4 Weeks Until Boston

Daily Quote: "During training, we encourage our marathoners to start eating breakfast---even if they aren't breakfast people--to help prevent 'bonk.' When someone bonks, we quiz them about what they ate that day. Inevitably, they have skipped breakfast. They learn never to do that again!" --Matt Keil, San Jose, CA (from the book, "Nancy Clark's Food Guide for Marathoners.")

Today is the last 20-miler for this training period!! My training schedule in "Runner's World, Run Less, Run Faster" has me running the 20-miler at a fast pace, 8:38 minute per mile!! This is going to be a challenge as my last Half Marathon, "Salt Lake City Half-Marathon," was at a 8:21 minute per mile pace. My last marathon, the "2007 Zappos Las Vegas Marathon," was at a 8:34 minute pace...hence I'll be running very close to marathon's race pace today!

Set my Garmin Forerunner 305 virtual training partner, "Garfield" for distance and pace. It's going to be tough to beat him today!

Started run early, 7:00 a.m., as the temperature in Vegas will reach the low 80's today. The temperature at the start was 50 degrees and ended the run at 67 degrees, with the wind ENE at 5 mph. Today's course will be an out-and-back from home to Red Rock Canyon.

I managed to stay in front of Garfield for the first 15 miles, but he eased past me as I climbed the overpass at HWY 95. The next two miles I struggled to catch up to him and eventually passed him at mile 18 and somehow stayed in front the rest of way home. My average heart rate was 154 bpm and cardiac drift was 161 bpm. My body feels like it just finished a race, legs are hammered and sore, large blister on left foot's arch, and totally exhausted.


FOUR WEEKS UNTIL BOSTON MARATHON REPORT: MARCH 17-23, 2008

Finished 12th week of marathon training and ran only 33 miles as I'm still following the guidelines of "FIRST Training Program" as explained in "Runner's World, Run Less, Run Faster" book, but rather than just doing two cross-training sessions per week I did three cross-training days last week as to promote additional weight loss.

I lost two pounds!! I'm now 170 pounds on a six foot frame. My race weight for the "2007 Zappos Las Vegas Marathon" was 172 pounds and I'm thrilled that I should be lighter and perhaps faster for Boston! I would like to eventually reach 165 pounds, but that goal may not be accomplished in time for Boston.

I had no problems completing three sessions of weight circuit training last week as Vegas didn't have any major conventions. The last two weeks of tapering I'm considering of temporarily ceasing weights until after the race as to fully recuperate.

I've been sleeping very well last week, averaging 7-8 hours of sound sleep, and my morning heart rates have returned to normal, approximately 39-42 bpm.

A short recap of last week's training:
Monday: Long Run, 15 miles.
Tuesday: Cross-training, weight circuit training and stationary cycle.
Wednesday: Tempo Run, 11 miles.
Thursday: Cross-training, weight circuit training and stationary cycle.
Friday: Intervals, 7 miles.
Saturday: Cross-training, weight circuit training and stationary cycle.
Sunday: EASTER. Rest Day.
Total running miles: 33 miles.