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?

One Week Till Race Day

     7 days, 1 week it doesn't matter how you say it, but that is all that stands between many of us and the start of the Pittsburgh Marathon.

The city will be our backdrop and the fans will be our motivation.  We will be standing in crowded corrals wishing the person next to us the best of luck.   Months of preparation have gone into this day and it will be time to let it all hang out. 
The weather has been an issue for most peoples training and as of today it looks as though mother nature may actually be on our side come race day.  61 and partly sunny is the forecast. Of course this can change, but lets hope not. 



     I started my tapering a week ago, so this week of training was a lot of shorter runs with a lot of stretching and massaging my legs.  Monday I did a quick 4 miles at an 8 min. pace. I didn't want to miss the start of the Penguins game so I was trying to just get the run done.  Tuesday I did some foam rolling followed by an electric massager on my calf muscles. Wednesday I took the day off and just relaxed.  Thursday I met up with my friend Val and took her to do my hill workout. It was her first time doing a hill as big as the one I train on and she couldn't make it all the way up.  Since I was in taper mode it didn't bother me and I was happy to walk a little with her. We tried to do the hill twice and then ran another mile afterwards.  I will be taking her again this week to do the hill. I know she can do it, it will just take some time like it took me.  Friday was another day of stretching and foam rolling.  Saturday I decided to do my last medium distance run.
It was just 7 miles but I used it as my last dress rehearsal, and what I would consume before the race.   I think I have found a really good combination of some super foods and supplements that keep me energized for a good amount.  I will share my secret after the race. I want to make sure it actually holds up for the long distance before I release my secret.   After my run I put on my compression sleeves and wore them most of the day, and it really helped with any pains that were left over.

I took a pic of my race outfit just incase anyone see's me stop over and say hi.  I am in corral A and will be wearing bib number 635. Most people put their name above the number so fans can yell their name as they go by.  My bib says "4 U DAD" . It is me paying homage to the person that got me to where I am and it is also me calling him out. I told him when he reads it make sure he knows it should say I am coming for you. I am coming to take down his best time in a marathon and I am coming to set a new PR for myself.

 

    What you see in the Pic above is my Saucony shoes with matching Saucony racing tank, Zensah compression calf sleeves( these sleeves are what always works for me) my padded socks that just so happens to match the color of my shoes. Black running shorts with the matching black Under Armour head band.   So if you see this color coordinated fool give me a holler if your a fan and if your a runner come stop by and say hello.

 

Thursday I will be posting some tips for race day that have helped me out a lot. So if this is your first marathon or first Pittsburgh Marathon they may help you out.

 

What corral are you in?

Are ready for the race? trained properly and took all the proper steps to ensure a good race?