6 WEEKS UNTIL THE MARATHON

Daily Quote: "'Training,' one American coach once told me, 'is a 24-hour proposition.' Even if you struggle to live up to this standard, you can still heed the idea behind the words: If you want to get the most out of your running, you need to think about how your style of living fits around your running." --Richard Nerurkar, from his book, "Marathon Running."

I've been lax lately maintaining this blog as my marathon training has become all encompassing due to time restraints of my working 12-hours as a cab driver. I don't watch much television, but do spend an inordinate amount of time on the Internet, which I have curtailed as my mileage becomes ever increasing. My lifestyle will return to normal in December in six weeks!

8:00 a.m. Long Run. 23 miles. Time, 3:30. Overall pace, 9:10 minute miles. Clear, 69-75 degrees, wind NW at 12mph. Out-and-back on the Las Vegas Marathon course. Ran the last three miles at marathon pace of 8:00 minute miles. Average heart rate 147 bpm. Cardiac Drift 169 bpm. I had a soreness on my left foot, left large toe joint, which I'll RICE throughout today and tomorrow. Overall, I'm quite pleased with my effort today, the three miles at marathon pace was strong with no problems, and I'm overflowing with confidence!

Today is my longest marathon training run I've ever accomplished, in the past my longest marathon training run had been 20 milers, but this year's training is not only a build-up for the marathon, but also a train-through for my very first ultra-marathon in April.

SUMMARY FOR WEEK OF OCTOBER 20-26, 2008

I have six weeks left until the 2008 Las Vegas Marathon!! I only have three more hard weeks before I begin my marathon taper. Last week I ran a total of 94 miles, which is my highest mileage week ever!! I only need to add six more miles to reach a 100 mile training week, which is something I wondered if my body could ever accomplish and this year is becoming more possible. This week is several "firsts," I ran 94 miles in a week, ran my longest training mileage in a day of 22 miles, and incorporated three doubles in a week.

I've lost two pounds and I'm currently 172 pounds on a six foot frame. I'm surprised I haven't lost more weight due to my higher mileage, but I've been eating pretty well during the weekends. I'd like to reach my racing weight of 165 pounds that's still possible with six weeks to go.

I did only one weight circuit training session as I didn't have enough time to squeeze in a weight workout, I don't know how I'll incorporate it into next week's training either.

I managed to sleep 7-8 hours nightly, and still maintained my usual morning heart rates of 38-41 bpm. I hope to stay on track with my sleeping next week too. Keeping off the computer when I get home from work has helped tremendously with my sleeping enough hours, which is very important if I wish to increase my mileage further.

A short recap of last week's training:
Monday: Long Run, 22 miles.
Tuesday: Doubles, Recovery Runs. AM: 6 miles. PM: 8 miles.
Wednesday: Tempo Run, 8 miles.
Thursday: Doubles, Recovery Runs. AM: 6 miles. PM: 8 miles.
Friday: Medium Long Run, 16 miles.
Saturday: Recovery Runs. AM: 4 miles. PM: 6 miles.
Sunday: General Aerobic Run, 10 miles.
Total Weekly Mileage: 94 miles!