Buffalo Creek Training: Week 4

For a short week, and I call this a short week because I had a race Friday night so I had to rest more days than normal it actually turned out to be a good week.

Monday: Rest day - I moved my rest day to Monday's because now that I am starting to add the mileage on my Sunday long runs my legs will need a bit of break to recover.

Tuesday: Speed Work: I headed to the local track to run 3 X 1600's.  My first mile was ran in 6:25 and when I finished I was gasping for air. I decided for my next 2 miles that I would use my phone and record myself running. What I found out was pretty useful. When I am alone on a track I will run with my head down as if I am looking at the track. When I am running with someone or in a race I will tuck behind a person and look forward at them.  This would explain why I have trouble running my speed workouts by myself.  Let me explain, put your chin on your chest and breathe in through your nose and out your mouth, now take your head and lift it up and look straight ahead and breathe. You will see that when your head is straight you allow for more oxygen to reach your lungs. This is something I really need to make sure I pay attention too.

Wednesday: Since it was brutally hot out I decided to head to the gym and run my 5 miles on the treadmill. I made sure to be aware of where my head was and where I was looking, and I ended up running one of best 5 miles in a while. I ran at a 8:05 pace but I felt so good and it was such an easy run. After I did a few arm workouts.

Thursday: Rest Day: Even though the race on Friday is a 1 miler I wanted to make sure my legs were fresh.

Friday: THE LIBERTY MILE: during recent runs and having already ran a mile race at 6:10 this year I set a goal for myself of 5:40-6:00 minutes. I was a little thrown off at the start when I realized the team challenge runners were in our heat. In the years past they had their own race. The race director asked them to all come to the front, and I was pushed back to the 4th line. As the gun fired I had to hold my friend Kevin back who was ready to shoot out of the start since we kids ahead of us. Kevin and I both made our way to the bike lane, but it was difficult to get into a steady pace with people cutting everyone off.  We went through our first quarter mile at 1:45, which is slow for me. I don't think we really picked up the speed that much but at the half way point we were at a 3:03. As Kevin and I got to the end I was able to see the clock and tell I missed my goal time. Kevin sped up a bit and finished in what I thought was 6:00, but results say 6:06. When I crossed I looked up and saw 6:08, but results say 6:15.  Overall I don't care too much about missing my goal for this race. I enjoy the race and getting to run in the city at night, and It was awesome to hear all of my friends cheering me on from the sides.

Saturday: I ended up taking a 3rd rest day for the week, not by choice but due to the amount of alcohol I drank Friday after the race. I could tell that I was a bit dehydrated and spent most of the day drinking water getting ready for my long run on Sunday.

Sunday: TODAY: I headed out to North Park for a 90 minute long run. I ended up getting just over 11 miles in, and for the most part I felt really good. I got to see a lot of familiar on my faces including Steph twice as we passed each other on our loops around the lake. After my run I came home and did a few push ups and crunches. I am doing another 30 day challenge and it calls for crunches, push ups and squats. I skipped the squats since I just ran.

Next week I have the Battle Frog race, so this week I am going to really try and get in some mileage. I am doing the extreme race, 6 hours to do as many laps as I can. I still have to find a person to be my crew member and hold my drinks and clothes and help me when I need it the layover part of the course. 

How did you do if you ran the Liberty Mile?
How was your week?

Buffalo Creek Half Training Week 3

With the race being 11 weeks out I am trying to make sure that each week I progress more than the last week. Last week I felt like I had a really good week and it would be a good week to build off of. This week also was my last full week before the Liberty Avenue Mile so I wanted to make sure to get in some good speed workouts.  Here is how the week went down.

MONDAY- I noticed on Sunday that my legs weren't as strong as they were a few months ago when I was in top training form so I needed to hit up the gym. I started out by running 3.1 miles on the treadmill in 25:12. After my run I did a hour leg workout. I can tell that I am going to have to throw in more leg workouts over this cycle because my hips were hurting pretty good.

TUESDAY- Steel City Road Runners had time trials for the Liberty Ave. Mile. I went down and was planning on running in them but after 2 laps my leg got tight so I decided to pull back and go do my own time trial. The problem was I didn't stretch or warm up before the time trial which was very stupid on my part and very dangerous. When I went to the track by myself and warmed up and stretched properly my leg was fine and I ended up running a 5:57. I am getting closer and closer to where I want to be.

WEDNESDAY-  I had all plans of just running a half decent 5 miles, nothing to fast but not too slow. I ended up running the 5 miles while managing to do negative splits. My first mile was a 9:13 and felt really slow and by the time I finished my last mile was a 7:02. I felt really good and it was a huge confidence booster.

THURSDAY- The wife and I were going to the Pirate game and luckily I got out of work a bit early and was able to do some workouts at home. I did some burpees, push ups and sit-ups. For a home workout I still managed to break a sweat and do a pretty good workout.

FRIDAY- Rest Day- Went to the Pirate game with my friend Russ and got to see 2 home runs hit out of the park, then found out that the stadium has a bar after the game where all cans of beer are only 2.50, it was a win for everyone that night.

SATURDAY- I have yet to run any course by my new house so I decided to go explore on a run. I didn't want to really time the run but I needed my GPS watch to track the distance. I was able to make a 4 mile course only problem was it was so humid out and it is all hills. I know I was going to be running slow but I had no idea that it was going to be such a hard run. I ended up running 10 minute miles. I haven't ran that slow in a while, and it actually didn't even feel like I was going slow.

SUNDAY- Today I woke up and headed to North Park to run 8 miles. Once again it was so damn humid and to make it worst there was a race going on. I ran opposite of the race and tried to stay as far as I could from the runners and walkers, but it was very difficult to get into a rhythm. My pace was jumping from 8:50 up to 9:40 depending on how much people dodging I did. Around mile 4 is when I felt a horrible stomach pain. I ran through it but the pain got worst and at mile 5 the urge to use the bathroom hit me like a ton of bricks. I have never had an accident on a run, but today came damn close, thank god there are so many port-o-potty's at the park. The pain never went away though and with the humidity I was only able to go 6 miles.  I was pissed but I would rather this happen early in the training rather than later.  The humidity this past week was really rough to run in and it just made breathing so hard, but I will take this over the winter months any day.

How did your week go? How do you battle the humid days on your runs?

Columbus Training Week 6: Plus a Liberty Mile

      Another week has gone by and I am another week closer to the Columbus Marathon.  This weeks training was a little altered due to the Liberty Ave. Mile. 

MONDAY:  I ran 5 miles at 8:03 pace. I did a course that was fairly easy with only a few hills. I once again was working on form and stride.

TUESDAY: I decided on a harder course and ran 6 miles.  I finished with a pace of 8:30. One thing I noticed this day was when I started I felt as if it was going to be a really bad day. My legs were tight and my head just wasn't into the run.  I thought I was moving so slow.  When I finished and looked down at my Garmin I was pleasantly surprised to see I ran it in a decent time. I also picked up speed through out the whole run.

WEDNESDAY: SPEED WORKOUT:  I am not sure what got into me this day but I felt unstoppable on the track.  I was doing 800 meter repeats with a one lap walk in between.  My average time was a 2:35 and I ended up doing 5 of them before switching into 400 meter repeats. My average time on these was a 1:15.  I ended up doing 5 of them.  I finished the workout with 3 600 meter repeats at a sprint speed.  When I finished I felt like I could do so much more, but the sun was setting and I had already spent a good amount of time on the track so I decided to call it quits.

THURSDAY: With the Liberty Mile the next day I decided to go to the gym and cross train rather than kill my legs.  I rode the bike for 3 miles followed by some AB workouts and some machines that work on your hips. 

FRIDAY: THE LIBERTY MILE: I finished work at 4:30 and decided to I would go meet my cousin Chris (@chrismith6944) at his work since we both work right near downtown.  We walked into town and sat around for a half hour or so going over the course.  We both noticed that the start on Penn Avenue would be a slight up hill for the first half. Nothing major but for someone who was inexperienced this could screw them up.  This was Chris's first time running a mile race.  I told him take it out at a pace he was used to and then once he got around the half way point see what he had left and explode.  He wanted to run under 9 minutes. He also wanted to be the person who didn't eat shit as he put it (falling down while running).  At around 5:30 we walked over to Market Square to check out what was going on and too pick up our friend Anna's packet to save her some time.  While there we ran into Jennifer and her husband Dave. It was finally nice to meet them both and they are really cool people.  We also ran into Chelsea and all were going over our goal times.  It seemed like they were all going for right around the same time.  After meeting Anna we headed to the start to do some stretching and warming up. We ended up also taking some pictures at the start and running into everyone again.  I said my goodbye and headed to the front of the race.  I was shooting for a sub 6 minute mile.  When the gun sounded I took off and felt really comfortable. I tried to keep my head down and not look at who was around me. I was also trying not to look at the turn around.  From the start you could see the turn around and it didn't look far but in reality it was a half mile away.  Once you made the turn onto Liberty you could see the finish, but it too was a half mile away. I was afraid I would look up and start running too fast too early.  When I came up on the finish I intended to start my kick with around 200 meters left.  For some reason when I came up on the 200 meter sign I psyched myself out saying it was too far to start sprinting and held back until 100 meters.  I always kick with 200 meters left on a track so I am not sure why this threw me off.  I crossed the line in 6:01 and some change.  I finished 22nd in our race and 4th in my age group.  As I made my way to grab some water I watched everyone else cross the line. Chris came across in 7:58 and Anna in 8:15.  Everyone beat the times they set out for.  Well everyone but me, but I am fine with that. I would much rather watch other people succeed over me any day. We once again met Jennifer and Dave at the finish and we all looked like death.  Coughing, breathing funny, and some of us looked like we ran a marathon rather than a mile race. 

   This race is always one of my favorites and I am already looking forward to running it next year.  Next year I am going to put in a little more speed workout just for the mile and really try to see what I can do.  This is one race if you live in Pittsburgh or are in the area you need to do.  The crowd is awesome and it seemed like all the runners were trying to help motivate each other and feed off one another.  It was truly a great time!


SATURDAY: When I woke up my legs were in some pain. I was having leg spasm's all night and I wasn't sure how my legs were going to hold up during my run that day.  I met my friend @jstepsrun for a run.  She said she could do around 7 miles, so I decided to take her on my 7 mile hill course as I like to call it.  It is a challenging course, but if you can run it then you can do any 7 mile course.  We went out slow and slowly picked up the pace.  She did awesome keeping up and I may have fucked with her breathing by talking to her.  What can I say I like to bullshit when I run with people, makes the time go quicker.  I am looking forward to running with her again next time she is in Pittsburgh and maybe @donniebrunnin will be able to join us as well.   I planned on going back out to do some more miles later in the day but the spasm's started back up so I decided to take it easy.

SUNDAY: Today me and my wife are driving to Erie to take her friend out who lost a family member out to lunch. Some times there are more important things in life than running.  If I get home early enough I will do some core workout in my house. If it is too late then I am okay with missing a day and using it as a rest day.  There is always tomorrow!!!!

How did you do at the Liberty Mile?
How is your training for fall races coming along?

Columbus Training: Week 5

     Like most normal marathon trainings I have done, I am finding once you start the training the weeks start to fly by.  I am already in my fifth week of training and I can not believe how quickly this race is approaching.  Last week I ended with 29 miles and the goal for this week was to get somewhere around 33 or so.  Lets see how I did......

MONDAY: I did 5 miles at a 8:30 pace.  It seems like I have adapted Mondays as my day to work on form. I am gaining some time and my times seems to have picked up with less energy being used. However I am still far from perfecting this.  I noticed when I run up hills I revert back to my old form.  Being short for a distant runner I have always struggled with my stride. I have what is known as quick feet.  I take short strides but can go at a much faster speed than most people.  I have said before in a sprint there is very few distant runners that can beat me.  It's a curse, if a race comes down to a sprint I feel I have an advantage. On the other side though, it takes me double the effort to go the distance as a person with a 5 foot stride.  When I start to tire on runs I forget about the form and soon start taking short steps.  I will perfect this over time!!

TUESDAY: I was at work and I debated all day whether or not I should run with the heat and humidity being so high.  I even tweeted "tonight's running forecast calls for sweaty balls and a drenched tank top." After going back and forth I decided to take on the weather and run outside. I even threw caution to the wind and decided on a tempo run. If I was going to push it the limit what a better way. I did 4.5 miles and I was really happy with the results. My first mile was a 8:45. My second and third mile I dropped down to a 7:15 and finished with my last 1.5 miles at a 8:35 pace.  I was actually surprised with how good I felt after the run.  They say fall PR's are done by running through the heat of the summer. I am hoping I can bring some truth to that statement.

WEDNESDAY: I ran 6 miles at a 8:35 pace. One thing I did with this run was I chose a course that was very hilly.  There was very little flat land on this course.  My legs were screaming when I finished, but I really challenged myself with the run and look forward to adding some miles onto the course and making it harder.

THURSDAY:  I used this day as my rest day, I desperately needed this too.  My shins were starting to get sore and I was afraid of the dreaded shin splints.  When I went to bed that evening I put on my Zensah Compression calf socks and when I woke up I felt a lot better. 

FRIDAY: I didn't want to go for a real long this day because I knew I would be running a 5K race on Saturday morning and wanted fresh legs.  I did 4 miles at a 9:00 pace. 

SATURDAY: When I woke up I debated on running the Turtle Trot 5K, but after talking to my friend Anna I decided I would run it.  Since the race was only a mile from my house I decided to jog down to register as a warm up.  It noticed the humidity drastically increased from my jog down to the start of the race. My goal was run somewhere in the 21 or 22 minute mark.  I ended up with 23:32, I was unhappy but I quickly realized the humidity affected a lot of the runners and I still took 2nd in my age group.  One nice thing was the course was all flat with just one small upgrade.  The winning time was 14:34, so you can see just how fast the course was.  I will post a recap of the race on Thursday.  If you live in Pittsburgh and want a fast course I highly recommend you add this to your list next year.  The competition was very good and it is a well organized race.  Instead of running home I decided to just catch a ride with my friend Anna.  The heat beat me down and I was ready to go home and rest.  I still managed to get 4.5 miles in with the jog down and the 5K race.

SUNDAY:  Today I am planning on doing my long run of 12 miles however the weather looks like it may be throwing a monkey wrench in my plans. If I can not get my run in outside I will go to the gym and do a little less and add some strength training in as well.  No matter what I will run at least 6 miles though.

Total Mileage for the week: 24 plus whatever I do today.  Not bad but I am disappointed I didn't get my real long run on the rode.

Next week: goal is to be around 38 miles for the week.  Also the Liberty Avenue Mile is Friday night and I am excited to see some of my twitter friends at the start.  If you are there look out for me, I will be wearing the outfit I have in the picture above.  I am shooting for around a 5:30 mile.

If you are training for a fall race how is your training going?
Does the heat and humidity affect your runs?

Columbus Training Week 4: time to amp up training!!!

      This week I went into my training knowing I had to get back into a good routine.  The last few weeks I have been out of my routine due to different events.  I have been pretty good about still working around the events and logging my miles, but I still like to get into a set rhythm in which I know what each day holds. With this being week 4 of Columbus Marathon training I also wanted to amp up the training a bit.

MONDAY: I ran 4 miles at a 8:40 pace.  I wanted to work on my stride again since I still haven't perfected making it longer.  I felt really good though and I am starting to see some improvements on my stride, all though it is still a work in progress.

TUESDAY: I ran 6 miles at a 8:35 pace.  I started out feeling really good on this run then around the 4th mile I noticed my hamstrings were in a lot of pain.  It felt as though if they had been over worked. It was weird because I haven't done to much to tire them out.  I struggled for my last 2 miles, but I didn't give up and I finished.  I was not happy with the run because I wanted to finish at an even 8 minute mile pace, but the positive was I kept moving and finished. 

WEDNESDAY: The dreaded speed workout day!!!  I went to the track and ran 4 mile intervals, walking a lap after each mile.  My goal was to set my fist mile at race pace and then drop a few seconds on the following 3 miles.  Mile 1- 7:25, I figure this is somewhere right around the pace I will need to qualify for Boston.    Mile 2-  7:10, I actually was starting to feel better the more I ran, I could feel my legs loosing up and my breathing was under control still.  Mile 3- 6:58,  I noticed on this mile that I have the tendency to hold back on my early laps and try to pick up speed on the final 2.  Mile 4- 6:30, I kept a solid pace the whole 4 laps and when I finished I still had a lot in the tank.  My speed workout days used to be what I dreaded the most and now I look forward to them because I am starting to see a payoff from it. 

THURSDAY: I ran 5 miles. The goal was to run it at race pace and finish around 36 minutes.  This did not happen. Instead I went faster than race pace and finished in 34 minutes.  I felt really good and had no pains in my body at all.  I honestly think the cross training and the speed workouts are really playing a huge role in my progression.  After the Pittsburgh Marathon I really started to focus on my body more. I eat better, I lift more, and I do push myself on speed workouts. All things I didn't do as much as I should in previous training.

FRIDAY: I knew going into this week that I would have to use this day as a rest day.  Since I entered the 48 hour film competition, I knew I would have to go to the viewing this night.  There were 10 teams in my group and I honestly think we had the second or third best movie in the group.  We also brought about 40 people with us and those votes will really help make us look better. We should know in the next day or 2 who gets invited back for the final 12 to be judged and a chance to win awards.  Later this week I will post the link so you can enjoy the whole 7 minute film. 

SATURDAY: When I woke up and looked out the window I saw the rain and immediately thought, "this is going to suck!." I had to drop my car off for inspection and had no other way home so I knew I was still running.  Once I start running in the rain I always find myself enjoying it more than any other run.  Maybe because it takes me back to the days when it would rain and I would make paper boats to throw in the stream as it rushed down the street.  As much as I dread it at first I always have my best runs in the rain.  I set out for a 10 mile run on a very hilly and challenging course.  I normally bring my ipod for music on long runs, but I didn't want to ruin it so I went naked ( no music).  People may have drove by and thought I was crazy for not only running in the rain but talking to myself as well. I found myself yelling at a hill as I went up it and then repeating out loud "no one is going to do it for you Shaun, this is all you." I was drenched after my run, but I felt really good and ran a nice pace.

SUNDAY: (TODAY)- I will do my cross training.  AB workout with some chest workout thrown in as well.  I am just about finished with my 30 day AB challenge. I had to stretch it a few days because I missed some here and there.  I don't see a visual change but I can feel a change. I am able to do more crunches and I can hold a plank longer. Instead of just saying, oh well I did the challenge, I am finished. I think I will continue to do an AB workout daily to help with my overall core.

Total miles for the week = 29
Next week I am hoping to end somewhere around 33-35 

*Any Pittsburgh runners that are planning on running Run Around the Square in August I suggest registering if you haven't yet.  I heard that they are getting close to selling out.  If you haven't ran this I suggest you do.  It's hands down probably one of the best local races in Pittsburgh, plus they have a lot of beer at the finish line for you!!!!!

*Also the Liberty Mile is less than 2 weeks away and the elite runners coming are very good as usual. This may be one of my favorite races of the year. I am only doing the fun run because I didn't feel like going to the heats to get into the under 6 minute mile race.  Plus I like to get done early and watch the other races. 

How is your training coming for upcoming races?