and more leeway to attack workouts. This can also be a great approach for runners who require more recovery time in general (older runners, and beginners).

In general, the key is understanding that a training week can be different for various runners, or various training situations.

Most of Your Training Should Be Easy

Once you’ve determined the general structure for quality days, you are left with the majority of the week to fill with other training. This is usually the process I go through when planning a week for a client: Add key workouts first, then fill in the remainder with easy miles, cross-training, or rest.

It’s important to note that active recovery can come in the form of recovery/easy running, or cross training, and in both cases, you will be improving your general aerobic fitness. You can be a successful runner, depending on your experience and level, with anywhere from 3-7 days a week of running. On the other days, the focus should be very easy training, to maintain your base of fitness and encourage adaptation in between hard workouts.

Variability is the Key; One Week Should Not Look Like the Next

Your weekly plan should always be completed in the context of what came before, and what will come after. The main thing to remember is that your body adapts to new stimuli more effectively than it does to repeated stimuli. So, when you plan your workouts, make sure that you vary the approach. This means that you have to get away from the same distance intervals every Tuesday, and tempo run every Thursday. Instead, mix in strides, hills, fartlek, and other forms of quality. You will get more from each session, and also improve your adaptation rates by using your muscles in different ways from week to week.

Tie it All Back to Your Goals

Finally, ensure that your approach to any given training week is tied to your goals. If you are training for a specific race, each week should take you closer to that goal in the smallest and most manageable step possible to stay on track. If your goals are more general, like adding general speed or general endurance, you should look at what you accomplished the previous week and make things just a bit more challenging. Your workouts should target your goals, specifically, rather than just being chosen at random.

Don’t Forget the Step-back Weeks

We all want to make as much progress as possible, and that means that we both train hard AND allow for complete adaptation. As a general rule of thumb (which can vary from person to person), every fourth or fifth week should be used for recovery and adaptation. This means reducing mileage (by 10-20%), reducing intensity (less strenuous workouts), and reducing frequency (extra rest day, one less double-run day, etc.). It’s only when we train hard, with a smartly designed structure, and then adapt that we actually become faster.

Ask Coach Caleb is a monthly column on Runblogger.com. If you have a training question that you’ like to be considered for a future post, feel free to leave it in a comment!

One of my favorite running books is aptly titled “Running.” It was written by legendary ultrarunner Arthur Newton back in 1935, and it’s full of excellent advice that holds true even today. Newton started running seriously in his late 30’s, and routinely ran 500-700 miles or more per month. On a few occasions he ran over 1000 miles in a month, and during his career he set records at multiple ultra-length distances. He was also an experimenter and had a way with words that makes reading his book a joy – it feels like you’re chatting with a running partner over a beer. And despite the book being almost 80 years old, his advice for the most part holds up very well (he even devotes an entire chapter to the topic of why runners shouldn’t smoke!).

Arthur Newton; Image is from his book titled “Running” (1935)

A lot of the advice that coaches and experienced runners give out now has been part of running lore for a long time. In order to present a historical viewpoint on the topic, I thought I’d follow up on Caleb’s post with a few passages on pacing from Arthur Newton’s book:

“There is one rule that I have strictly adhered to for many years. I have not seen it advocated before, but my experience proves it to be thoroughly sound – never race until you must; always practise at an average of some 20 per cent or 25 per cent. below the speed you actually can travel if put to it. It may take longer and be more laborious to train thus, though I doubt it, but it is infinitely safer…”

“…I do not believe in trying to race during practice. Racing is abnormal; no wild animals ever seriously indulge until they are forced to by fright, yet they are faster than tame beasts. There are other reasons too. Running will, as you know, strengthen and develop your heart, lungs, legs, back, mind and other odds and ends. If you try to force development there will be strikes or rumours of strikes all around, and consequently, to use a very mild term for it, discomfort.”

Regarding his own approach to pacing in ultramarathon training (I love his concept of what constitutes a “jaunt”!):

“For practice jaunts of from thirty to fifty miles I rarely averaged as much as seven miles an hour, not including stops for meals or refreshments; for twenty to thirty milers about 6 3/4 to 7 1/4; from ten to twenty, something in the region of 7 1/2 to 8 1/2 m.p.h. Of course, I knew from experience that I could go faster but had learnt decisively that it would be a mistake. When it came to the fifty-two mile race I averaged eight and nine-tenths miles per hour and arrived at the finish quite reasonably fit – pretty sound proof of the value of these methods of training…”

“If a man on the wrong side of forty can manage this little lot without any ill effects, don’t you think a younger fellow – yourself for instance – could do better if he stuck to similar principles? There can be no doubt about it. So once more I will emphasise – all your practice should be done at a speed considerably below your racing ability. I am convinced that you will do less well if you fail to observe this.”

If I apply Newton’s advice to my own training, it turns out to be quite accurate. My 5K race pace is just above 6:00/mile, and 25% slower than that would be about 7:30/mile. If you plug my most recent 5K time into the Daniels Running Calculator, it predicts an easy pace range of 7:49-8:18/mile, which is probably the pace range for most of the miles that I run these days.

It wasn’t always like that – in my first few years of running I would frequently try to run my usual 5-mile route faster than the previous time I had run it each time out. I ran way too many miles at a near all-out effort for that distance. Nowadays I run my hard workouts hard (I might get down to sub-6:00 pace during repetitions), and my easy workouts easy. For easy workouts and long runs my average pace is typically in the range of 7:30-8:30/mile (varies depending on how I feel on a given day), and my first mile is typically a warmup and is often closer to 9:00. I’ll even still take walk breaks on runs if I feel it’s needed due to heat or if I’m having a particularly rough day – interestingly, Arthur Newton would typically log 150-300 miles walking each month in addition to his ridiculous running tallies.

So the point here is that advice to approach pacing wisely in your training has a lot of collective history among coaches and runners to back it up. It’s ok to run fast in training, but don’t make every training run a race. Mix things up, you’ll be better for it.

In contrast, a really common habit for the rest of us is to fall into a single pace or effort on our training runs. We either run the same easy pace day after day, or we try to push each run to the point where we burn out. And when we do vary pace, it’s often over a much narrower range – maybe 75-90 seconds vs. the 3 minute range covered by Cole Atkins in the example above. If you want to get the most out of your training and your body, you need to take a page out of the elite training book and work both ends of the speed/effort spectrum and everywhere in between. Here are three major reasons for varying your pacing from workout to workout.

Distribution of Impact Forces

Rightly so, the concept of varying impact force distribution has been getting more attention lately. For example, this appears to be a major factor behind the benefits we can get from rotating shoes of different types/designs from day to day. Similarly, when you vary your pace from one workout to the next you vary how forces are applied to the body and may thus reduce the likelihood of suffering a repetitive overuse injury. The keys here are the subtle differences in stride length and stride rate that naturally occur at different paces (both rate and length of stride tend to increase with faster pace). These little differences create different impact angles, and therefore different shock absorption profiles in your body. Over a lot of strides through a lot of runs, this can mean the difference between being healthy or dealing with one of the classic running injuries like IT Band Syndrome, Achilles Tendinitis, or Runner’s Knee. So, pace variation can be an important part of injury prevention.

Energy System Training

We have multiple pathways to deliver energy to our muscles, and they are largely regulated by effort. Most easily measured in terms of heart rate, we’re relying on very different sources of energy when running a very easy effort (aerobic) versus running a very hard effort (anaerobic). And, this isn’t just a “one or the other” scenario, as we’re always using a blend of both aerobic and anaerobic energy when we run. The more we train a particular energy system, the more efficient it becomes. When we train across the entire spectrum of effort, we build a much better engine for future running and racing. This allows us to be able to change gears in races, finish them strong, and run for longer distances. So, pace variation is also a part of speed and endurance development.

Adaptation

For people who have become serious about running, taking each day too hard is a more common problem than taking each day too easy. This is an easy trap to fall into; at first, pushing it on a daily basis leads to a lot of improvement. The problem arises when, inevitably, all of the hard training catches up with the runner and they find they are either unable to run as fast as they recently had been, or they succumb to an injury. Seasoned runners have learned (maybe the hard way) that adaptation must always be considered and respected. It’s really true: You don’t actually get faster when running faster, you get faster when your body has a chance to adapt and compensate for the training you’ve completed. This is why recovery runs are important – mixing in slower runs after hard workouts allows the body to recover and adapt to hard training without breaking down. So, in summary, pace variation from workout to workout plays an important role in allowing the body to adapt over time.

How To Estimate Your Training Paces

A good training approach will feature pacing that goes all the way from very easy to max-effort sprints. When mixed together in the right combination, significantly more progress can be made at the same time that injuries and layoffs can be avoided. Just remember: Hard days hard, easy days easy, and make sure you touch everywhere in between along the way.

To get a ballpark estimate of paces for various types of workouts, check out the McMillan Running Calculator or the Jack Daniels Running Calculator. Both allow you to input a recent race time as a way to tailor paces to your current level of fitness. A word of caution – be careful with the race pace predictors on these sites. Without adequate training, your best time in a 5K may not accurately predict what you are capable of in a longer race like a half-marathon or marathon.

Editor’s Note: Ask Coach Caleb is a new feature on Runblogger. If you have any training questions you would to be considered for a future post, please leave a comment!

I need to start loving my training again. Notice I said training and not running. I still love running, but for the past 9 months or so I’ve been running solely for fun and without any real direction. Aside from the Vermont City Marathon last May, a 4 mile race on July 4 in Maine (in which I won my age group), and a brutal trail 5K later that month in Craftsbury (in which I walked, a lot), I haven’t raced much in the past 18 months.

My running this winter has been erratic. I’ve run consistently despite the brutal weather, and I even managed to get my mileage up for a few weeks in January, but February was a mess of snowstorms, impassable sidewalks, and unsafe roads lined with giant snow banks. On top of that I managed to throw my lower back out for the 4th time in the past five or so years mid-month (by pushing a piece of wood with my foot, go figure…). So yeah, February sucked.

I ended the month of February with a trip to Florida. My back was feeling better and I managed some decent runs around the Disney property. I also walked a ton around the parks, I’d guess I tallied 50-60 miles walking and running combined over the 9 days I was there. Running in the warmth of Florida reminded me that Spring is coming (said in my best Eddard Stark voice; I’m ignoring the big snowstorm coming Wednesday night, let’s just pretend that’s not going to happen…). It reminded me that runs would soon not require 15 minutes of prep to bundle up in order to stay warm. It reminded me that I have about 10 pairs of road shoes that need to get reviewed, so I had better start upping my mileage. It reminded me that race season is around the corner.

One of the topics that we discussed at the Craftsbury Running Camps last summer was how to identify the type of runner you are. Lynn Jennings talked about how she knew that she was meant for the track and XC, whereas her contemporary Joan Benoit Samuelson wound up excelling at the marathon. It’s partly about knowing in which races you are most competitive, but also knowing the type of training that you enjoy. I’ve thought a lot about this since last summer, and even chatted with Lynn for a bit about my own running. I’ve come to realize that I really enjoy speedwork. I like hill repeats. I like the track. I like a max of about 12 miles for a long run. I don’t like running 15+ miles by myself on roads, at least not at this point in my life. I overperform in shorter races, and underperform in longer races. I think my body is built for racing short and fast.

When I think back to the most fun I’ve had in training, it was probably during summer 2012 in the lead-up to the Smuttynose Half Marathon. Caleb Masland coached me during that time, and I set monthly mileage PRs in both July and August that year. I ran a lot, I ran hard, and I had a blast. But I never ran longer than about 14 miles. And I wound up setting a huge PR at Smuttynose in a race where everything clicked (photo at the top of this post is from that race). It almost felt easy. It was probably the most fit I’ve ever been, and I long to get back to that.

So, last week I shot Caleb and email and told him I was ready to get back to it. My goals are to run hard and have fun, and to not run a marathon. I plan to start by focusing on the 5K. I have a long-standing PR at the 5K distance that needs to fall, and I’d like to do it before I turn 40 in November. I’ll stick with short and fast through the summer, then maybe a half marathon in the Fall if I feel a desire to go longer. No marathon for me this year.

Caleb sent me my first weekly training schedule on Saturday, here’s what it looks like for the week (I plan to shuffle the workouts/days a bit, for example I did Wednesday’s workout today since I ran with a co-worker. It’ll take a few weeks for Caleb and I to best assign workout types to particular days ):

• Monday: 3 miles easy; 5 x 15 seconds strides after the run (walking recovery in between strides)
• Tuesday: 3 miles easy. TKD at the gym.
• Wednesday: 4 miles easy
• Thursday: OFF from running
• Friday: 4 miles easy, then 5 x 10 seconds hill repeats (hard effort up, jog back down, rest 10-15 seconds, repeat)
• Saturday: 3 miles easy
• Sunday: Longer run for the week, 7 miles

Looking at this schedule makes me smile, and that tells me it’s the right menu for me. It’s only 24 miles this week, but we’ll build on that going forward. I miss strides, I miss hill repeats, I miss the track. I’m excited to get started!

The story of this marathon training cycle for me was the meltdown I had in the final few weeks of training. As the weather started warming up, I had to abort an 18 mile long run after about 13.5 miles, and my final 20 miler turned into a walk-run mess that left me cramping in places I’ve never cramped before. Those runs were a major blow to my confidence, but I also knew that I’d had run some solid long runs in cooler weather, so my performance at VCM would likely be determined by the weather on race day. I’m happy to report that Mother Nature decided to smile on me and she served up near ideal conditions!

GEAR OVERVIEW

My big decision the day before the race was what to do about shoes (of course!). I had intended to run in the Saucony Fastwitch 6, but after chatting with a Saucony rep at the expo he indicated that the drain holes in the sole might actually be a negative if there was a lot of standing water on the ground. Drain holes can help drain water from the shoe, but can also let water in through the sole when running through puddles. I hadn’t considered that, and given the near constant driving rain we had on Saturday, it was a certainty that there would be a lot of water on the course (and there indeed was!).

I brought along two other pairs of shoes, a prototype Skechers GoBionic 2 (not an option due to water absorption by the material under the sockliner – will hopefully be fixed), and the Saucony Virrata (read my Saucony Virrata review here). I left the Kinvara 4 at home since I only did one long run in them. I made a last minute decision to go with the Virrata – I had run a bunch of miles in them this cycle and though I was a bit concerned about going zero drop in a marathon, I was more worried about soaking up a ton of water in the Fastwitch 6s. Turned out to be a good choice. My feet had no issues in the Virrata – they shed water well, never felt soggy, and I got no blisters despite my feet being damp the entire race.

Saucony Virrata – My Race Day Weapon of Choice

Here’s the rest of my gear rundown:

Socks: Injinji Lightweight No-show Toe Socks. I’ve used Injinji socks for my last several marathons and they’ve made a huge difference in preventing toe blisters for me. They did so again – despite the rain and wet feet, no toe blisters from the race. The lightweight socks are super thin, which is my preference for socks these days.

Calf Sleeves: No idea if they provide any real benefit, but I usually wear calf sleeves when I race. I like Zensah sleeves, and was recently sent a pair of Zensah Reflect sleeves to try out. Nice compression and very comfortable.

Shorts/Shirt: Team Wicked Bonkproof gear! Big thanks again to Caleb Masland for coaching me through the training cycle!

Arm Sleeves: An old pair of Nike sleeves that I had. Didn’t plan on wearing them, but figured any added warmth from additional layers would be helpful.

Jacket: Merrell Torrent Shell. My other last minute decision – to wear a jacket or not to wear a jacket? Given the temperature and the rain, I decided to err on the side of layering, and the Merrell Torrent Shell is super thin and light. If need be I could take it off and tie it around my waist. Glad I wore it, actually felt plenty warm for most of the race. Never wound up taking it off. It got wet, but it dries fast and doesn’t soak and gain weight.

Gloves: Old pair of lightweight Brooks gloves. Took them off and carried in-hand for the final few miles.

GPS: Garmin FR10 (review sample from Clever Training) and Garmin FR610 (my watch). The FR10 actually measured the distance more closely than the 610. Not bad for an entry level GPS watch (review coming).

Gels: Running Warehouse connected me with VFuel and they sent me out some samples to try, so I went with their Peach Cobbler gels for the race. Mixed three gels in a Hydrapak Soft-Flask, then filled up the remainder of the space with water to thin it out. This has been my practice in my last several marathons and it works really well for me. I hand-hold the flask (it’s small) and take small sips through the first half of the race, and when the flask is empty it packs down small into a little belt pouch that I use to carry a few additional gels. I find it much easier to sip watered down gels than to take them straight from the pouch while running (though VFuel is a bit thinner out of the pouch than most gels). The peach VFuel tastes good, and I had no stomach distress at all during the race. Very happy with how it performed (Running Warehouse recently posted a group review of VFuel as well). Took one additional GU from an aid station around mile 14. No gels after that – just Gatorade from some of the aid stations, a slice of orange, and a slice of watermelon.

RACE GOALS

I knew going in that I wasn’t in PR shape, so that wasn’t even on my radar. Given that, my goals for the race were threefold:

1. Finish without hitting the wall. I’ve run this race twice before and both times I crashed at Battery hill at mile 15. In fact, I’ve managed to avoid the wall in only 2 of my previous 8 marathons. Cool weather and good pacing would be key.

2. If I managed to avoid the wall, I was pretty confident I could run a personal VCM course PR. My previous times at VCM were 3:43:38 and 3:36:12.

3. Run sub-3:30. Given that it’s been two years since my last marathon, and I built up my mileage pretty rapidly over about 12 weeks, I trained to be able to run the marathon at a conservative pace of around 8:00/mile. Slower than that would have been a disappointment.

PRE-RACE FOOD/DRINK

Had two bananas and a bagel with peanut butter and cream cheese for breakfast, all finished at least 1.5 hours before race start. One cup of regular coffee, some OJ, couple sips of water. Went real easy on the pre-race hydration given my past issues with overhydrating. Had one mini Clif-bar right before the race started.

Vermont City Marathon Elevation Profile – Recorded by Garmin FR610

RACE RECAP

Everyone who ran VCM in 2013 will remember it for the cold, rain, and wind. The temperature was in the low 40s Fahrenheit at the start, with the wind making it feel much cooler. Light drizzle alternated with steady rain throughout, though it eased up toward the end of the race. I actually felt like the weather was more of a positive than a negative as nearly all of my race PR’s have come in cold weather.

My plan going into the race was to go easy for the first few miles, then settle into a comfortable pace and see where it took me. The big challenge in any race is to not go out too fast, and in the marathon this is absolutely critical. I didn’t get a chance to do any kind of warmup, and my legs were cold at the start. Pushing the pace from the start would have been dangerous, so I remained disciplined and held back when the gun went off. Let everyone go, then catch as many as possible later on was the plan. I skipped the first few water stops, again part of my plan to go easy on hydration.

I was feeling really tight for the first few miles, but I knew from experience that it would take at least a few miles to warm up the legs, and that this would probably be prolonged a bit more by the rain and cold. Sure enough, around mile three I started to loosen up and the roughly 7:45/mile pace I had settled into was feeling smooth. Made a brief pit stop during mile 5 (apparently I was still plenty hydrated despite my limited intake of liquids prior to the race!), and did a good job resisting the urge to cruise on the long downhill from miles 3-7.

Splits for miles 1-7:

Between miles 7-8 I ran for a bit with a female barefoot runner who was moving along really well. We chatted for a few miles, then she took off when we reached the top of the hill back in town and I never saw her again (looks like she beat me by about 5 minutes!)

I started to feel a little tightness in my calves around mile 8, and was worried that maybe the zero drop Virratas were a bad choice. Fortunately the soreness never progressed to pain, and the tightness subsided a bit later in the race.

My goal as I approached the halfway point was to be consistent and to stay disciplined about my pacing. I was running more by consistent effort than consistent pace, so I’d speed up just a bit down hills, and slow a bit on the ups. Pace continually hovered around 7:45/mile and it was still feeling smooth. Mile 15 remained in the forefront of my mind – Battery hill crushed me twice before, and I was determined to not let it beat me again.

I crossed the 13.1 mile marker in 1:42:34, on target to meet all three of my goals and then some. I was pretty confident I could keep it up.

Mile 14 was a bit slow because the wind was whipping along the lakefront, and at one point waves were crashing over a concrete wall onto the trail we were running along. It was the only time I really felt that the weather interfered with the race.

I was still feeling strong heading toward Battery, and I ran up the big hill without issue – in fact, I passed a bunch of people on the way up. I’d run a ton of hills in this training cycle and it clearly paid off in a big way.

Splits for miles 8-15 :

When I hit the top of the hill I got a bit of an adrenaline boost – I didn’t crash, and the rest of the course was mostly downhill. It was just a matter of holding pace. I got a bit overly ambitious in miles 18 and 19 – the thought of picking it up and shooting for 3:20 crossed my mind. I wisely reeled it back in and decided to not risk the race by getting greedy with my time. A 10 minute course PR was a pretty strong possibility if I could just hold the 7:45-7:50 pace I had been running pretty consistently throughout.

The challenge with the late miles of VCM is that a lot of it is straight along roads that are pretty flat. I like a bit of up and down in marathons, and the long flats tend to grate on me a bit. I kept plugging away, started taking Gatorade at the aid stations since I was done with gels (had been having a few sips of water at each station starting around mile 5, but not a lot), and passed through miles 20-22 still feeling pretty good.

Splits for miles 16-21:

The challenging portion of the race for me really started around mile 22. Though I was mentally lucid and not feeling depleted, my legs were starting to tighten up. Nothing atypical of late marathon soreness, but it took focus to keep moving along at sub 8:00/mile pace. I’d feel my pace slip a bit, then have to give myself a little push to kick it back into gear. The last several miles of VCM are tough because they are along a bike path that is flanked by trees on both sides. It’s a long, relatively flat stretch without a lot of spectators where you really can’t see that far ahead of you. It’s challenging to maintain pace on that trail, and I could tell a lot of the other runners were having a similar mental struggle (there were surprisingly few people walking though, probably a testament to the cool weather).

I kept my eye on my watch, dumped some cold water on my head at each aid station I passed on the trail, and kept plugging away. You emerge from the trees shortly before the final stretch to the finish, and the crowds at that point were out in full force. I caught a second wind, and ran the final 0.2 faster than I ran any other portion of the race, even sprinted the final bit to the finish – good thing too, as I crossed the finish line in an official 3:24:59. One second to spare for my third sub-3:25 marathon! It was over a 10 minute PR on the course, and all three goals were fulfilled!

I caught up with my friend Alett in the finishing chute and chatted for a bit – her husband Hugh had gone sub-3:00 and got his BQ. I watched a woman get wheeled by who was shivering violently and uncontrollably – possible case of hypothermia, which I suspected might be an issue for some on the day. I felt surprisingly good – no cramping, not particularly cold, and clear-headed. My hips, quads, and calves were sore, but I was otherwise fine – a relatively comfortable post-marathon experience for me, which is pretty unusual.

The finish area was a muddy mess, and my wife wasn’t able to find parking and was driving around the city. I opted to skip the post race food and met her down the road a bit and we headed back to the hotel for some lunch and a swim (my immediate post-marathon recovery involved spending an hour holding a 3-year-old in a pool, not relaxing at all, but fun nonetheless!).

Vermont City Marathon – My Pace Chart from SportTracks

FINAL THOUGHTS

I was content and really happy with the way things went in the race – I met my goals, re-connected with the marathon, and proved to myself that a couple of lousy long runs to end a cycle don’t necessarily mean that you’ve lost your ability to run long. I learned once again that disciplined pacing and sticking to a plan is key for me to have a good marathon, and I executed my fueling/hydration plan to perfection.

Everything fell into place on Sunday, and I’m ready to head into summer with a solid race under my belt. My big decision now is what to do about Fall – go for a marathon PR, or switch things up and try my hand at another trail 50K…I’ve got some thinking to do!

Below is my race summary from Garmin Connect:

Fortunately, the current forecast for Burlington this Sunday is a high of 51 degrees with a 50% chance of rain. As long as the rain isn’t too heavy, this is pretty much ideal marathon weather for me. That combined with the fact that I had some pretty solid 18-20 mile runs earlier in this training cycle gives me hope that the race won’t be a total mess. I plan to approach it like I did Disney 2010 – don’t stress about pace, go easy and have fun in the first half, and pick it up in the second half if the legs feel ok. Disney 2010 was probably my most enjoyable marathon because I didn’t stress, I went in without any real plan (didn’t even look at the course map ahead of time), and I had a blast. It’s the only marathon I’ve ever run where I got progressively faster as the race went on. I know a PR is out of the question this weekend, so no point in running myself into the ground. I’ll be happy if I can finish the race without hitting the wall, always a challenge for me!

Saucony Fastwitch 6 – Current Frontrunner for Marathon Day

I’ve run 10 easy miles so far this week, with probably another 10 or so spread over the next three days. I’m as ready as I’m going to be at this point. My biggest dilemma right now is footwear. I still haven’t firmly settled on a shoe. The frontrunner is the Saucony Fastwitch 6, if for no other reason than my two best long runs this cycle have come in them. Darkhorses are the Saucony Kinvara 4 (did my final 20 miler in them and my feet were fine, the rest of my body not so much…), and a prototype Skechers GoBionic 2 I’ve been running in the past few weeks. The Skechers GoRun 2s were near the top of my list of possibilities for awhile, but I think they’re just a tad too soft for me for the distance. I’ll probably just bring all three pairs and choose at the last minute.

After Sunday I look forward to running for fun for a bit, and I’m seriously considering running the VT 50K in the Fall. I need a change from road marathons, and my run in VT last week reminded how much I love being in the woods. We’ll see!

Image via Nasa.gov

I’m at the two week countdown to marathon day and my confidence heading into the race is at the lowest point that it has been this training cycle. My major goal for last week was to get in a final, solid 20+ mile training run. Well, I ran 20 miles last Tuesday, and it was far from solid. In fact, it bordered on disastrous.

I’ve never had a good experience in a Spring marathon. Boston 2011 left me in the med tent at the end, and both previous times I’ve run the Vermont City Marathon resulted in me hitting the wall hard around the big hill at mile 15. I think the reason is twofold. First, my training is typically lousy through the winter (due to work and weather) and I enter the marathon buildup with an inadequate base. Second, I start the training cycle in cool weather and finish it in the relative heat of late Spring. I’ve come to realize that I am really sensitive to the change in temperature, and I need quite a long acclimation period before I can handle running long in warmer weather.

The plan last Tuesday was to get out as earlier as possible since the forecast was calling for the warmest day of the year so far. Unfortunately the morning wound up being busier than expected and I didn’t leave the house until around 11:00 AM with temperatures nearing 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Being the stubborn runner that I am, I opted to go for it anyway and set out for the 21 mile run that Caleb had put on the schedule.

My legs have felt dead for a few weeks now, but I felt ok at the start of the run. Not great, just ok. Given that it was going to be warm, I opted to wear a hydration pack and bring along a few gels. I planned to stop back home at about the midpoint for some sports drink, and the first 12 miles were fairly uneventful aside from the fact that I was tired, hot, and getting really hungry. I stopped at the house around mile 12 and had half a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and some Powerade. Shortly after heading out again things started to go badly. Here’s how I described the run on dailymile:

“This one was a complete mess. I made the epically stupid decision to run at mid-day on one of the hottest days of the year so far here in NH. By mile 14 I was reduced to a walk-jog mess, but was determined to get in the full 20 (finished the run at an average 9:37 per mile pace). In retrospect I probably shouldn’t have pushed it because I think I ran myself into heat exhaustion. Started cramping in places I’ve never cramped before after I stopped (neck, abs…) so think it was salt/hydration related and not just neuromuscular fatigue. Cooled off in the kiddie pool with some cold water, cramping the entire time, and it was intensely painful. Had some salty bouillon on the couch and fell asleep for about an hour, felt better when I woke up. Need to work on strategies for running long in heat, don’t ever want to feel like this again. On a positive note, the Saucony Kinvara 4 worked well, my feet are about the only part of me that doesn’t hurt :)”

So yes, miles 14-20 were a total mess. I’m pretty sure the heat was the major factor. I was caked in salt by the end of the run, and the cramping was quite unlike anything I’ve experienced before. Bad day all around, and not how you want to head into your taper. I’ve taken it super easy over the past week so I don’t totally wreck myself, we’ll see what happens…

So now I’m left to figure out how to approach the race in two weeks. My original plan was to just go easy since I knew I’d be doing a rapid and inadequate buildup, but a really solid 18 miler several weeks back got me to thinking about pushing it a little harder. That may have been my big mistake as things started to fall apart shortly thereafter. Not sure if I pushed the training too hard too soon, or if the heat is the really big factor. Probably a bit of both.

I’ve come back around to just heading into the race with a plan to have as much fun as possible. That’s how I approached Disney back in 2010 and it was probably the most enjoyable race that I’ve run. I’m not shooting for a PR (that was never part of the plan) so there’s no point in running myself into the ground and dealing with an extra long recovery. If the forecast is hot on race day I’ll need to go really easy since it’s clear to me that I’m still not ready to run long in the warmer weather. I’ve solicited some advice on Facebook about using S-Caps or Salt Stick and I think I may give that a try.

I’m reminded once again that marathon training is hard, and I’m trying to figure out what to do in the Fall in terms of races. I don’t think I’ll be doing a road marathon. I had a blast training hard for the half-marathon last summer (I like shorter and faster better than longer and slower on the roads), but I’m also suffering a bit of peer-pressure about running the Vermont 50K in September. Decisions, decisions…

On an unrelated note, my blogging has been minimal the past few weeks since I’ve had to prioritize packing up my office and lab, and tying up loose ends at the day job. My contract is up at the end of this week, so expect a return to normal posting soon. Tons of reviews to get through!

Needless to say, I prioritized tying up my multitude of loose ends at the day job over running during the week (and blogging for that matter), and managed only about 10 miles total. In a way this was maybe a good thing given how fried my legs were last weekend.

I also knew that this weekend was going to be shot as well. Today my wife is at all day yoga-teacher training so I’m hanging with the kids (i.e., no long run possible). Yesterday I took my oldest son to compete in his first Taekwondo tournament. It was an all-day event, and I got to watch him take home a gold medal in board-breaking for his age group, and a bronze in sparring. I couldn’t have been more proud!

Jump Turning Back-Kick For The Gold!

The highlight of the day for me came after he lost his first sparring match in sudden-death overtime. He was broken up and in tears, and told me he just wanted to go home (he’s an incredibly competitive kid, and the loss stung). We had a talk about how doing your best is all that really matters, and I told him how proud I was that he was brave enough to take on the challenge that sparring presents. It takes guts for a kid his age to want to spar, and as a Taekwondo practitioner myself the thought of participating in an event like this scares me (as a runner, I also fear hurting my feet…). In fact, I may have been more nervous than he was – watching your kid fight is pretty tough, but he was really excited to do it. He pulled himself together and came back to win his second match 9-5. He looked at me after they pronounced him winner with eyes beaming. It was an incredible feeling.

Ready to Fight

Sizing Up His Opponent

Pep Talk Between Rounds

My son learned a life-lesson that will stick with him for a long time, and it’s one that we runners know all to well – defeat will happen on occasion, but you need to put it behind you and come back even stronger next time. Anders came back from his loss to win a medal, whereas if he had given up and gone home he would not have placed.

This lesson is one that I will carry with me into the coming week as I look to put a lousy training week behind me and come back to tackle my final 20+ mile run on Tuesday. Anders will also be on my mind come mile 20 of the marathon in a few weeks– I think I have found my source of strength for when the going gets tough. Last week is now behind me, it’s time to push forward!

Showing Off the Hardware!

For those who have been keeping an eye on my training plans, here’s what Caleb has prescribed for the coming week taking into account my lousy training week last week:

Monday: OFF or short run (Final Exam day)

Tuesday: 21 total miles. Run 10 miles at normal easy long run pace. Stop and put on your marathon race shoes, then run 3 x 3-mile @ MP (again, either moderate effort or shoot for PR MP) with 1 mile easy in between MP segments. So, you will finish the workout with the last 3 miles at MP. This is to simulate the late-race feeling as much as possible. Fuel on planned marathon intervals throughout this long workout.  I also like to wear my race day singlet and shorts for this run, to make it as much of a dress rehearsal as possible.

Wednesday: Short clearance run.  4 miles with 5 x 30 seconds strides.

Thursday: Non-run day.

Friday: Easy run with strides. 7-8 miles with 10 x 20 seconds hard (40 seconds in between the hard segments).

Saturday: Non-run day.

Sunday: 13-14 miles, very easy.

Coach Caleb had me scheduled to run 18 miles today. I’m nearing the end of this marathon training cycle, and my taper begins next week, so today’s 18 miler and one more 21 miler next weekend were the final two really long workouts. I left the house this afternoon with a bit of apprehension since I was feeling tired, and after just a few miles I knew the run was going to be a struggle. My legs did not want to move.

I pushed on, hoping to just go easy and finish off the workout, but at the top of a big hill at mile 8 it was clear that my legs were shot. I felt like I was at mile 24 of a marathon, and it took immense effort just to keep putting one foot in front of the other.

My biggest struggle in a situation like this is mental. I get down on myself if I can’t finish a workout, and I start to worry about how I’m going to handle the race if I can’t complete 18 miles just four weeks out. It’s irrational since I’ve already had a really solid 18 miler, and a decent 20, but I have the thoughts nonetheless.

My recourse today was to focus on the purpose of the workout. The goal of a long run like this is to get me mentally prepared to run 26.2, and to get my legs physically prepared to handle the rigors of the distance. Running long forces them to continue working when tired, and that simulates the late stages of the race.

What I kept telling myself as I considered my options was that even if I cut the run short I would achieve the goal of running on tired legs. In fact, my legs were tired almost from the start, and 13 miles on tired legs might be just as good as 18 on fresh legs. I identified the three factors that were making me miserable:

1. I ran 20 miles last Sunday, then did a hard 10 miler with a fartlek in the middle on Wednesday. The 10 miler was a challenge after the 20, and I knew my legs were already fatigued earlier in the week.

2. I went to a Taekwondo class yesterday morning for the first time in a few weeks. Master Jung had us doing some intensive sparring practice, and I’m pretty sure I’ve never done any exercise quite as intense as TKD sparring. My legs were sore afterward, and the soreness lingered into today (my peroneals, hamstrings, and hip adductors in particular were all barking). I paid the price for not keeping up with my TKD workouts.

3. It was hot today. Mid-70’s F and sunny might not seem hot to some, but we had a particularly long winter in New England and I am not acclimated to running in anything remotely warm yet. I think this was only the second time this year that I’ve run in temps above 70. It takes me about 3 weeks to acclimate to warmer weather, and I’m just not there yet.

Considering the above was enough to help me overcome the mental challenge of deciding to cut the run short. I opted to shoot for 13 miles. That would give me enough time to shower and eat something before heading off to meet my 5K team (I ran another 2.5 with them). I managed 13.5 before giving in, and it was probably the single hardest run I have done this training cycle. As I sit here writing this, my legs are still completely shot. I got in 42 miles for the week, so not far off my planned total, but it does still hurt just a bit to have not gotten today’s run done. However, my thinking is that going the full 18 might have set me back for the entire week to come, so hopefully shortening things today will pay off over the next few workouts.

Caleb sent me my workouts for the week this morning:

For next week (April 29-May 5):

• Easy Miles: 5, single run

• Strength Routines: Taekwondo

• Workout 1 (Tuesday/Wednesday): 11 miles total.  2 miles easy, then transition into 8 miles @ target MP. Since you are running conservatively in VT, you could run a moderate effort for this 8-mile section, or go all the way to PR MP if you are feeling frisky. After the longer MP segment, run 1 mile SLOW to cool down.

• Workout 2 (Thursday/Friday): 9 miles, easy aerobic with 8 x 30 seconds strides after mile 7.

• Long (Saturday/Sunday): 21 total miles. Run 10 miles at normal easy long run pace. Stop and put on your marathon race shoes, then run 3 x 3-mile @ MP (again, either moderate effort or shoot for PR MP) with 1 mile easy in between MP segments. So, you will finish the workout with the last 3 miles at MP. This is to simulate the late-race feeling as much as possible. Fuel on planned marathon intervals throughout this long workout.  I also like to wear my race day singlet and shorts for this run, to make it as much of a dress rehearsal as possible.

My challenge right now is to figure out if how I felt today was indeed simply a result of the three factors listed above. I’m very wary of overtraining myself into misery given that I’ve had a pretty rapid mileage buildup this cycle, and I’d rather run the race on less mileage and fresh legs than more mileage and dead legs. I’m pretty confident that my aerobic fitness and speed are where they need to be, it’s my legs that I’m worried about. You can expect that I’ll be looking to Caleb for guidance!

Workout Summary:

Monday: Planned off day.

Tuesday: 3.03 miles at 8:19 pace. Easy run in the adidas Energy Boost. Too much heel for my taste, but better than previous runs in the shoe. Definitely built for a pronounced heel striker, so not a good match for me.

Wednesday: 9.03 miles at 7:46 pace. Solid 6 mile progressive run, followed by 3 easy. Didn’t feel great out there, but got it done. Saucony Fastwitch 6 on the feet. Splits:
1 08:41.7
2 08:09.9
3 07:41.1
4 07:22.7
5 07:02.7
6 06:45.5
7 08:05.9
8 08:06.3
9 08:03.6

Thursday: 2.6 walk-jog miles with my 5K Yes I Can! team.

Friday: Family in town, took the day off.

Saturday: Family in town, took the day off.

Sunday: 20.05 miles at 8:10 pace. Ran 20 miles in 2:43:39. Got it done, but it hurt a bit in the last 5 miles. Kept the pace steady throughout, finished strong with a 7:24 mile 20. Saucony Virrata on the feet – love the shoe, but calves were sore at the end so may opt for a 4mm heel lift for the marathon. Stopped mid-way for a gel and 16oz of Nuun. Sick of the wind!!! Splits:

1 08:29.2
2 08:08.7
3 08:13.9
4 08:15.2
5 08:22.9
6 08:15.8
7 08:16.0
8 08:14.5
9 08:17.6
10 08:17.8
11 08:12.3
12 08:21.1
13 08:02.8
14 07:59.3
15 07:59.3
16 08:07.1
17 08:11.2
18 08:12.7
19 08:04.5
20 07:23.9
21 :23.7

Low mileage week, but glad I got in a solid 20 miler.

Caleb’s plan next week (April  22-28):

• Easy Miles: 5, single run

• Strength Routines: Taekwondo

• Workout 1 (Tuesday/Wednesday): 10 miles total.  Warm up for 25 minutes, then run one fartlek cycle:
  • 6 minutes on (at moderate/hard effort)
  • 2 minutes recovery
  • 5 minutes on
  • 2 minutes recovery
  • 4 minutes on
  • 2 minutes recovery
  • 3 minutes on
  • 2 minutes recovery
  • 2 minutes on
  • 2 minutes recovery
  • 1 minute HARD

Cool down to reach mileage for the day.

• Workout 2 (Thursday/Friday): 10 miles total.  Warm and cool distances are up to you.  Meat of the workout is 6 x 2k.  Run paces between MP and HMP for the first 4, then push hard for #5, and then ease back to MP/HMP for the last rep.  2:00 jog recoveries in between repeats.
• Long (Saturday/Sunday): 18 miles with some quality. Run the first 10 easy, then for the remaining 8 miles run the first 60 seconds of each mile at a moderate to hard effort, and run the remainder easy. Be sure to fuel like a marathon for this one, so you don’t bonk late in the run!