Extra Recovery

Daily Quote: "As you get in better shape, your heart gets more efficient, it pumps more powerfully, with greater stroke volume, and thus your resting pulse gets lower. So low, in fact, that many runners have had the entertaining experience of watching medical personnel get all exercised while taking their pulse or blood pressure. I had one nurse throw away two blood pressure cuffs in a row, claiming that they had leaks. She was wrinkling her brow over the third one when I told her I was a runner, which elicited a sigh of relief and the immediate recycling of the discarded cuffs." --John L. Parker, Jr., from his book, Heart Monitor Training for the Compleat Idiot."

My morning heart rate this morning was 49 bpm, still a little high from my normal morning heart rates of 38-41 bpm, which means I'm still in need of another Recovery Run.

Yesterday morning when I awoke my heart rate was a high 55 bpm, and my recovery run had a higher heart rate average of 148 bpm. Today is normally my scheduled Medium Long Run, but decided to run another Recovery Run, shorter and slower, as to assure I'm ready for my next hard run. I'll postpone my Medium Long Run for tomorrow depending on what my morning heart rate.

9:00 a.m. Recovery Run. 5 miles. Time, 50 minutes. Overall pace, 10 minute miles. 24 Hour Fitness at Alta and Rainbow. Life Fitness Treadmill set at a 1% grade, 6 mph. Average heart rate 144 bpm. Cardiac drift 150 bpm. (Note, my maximum heart rate is 190 bpm.) Shoes. New Balance 720.

My average heart rate was barely in the zone, although I had lower my speed and shortened the distance. I hope I'll be ready for tomorrow's Medium Long Run, if not, then I'll do it on Sunday instead. I'll be sleeping in later tomorrow with the hopes that will help lower my morning heart rate.

Morning Heart Rate, 55 bpm.

Daily Quote: "A higher-than-usual morning resting rate can give you advance warning of overtraining or of an oncoming bug, and thus give you that much more time to doctor yourself, back off on training, or to spend more time in bed." --John L. Parker, Jr., from his book, Heart Monitor Training for the Compleat Idiot."

My normal morning heart rates are approximately 38-41 bpm, imagine my surprise when I awoke and saw my heart rate was 55 bpm!! It's definitely a warning sign, fortunately next week is my scheduled cut-back, recovery week, BUT I still have one more hard workout yet this week, my Medium-Long Run. I should postpone tomorrow's Medium Long Run until Saturday, maybe longer depending on how my heart rate responds.

8:00 a.m. Recovery Run. 6 miles. Time, 59 minutes. Overall pace, 9:50 minute miles. 24 Hour Fitness at Alta and Rainbow. Life Fitness Treadmill set at a 1% grade, 6.1 mph. Average heart rate 148 bpm. Cardiac drift 153 bpm. (Note, my maximum heart rate is 190 bpm.) Shoes, Nike Air Structures.

Not surprisingly, my easy Recovery Run heart rates are higher today too! Tomorrow, I'll do another easy run, but at a slower 6.0 mph for only five miles as to allow my body extra recovery time.

17 Miler

Daily Quote: "This (long) run does wonders for building your aerobic capacity by triggering your body to produce more extensive capillary beds. That's how oxygen gets into your muscles from your bloodstream. As your muscles improve oxygen uptake, all your runs will go better, because more of the oxygen from your lungs gets to your muscles, creating better efficiency. For those of you who want to be faster, the long run is what gives you the aerobic base to apply to speed training later on." --Danny Dreyer from his unique running book, "Chi Running."

Next week is my cut-back/recovery week and today plan to make the most of my Long Run today, not only the longest run this year, but at a tad faster progressive pace.

8:00 a.m. 24 Hour Fitness, Alta and Rainbow location. Long Run. Life Fitness Treadmill set at a 1% grade. 17 miles. Time, 2:42. First 8 miles at 6.2 mph (9:40 minute miles), next 9 miles at 6.3 mph (9:31 minute miles). Average heart rate: 149 bpm. Cardiac Drift 157 bpm. (Note: my maximum heart rate is 190 bpm) Shoes: New Balance 720.

Tough run!! No aches nor pain. I wasn't happy with my heart rate numbers, which is a little higher than I wished, but hopefully my body will adjust to the speed and distances, I still have 19 weeks of training left before the "2009 Las Vegas Marathon."

I tried something different today, I tried not to listen to music or watch television for the first hour, than slapped on the my earphones as a reward for the rest of the run. Listened to the library's CD, "Everything To Everyone," by the group Barenaked Ladies. (What these kids call themselves today!!)

I drank a large swallow of Cytomax (the drink that will be on this year's marathon course) every three miles, which worked very well, wasn't thirsty at all, but did notice I was two pounds lighter after my run...should drink a little more fluids during my next long run.

Repeat Hill Program

Daily Quote: "These are the things to remember on the uphills: Shorten your stride, lean forward, swing your arms up to your face, relax your legs, keep your heels down. Relaxing your legs will reduce your perceived exertion level and leave you with the sense that running uphill is not much more difficult than running on a level surface." ----Danny Dreyer from his unique running book, "Chi Running."

Today I plan to repeat last week's hill program on the gym's treadmill, which challenges me with intervals of multiple hills and valleys with each hill becoming progressively more difficult.

8:00 a.m. 24 Hour Fitness Gym, Alta & Rainbow location. Life Fitness Treadmill, Hill Program, Level 5 (the highest hill will be at a 5% grade), speed set at 6.3 mph (9:31 minute miles) for 6 miles. Time, 57:06 minutes. Average heart rate, 158 bpm. Cardiac drift, 165 bpm. (Note: my maximum heart rate is 190 bpm) Drank 16 ounces of Cytomax during the run (the featured drink at this year's "2009 Rock n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon"). Shoes: New Balance 720.

No aches nor pain, but during the last 3/4 mile my left shoe lace came untied and I continued running the hill program, all the while the lashes whipping my ankles...I just didn't want to stop so close to completing the hills. I felt like a sailor being punished from "Mutiny on the Bounty."

I might be ready to increase the speed of the hill program to 6.5 mph next week, depending how my body feels next Monday. Next week is a cut-back week, therefore, maybe decrease mileage by one mile for the hills, but o.k. to increase speed a tad?

Hidden treasure! I'm 1/3 finished with my canister of Cytomax and discovered a surprise, a small plastic scoop!! Now I know what size a scoop.

Tomorrow will be a welcomed Recovery Run.

SUMMARY, JULY 20-26, 2009

Daily Quote: "Once I went into Chinatown in San Francisco to buy a pair of T'ai Chi shoes. When I told the Chinese woman behind the counter what I wanted, she took one look at the running shoes I had on and said, 'I don't understand why Americans wear shoes like that...all they do is make your feet stupid.' What she was implying, in a not too subtle way, was the less shoe you have on your foot, the more your foot will educate your body to move correctly." --Danny Dreyer from his different running book, "Chi Running."


The more I read about minimalist shoes and/or barefoot running the more I understand how important it is to run with "less" shoes. Once I wear out both of my stability shoes, (New Balance 720 and NIKE Air Structures), I'll be purchasing minimalist shoes for my future training.

9:00 a.m. General Aerobic Run, 8 miles. Time, 1:17 Overall pace, 9:40 minute miles. 24 Hour Fitness Health Club on Alta Road/Rainbow. Life Fitness Treadmill set at a 1% grade. All eight miles at 6.2 mph (9:40 minute miles) Average heart rate 144 bpm. Cardiac Drift 150 bpm. (Note, my maximum heart rate is 190 bpm.) Shoes, Nike Air Structures. Body feels great, no aches nor pain and my next General Aerobic Run I'll run progressively, with slightly faster speed.



SUMMARY, JULY 20-26, 2009


Second week of base training and ran a total of 57 miles. I've continued my running streak and haven't had a day without running since February 14th. I plan on adding more mileage this week, but the following week will be a cut-back week as to recovery for the next four week cycle. Only 19 weeks until the 2009 Las Vegas Marathon.

No circuit weight training last week because I had hurt my right shoulder on the shoulder press machine. I attempted to lift weights yesterday, but shoulder is still sore. I'll try again next week to lift weights.

I lost THREE pounds last week!! I now weigh 173 pounds on a six foot frame. I usually strive to lose only one pound per week and don't know what contributed to the weight loss as my diet is pretty much the same and my running mileage wasn't drastically higher than the previous week. I might have lost upper body mass since I've had my shoulder injury two weeks ago and unable to do weight circuit training, which might have contributed to losing more weight than normal. My racing weight is 170 pounds and I'm close to reaching my goal weight.

My sleeping patterns have been good, especially since I haven't been lifting weights immediately after work, and I'm still sleeping 7-8 hours nightly. I've been able to get extra rest during the weekends due to long afternoon naps. My morning heart rates have been approximately 38-41 bpm.

A short recap of last week's training:
Monday: Hill Program, 6 miles.
Tuesday: Recovery Run, 5 miles.
Wednesday: Long Run, 16 miles.
Thursday: Recovery Run, 6 miles.
Friday: Medium Long Run, 10 miles.
Saturday: Recovery Run, 6 miles.
Sunday: General Aerobic Run, 8 miles.
Total Weekly Mileage: 57 miles.

Chia Seeds

Daily Quote: "Chia was cultivated by the ancient Aztecs, and was honored as a "power food." Chia is one of the best plant sources of beneficial Omega-3 oils, especially a-linolenic acid (ALA). Scientific Research on Omega-3 and other essential fatty acids (EFA) continues to demonstrate that EFA's support cardiovascular health, comfortable joint mobility, immune system function and overall cellular energy. Chia is often stored for long periods of time as a Survival Food, since it does not quickly turn rancid like other sources of Essential Fatty Acids. Chia is high in vitamins and minerals, such as magnesium, potassium and phosphorous. It contains many antioxidants, including significant levels of caffeic acids, quercertin and flavornols." --Advertisement on "Nature's Answer Chia Seed, 100% Salvis hispanica L."



I first discovered Chia Seeds from the book, " "Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen.", by Christopher McDougall. I vowed that I would eventually experiment with Chia, but didn't have the time to search for the product. Yesterday, after my Recovery Run and before work stopped at "Whole Foods Market" and discovered a whole canister of "Nature's Answer Chia Seed, 100% Salvis hispanica !!" The cost was $19.99 and has 30 servings per canister. Now, how am I going to utilize this product? Today I'll be carrying a small baggie with one scoop of Chia for my dinner at the cabbie's holding area at the airport. The airport's roach coach has low-fat yogurt and will use Chia like granola and see how that works.

Today is my scheduled Medium-Long Run, and I did procrastinate getting out of bed as I was very tired, eventually my mind conquered my body and made it to the gym.

9:30 a.m. Medium-Long Run, progressive. 10 miles. Time, 1:36. 24 Hour Fitness Health Club on Alta Road/Rainbow. Life Fitness Treadmill set at a 1% grade. First four miles at 6.1 mph (9:50 minute miles), next six miles at 6.2 mph (9:40 minute miles.) . Average heart rate 148 bpm. Cardiac Drift 154 bpm. (Note, my maximum heart rate is 190 bpm.) Shoes, Nike Air Structures. Body feels very tired, but no aches nor soreness, even my right ankle didn't feel any discomfort.

A real struggle finishing my workout, had to fight negative thoughts about stopping during the middle of my workout, managed to push myself to 10 miles. My Medium-Long Run is still lagging behind, I should be up to 12 miles today as my Long Run this week is currently 16 miles.

TGIF!!! Looking forward to easy Recovery Runs for the rest of the weekend. Maybe Sunday morning I'll practice bowling too. Wifey wants to see the movie, "The Ugly Truth," on Saturday.

Easy(?) Treadmill Run

Daily Quote: "Although using headphones while running outside is not safe, listening to music on the treadmill can be a great way to combat boredom and run longer. Choose motivating songs and create a playlist for your workout -– it will help prevent you from continually checking the clock to see how much more you have to go." --Christine Luff, about.com Running Guide, from her article, "How To Beat Boredom on the Treadmill."

I can totally vouch with Christine's above comment as music works for me during my longer runs. I'm still utilizing my Sony CD Sports Player and will probably purchase a MP3 player once my CD player breaks down. Currently I've been checking out CD's from the local library that has thousands of CD's to choose from and today's music is "Josh Groban in Concert," which has a slow and easy beat, perfect for today's Recovery Run.

Today's Las Vegas weather forecast is: "Partly cloudy. Isolated thunderstorms in the late morning and afternoon. Highs around 109. South wind 10 to 15 mph. Chance of thunderstorms 20 percent." Thunderstorms are unusual for Vegas, creates a nice HOT and MUGGY environment. Yup, I'm still stuck on the treadmill until my marathon training that starts in four weeks. Many readers are amazed that I can run on the treadmill for long mileage every summer, but my body and mind is rather used to it and beats the alternative, no running at all.

8:00 a.m. Recovery Run. 6 miles. Time, 59 minutes. Overall pace, 9:50 minute miles. 24 Hour Fitness at Alta and Rainbow. Life Fitness Treadmill set at a 1% grade, 6.1 mph. Average heart rate 146 bpm. Cardiac drift 150 bpm. (Note, my maximum heart rate is 190 bpm.) Shoes, Nike Air Structures.

No aches nor pain, but my heart rate is a tad higher than normal; I'm undoubtedly not fully recovered from yesterday's Long Run. Tomorrow is my scheduled Medium Long Run, but if my body complains and/or heart rate is too high, I'll cut the run short and run the longer run on Saturday instead. I've been keeping my shorter runs on the weekends so my wife doesn't feel deprived, maybe if I can get up earlier on Saturday she won't know I'm gone?!?

16 Miler Again

Daily Quote: "The first few miles of your long runs can be done slowly, but by 5 miles into your long run, your pace should be no more than 20 percent slower than marathon race pace. Gradually increase your pace until you're running approximately 10 percent slower than marathon race pace during the last 5 miles of your long runs." --Pete Pfitzinger and Scott Douglas, from their book and my running Bible, "Advanced Marathoning."

I won't be starting my marathon training until four weeks from now and am striving to build my mileage base and get my training paces up to speed. My goal is to run 8 minute miles during my next upcoming marathon, "The 2009 Rock n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon," and eventually my long run training paces will be:

Early part (20% slower than goal pace) 6.3 mph or 9:31 minutes per mile.
Latter part (10% slower than goal pace) 6.8 mph or 8:49 minutes per mile.

Today I'll be repeating last week's 16 miler, but at a tad faster speed. I need to have my Medium-Long Run and General Aerobic Run's mileage catch up.

8:00 a.m. 24 Hour Fitness, Alta and Rainbow location. Long Run. Life Fitness Treadmill set at a 1% grade. 16 miles. Time, 2:36. First 8 miles at 6.1 mph (9:50 minute miles), second half, 8 miles at 6.2 mph (9:40 minute miles). Average heart rate: 145 bpm. Cardiac Drift 151 bpm. (Note: my maximum heart rate is 190 bpm) Shoes: New Balance 720.

Gym was warmer than usual and drank all 32 ounces of Cytomax before finishing the workout, bottle was empty at 14 miles. Just a small rash on my upper inner thigh, other than that no aches nor pain.

Next week I'll be increasing my mileage to 17 miles, but maintain the same speed as I gradually build up my base for the upcoming marathon training.

I'm exhausted from today's run, but it's a pleasant tiredness. Tomorrow will be a very slow and easy Recovery Run of six miles.

$200 Entry Fee?

Daily Quote: "Ready or not, marathoners, the $200 entry fee has arrived. It's true--for those runners lucky enough to gain entry into the Boston Marathon through the race's affiliation with designated charitable organizations, the entry fee has now reached that high water mark. For international runners (those who achieved the qualifying time) the entry fee currently stands at "only" $150, while U.S. residents who qualified paid a paltry $110.
Too much, you say? Not for the 25,000 runners who were more than willing to pony up the cash. The 2009 race closed out more quickly than ever before; in late January a notice on the Boston Athletic Association Web site announced that the race had reached its quota. Even if you had achieved the qualifying standard, if you had not signed up by the, you were out of luck for this year. --Don Allison, Marathon & Beyond Magazine, Article "The Pain of (Paying for) the Marathon," July/August 2009, pg 110.

I'm very happy that I ran the 2008 Boston Marathon and it was an experience I'll cherish for the rest of my life, nevertheless, it's highly unlikely I'll be able to afford running Boston again as it's just too expensive. Not only was the entry fee expensive, but everything was expensive! I'm still thriving to pay off the credit card debt for that vacation. In the future, I'll probably continue to run the Las Vegas Marathon, maybe smaller rural marathons, and hopefully a couple of ultras too.

Today's plan is to raise my hill program speed to a new high of 6.3 mph as my heart rate has adapted to last week's 6.2 mph.

8:30 a.m. 24 Hour Fitness Gym, Alta & Rainbow location. Life Fitness Treadmill, Hill Program, Level 5 (the highest hill will be at a 5% grade), speed set at 6.3 mph (9:31 minute miles) for 6 miles. Time, 57:06 minutes. Average heart rate, 159 bpm. Cardiac drift, 168 bpm. (Note: my maximum heart rate is 190 bpm) Drank 16 ounces of Cytomax during the run (the featured drink at this year's "2009 Rock n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon"). Shoes: New Balance 720.

My body did surprisingly well at this 6.3 mph speed with no aches nor pain, even my right ankle was o.k. with the effort. I'll hold this speed for next Monday's hill program as I continue to add mileage to the rest of my workouts...baby steps, baby steps!

Tomorrow will be a welcomed easy and short Recovery Run.

SUMMARY, JULY 13-19, 2009

Daily Quote: "Base training is extremely important to peaking and cannot be rushed. If you start intense work too soon, you are risking injury or illness later on. Base training allows muscles, joints and tendons to get stronger slowly and adapt easily to increased loads and efforts." Elizabeth Quinn, About.com Guide to Sports Medicine, article "Training Tip: Peaking for Races or Events,"

Yesterday was a strange day, not only was Las Vegas HOT, but it was also humid, so humid we had thundershowers! These are the days I'm thankful for my gym membership and access to a treadmill.

9:00 a.m. General Aerobic Run, 8 miles. Time, 1:08. 24 Hour Fitness Health Club on Alta Road/Rainbow. Life Fitness Treadmill set at a 1% grade. First four miles at 6.0 mph, second four miles at 6.1 mph. Average heart rate 141bpm(?) Cardiac Drift 148 bpm (?). (Note, my maximum heart rate is 190 bpm.) Shoes, Nike Air Structures. Body feels great, no aches nor pain and my next General Aerobic Run I'll raise the speed for 6.1 mph for the whole distance.

I had to adjust my Polar Heart Rate monitor several times as my readings were erratic, tomorrow I'll make the strap tighter and moisten the sensors more as well, if that doesn't work I probably need new batteries. I've been leaving my heart rate monitor in my gym bag that's stored in my Oldsmobile's trunk...not a good idea as the batteries will die in this heat we've been having.

SUMMARY, JULY 13-19 2009

First full week of my base building period and ran a total of 56 miles. I've continued my running streak and haven't had a day without running since February 14th. I'll repeat my Long Run of 16 miles, but at a slightly faster pace, as I strive to have my other runs mileage catch up. The 2009 Rock n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon is only 20 weeks away, but will start my marathon training 16 weeks away.

No circuit weight training last week because I had hurt my right shoulder on the shoulder press machine. I'll attempt to lift weights this coming Tuesday and see if my shoulder is healed. The shoulder affects my workouts on the shoulder press, chest press and lat pulldown machines. I have to admit, during my time off from lifting weights I had really enjoyed the little extra rest!

I was able to lose another pound last week and now weigh 176 pounds on a six foot frame. I only need to lose six more pounds to reach my racing weight of 170 pounds!

My sleeping patterns have been great, especially since I haven't been lifting weights immediately after work, and I'm still sleeping 7-8 hours nightly. My morning heart rates have been typical for me, approximately 38-41 bpm. No signs of overtraining like fatigue and/or being irritable...yet.

A short recap of last week's training:
Monday: Hill Program, 6 miles.
Tuesday: Recovery Run, 6 miles.
Wednesday: Long Run, 16 miles.
Thursday: Recovery Run, 6 miles.
Friday: Medium Long Run, 9 miles.
Saturday: Recovery Run, 5 miles.
Sunday: General Aerobic Run, 8 miles.
Total Weekly Mileage: 56 miles.

Excessive Heat Warning

Daily Quote: "Today ... Partly cloudy. A 20 percent chance of thunderstorms in the afternoon. Highs around 116. Light wind. Las Vegas could reach its hottest day of the year for the second time this week as temperatures are expected to reach 116 degrees in some parts of the valley today. The National Weather Service in Las Vegas has issued an excessive heat warning for today and Saturday as temperatures rise. The warning is in effect until 8 p.m. Saturday." --Las Vegas Review Journal

Today is going to be HOT, thankfully I'll be on the treadmill for my run, but it's going to be pure Hell at work in my cab this afternoon.

Today will be a Medium-Long Run as I strive to boost my mileage a little this week. Last Friday was a General Aerobic Run of 8 miles, today I'll attempt a 9 miler and a tad faster speed.

8:30 a.m. Medium-Long Run. 9 miles. Time, 1:27. 24 Hour Fitness Health Club on Alta Road/Rainbow. Life Fitness Treadmill set at a 1% grade. First four miles at 6.1 mph (9:50 minute miles), next five miles at 6.2 mph (9:40 minute miles.) . Average heart rate 147 bpm. Cardiac Drift 153 bpm. (Note, my maximum heart rate is 190 bpm.) Shoes, Nike Air Structures.

Body feels great, no aches nor pain; I'm anxious to add more mileage, but still need to raise my mileage very gradually during this base building period. I also need to keep a close eye on my heart rate as I raise speed to be sure I'm not going too hard for my training zones.

I now need to rush to work, how I wish I could spend more time on the computer visiting my friends blogs and strolling through running forums, just not enough time in the day to do everything I want.

CYTOMAX

Daily Quote: "Cytomax helps keep strength at peak levels longer so you can train harder. If you are trying to improve longer with greater comfort. You will be able to expend more calories with less muscle loss. Cytomax's lactate-based calories are ideal because they are not easily converted to fat." --Cytomax Performance advertisement on container.

Well, the advertisement does sound wonderful doesn't it? If the product lives up to even one of it's hypes I'd be tickled!

Cytomax Performance, Cool Citrus flavor, will be the drink on the course of the 2009 Rock n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon. I was able to find a 24 oz canister (good for 27 servings) for $19.99 at an R.E.I. store. Buying this canister is a much bigger savings than my purchasing individual bottles of my beloved Gatorade. I should have bought Gatorade in canisters in the past too, but find mixing product a real pain.

O.K., today is my Long Run and now wish to experiment with my new drink. Time for the dreaded mixing...according to the canister, "Mix one to one and a half scoops of Cytomax in 16 oz. of water." Geez, how much is a scoop anyways?? I have a 32 oz. bottle with a drink nozzle that would be wonderful for the gym...I'll put three heaping tablespoons (hoping that a heaping tablespoon equals a scoop). Shake the bottle vigorously and ready to go.

8:00 a.m. Long Run. 16 miles. Time 2:40. Overall pace, 10 minute miles. Life Fitness Treadmill set at a 1% grade and 6.0 mph. Average heart rate: 141 bpm. Cardiac Drift 146 bpm. (Note: my maximum heart rate is 190 bpm) Shoes: New Balance 720. Run went well with no aches nor pain and will attempt to run this same distance next week, but strive for a slightly faster speed. I need to have my other, shorter runs catch up on its mileage before raising Long Run distance again.

Drank Cytomax at 3, 6, 9, 12, and 15 miles. It didn't taste like "Cool Citrus," more like sugar-water. I wonder if I mixed enough product in my bottle? I'll try another 1/2 scoop during my next Medium-Long run. I feel like Merlin testing his potions! Has anybody out there in cyberland mixed this product for their runs? Also, I need to learn to shake my bottle before I drink it...during the last two drinking periods it had a little grainy texture. I still had about 10 ounces of beverage left after my run, which means I can probably still use the same bottle for my upcoming longer runs. Cytomax didn't bother my stomach and am satisfied I can drink this stuff during the marathon itself.

Tomorrow will be a short Recovery Run when I'll be just drinking water.

Oh yeah, before I forget again...Sara Wilson sent the following:

I sent you an email last week and didn't hear back so I thought I would try again. The Fresh Air Fund is still looking for runners and sponsors to join our Fresh Air Fund-Racers team for the NYC Half-Marathon on August 16th. It would be a huge help if you could post a mention of this exciting news on Vegas Runner. This is a great way to participate in NYC's premier summer road race while helping Fresh Air Fund children. Please feel free to use anything from our site here:http://freshair.org/racersLast summer's NYC Half-Marathon was a huge success and the Fresh Air Fund-Racers raised more than $125,000. We are also still in need of Friendly Town hosts for next month. Host families open their hearts and home to a NYC child who would not otherwise have the opportunity to escape the hot, crowded city streets. Please let me know if you are able to post or have any questions, and if you could send me the link that would be fantastic.Thank you so much,

Penance

Daily Quote: "Ultras are perfect vehicles for Catholics and lapsed Catholics to do penance for their sins and the sins of everyone they know or have ever known. As an added attraction, if you run a long enough ultra, you also get to experience apparitions, although to avoid getting theological about the subject, ultrarunners learn to refer to them as 'hallucinations.'" --Rich Benyo, "Marathon & Beyond," July/Aug 2009, pg 12.

I had to chuckle at the above quote! I'm Roman Catholic, but my wife is Southern Baptist, maybe I can convince my wife to allow me to run an ultra race next Spring as to fulfill my "penance?" Of course, she would probably counter by threatening another Catholic tradition..."Last Rites!!"

Now that my 5k training is over, I won't be doing 800's intervals, instead today my plan is to run a hill program on the gym's treadmill, which challenges me with intervals of multiple hills and valleys with each hill becoming progressively more difficult. During base building I won't be doing any 800's intervals until I start my marathon training.

10:00 a.m. 24 Hour Fitness Gym, Alta & Rainbow location. Life Fitness Treadmill, Hill Program, Level 5 (the highest hill will be at a 5% grade), speed set at 6.2 mph (9:40 minute miles) for 6 miles. Time, 58:00 minutes. Average heart rate, 158 bpm. Cardiac drift, 169 bpm. (Note: my maximum heart rate is 190 bpm)

No aches nor pain, even my right ankle isn't complaining! My heart rate shows it has adapted to the threshold effort and I can now increase the effort of my hill program next Monday...I'll experiment with the speed at 6.3 mph (9:31 minute miles.) with the same Level 5 Hill Program.

Looking forward to a nice easy Recovery Run tomorrow!

SUMMARY, JULY 6-12, 2009

Daily Quote: "Wearing a heart-rate monitor on your easy runs is a good way to keep yourself honest. By wearing a heart rate monitor regularly in your training, you will gain accurate knowledge of the heart-rate range that is associated with a moderately easy effort. When you set out on an easy run, control your pace to keep your heart rate within that range. Your restraint will pay off the next time you're supposed to run hard." --Brad Hudson and Matt Fitzgerald, from their excellent book, "Run Faster: from the 5k to the marathon."

Today is a easy recovery run, which sets me up nicely for tomorrow's hill program.

9:00 a.m. Recovery Run. 5 miles. Time, 50 minutes. Overall pace, 10 minute miles. 24 Hour Fitness at Alta and Rainbow. Life Fitness Treadmill set at a 1% grade, 6 mph. Average heart rate 138 bpm. Cardiac drift 144 bpm. (Note, my maximum heart rate is 190 bpm.) Shoes. New Balance 720. Body felt very comfortable and heart rate was very low. My heart appears to be stronger and has adapted to the 6.0 mph speed; I'll need to raise my speed to 6.1 mph (9:49 minute pace) for my future recovery runs.

During my run I listened to Beck's music "Mutations" that was moody and interesting to hear during my easy, slow run...I really enjoyed the CD! "Mutations" is yet another CD that I checked out from the local public library. I've heard Beck's acclaimed "Odelay," never had a chance to listen to "Mutations" until today. I'm looking forward to checking out many other CD's that I've never heard before during the rest of the Summer.


SUMMARY, JULY 6-12, 2009

The beginning of last week was a recovery from my 5k race, and the rest of the week I started my base building program and ran a total of 50 miles. I also continued my running streak and the last day I didn't run was February 14th. Next week my base building will begin in earnest, with the realization that the 2009 Rock n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon is only 21 weeks away!

I completed only one weight circuit training session as I hurt my right shoulder on the shoulder press machine. I'm not planning on any weight lifting sessions next week as to allow my shoulder to heal.

I was able to lose one pound last week and now weigh 177 pounds on a six foot frame. I only need to lose another seven pounds to reach my racing weight of 170 pounds, which is more difficult than it sounds as I need many calories to fuel my higher mileage. It's quite a balancing act, enough calories to fuel my running, but cut enough calories to lose weight.

My sleeping patterns have been very good and I'm now sleeping 7-8 hours nightly. My morning heart rates are also good, approximately 38-41 bpm.

A short recap of last week's training:
Monday: Recovery Run, 4 miles.
Tuesday: Recovery Run, 6 miles. Weight Circuit Training.
Wednesday: 15 miles.
Thursday: Recovery Run, 6 miles.
Friday: General Aerobic Run, Progression, 8 miles.
Saturday: Recovery Run, 6 miles.
Sunday: Recovery Run, 5 miles.
Total Weekly Mileage: 50 miles.

Beat George W. Bush

Daily Quote: "After marathon runners manage to beat Oprah's time, they often set their sights on another famous marathoner's time -- former U.S. president George W. Bush. But it's not an easy feat –- Bush is no chump when it comes to running. George W. Bush, 1993 Houston Marathon (3:44:52)" --Christine Luff's article at about.com "Celebrity Marathon Times."

I now have additional goal for my next Rock n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon and that's to beat George W. Bush's marathon time! My last Las Vegas Marathon my result was 3:44:58...yup, Bush had beaten me by six seconds!! If I can beat his time I would have another BQ (Boston Qualifying Time) as well as a PR (Personal Record).

Today is a General Aerobic Run, with a slight progression.

8:30 a.m. General Aerobic Run. 8 miles. Time, 1:08. 24 Hour Fitness Health Club on Alta Road/Rainbow. Life Fitness Treadmill set at a 1% grade. First four miles at 6.0 mph, second four miles at 6.1 mph. Average heart rate 144 bpm. Cardiac Drift 151 bpm. (Note, my maximum heart rate is 190 bpm.) Shoes, Nike Air Structures.

No aches nor pain during run, although my right shoulder was still sore from weight circuit training.

I had hurt my right shoulder doing the shoulder press during my regular circuit training program after work this early morning (12:15 a.m.). The shoulder was sore enough that I couldn't finish my circuit training on the chest press and lat pulldown. I'm going to cease weight training for a week and allow my shoulder time to heal.

Next week I plan to increase today's workout to nine miles and eventually Friday's will be my medium-long run day.

BASE BUILDING LONG RUN

Daily Quote: "You can skip an occasional workout, or juggle the schedule depending on other commitments, but do not cheat on the long runs. Notice that although the weekly long runs get progressively longer, every third week is a "stepback" week, where we reduce mileage to allow you to gather strength for the next push upward." --Hal Higdon, "Hal Higdon's Marathon Guide"

I normally follow the above advice for my long runs, and also have a stepback week every third week, which is the same plan that most marathon training schedules strive. This year is no different as I start my base building with a 15 mile Long Run. My Long Runs are on Wednesdays so my wife doesn't feel deprived of my free time on the weekends. I do know that I have only 22 weeks until the RNR Las Vegas Marathon on December 6th.

8:00 a.m. Long Run. 15 miles. Time 2:30. Overall pace, 10 minute miles. Life Fitness Treadmill set at a 1% grade and 6.0 mph. Average heart rate: 142 bpm. Cardiac Drift 147 bpm. (Note: my maximum heart rate is 190 bpm) Shoes: New Balance 720.

Body feels good, no aches nor pain from last Saturday's 5k race. My right knee appears to be totally healed from last Fall and my right ankle that has been giving me troubles during the late Spring also appears to be healed. Next week I plan on running 16 miles, but will make it a little faster by adding progressive miles at the end of the run.

Thankfully, Wednesdays are the slowest work day of the week for us cabbies and I can recover a little bit more with less work stress.

Race Recovery

Daily Quote: "I always start these events with very lofty goals, like I'm going to do something special. And after a point of body deterioration, the goals get evaluated down to basically where I am now -- where the best I can hope for is to avoid throwing up on my shoes." --Nuclear engineer and ultrarunner Ephraim Romesberg, sixty-five miles into the Badwater Ultramarathon.

Normally on Mondays I would do my hill program, but today decided to continue my recovery from last Saturday's race...I have this lingering feeling of fatigue, although my morning heart rate today was 40 bpm.

9:00 a.m. Recovery Run. 4 miles. Time, 40 minutes. Overall pace, 10 minute miles. Life Fitness Treadmill set at a 1% grade. Average heart rate: 141 bpm. Cardiac drift: 145 bpm. (Note, my maximum heart rate is 190 bpm) Shoes: Nike Air Structures.

No aches nor pain and my heart rates are good, but still feel very tired. I may allow myself one more day of recovery and then Wednesday attempt a shorter Long Run.

During today's run listened to the soothing traditional Irish songs from the CD "Home" by The Coors. I would have been bored to death on the treadmill if it wasn't for listening to music. I'll need to return to the library this week to pick-up more music CDs.

SUMMARY, JUNE 29 - JULY 5

Daily Quote: "To see pronation in action, kick off your shoes and run down the driveway. On a hard surface, your feet will briefly unlearn the habits they picked up in shoes and automatically shift to self-defense mode: you'll find yourself landing on the outside edge of your foot, then gently rolling from little toe over to big until your foot is flat. That's pronation -- just a mild, shock-absorbing twist that allows your arch to compress." --From the excellent book " "Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen.", by Christopher McDougall.

I'm still very tired from yesterday's run in the heat and ran a very easy recovery run on the treadmill. Today is the first day of my base building for the summer.

8:30 a.m. Recovery Run. 4 miles. Time, 40 minutes. Overall pace, 10 minute miles. Life Fitness Treadmill set at a 1% grade. Average heart rate: 142 bpm. Cardiac drift: 146 bpm. (Note, my maximum heart rate is 190 bpm)

Body is fine and feel no aches nor pain from today's recovery run, just an overall feeling of fatigue. Normally I would do a hill program workout on Mondays, but tomorrow will do another recovery run as to fully recover from the race.

SUMMARY, JUNE 29 - JULY 5

Last week was a cut back week as I tapered for my 5k race and ran a total of 37.1 miles. I also continued my running streak and the last day I didn't run was February 14th. I've completed my 5k-10k season and today will start building a mileage base during the summer months on the treadmill.

Completed two weight sessions last week. Decided against weight lifting during the weekend as to allow my body to completely rest from the race. I plan on three weight sessions next week.

I maintained 178 pounds on a six foot frame and didn't lose nor gain weight during last week. My body appears to be very comfortable at this weight. My goal is still to reach my racing weight of 170 pounds for the 2009 Rock n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon, I should be able to lose those last eight pounds during my base building summer phase.

Friday night I was only able to sleep for four hours due to awaking early for my 5k race, otherwise my sleeping patterns have been very good, sleeping 7-8 hours nightly and my morning heart rates have been approximately 38-41 bpm. Surprisingly, my morning heart rate the day after the race was still 41 bpm.

A short recap of last week's training:
Monday: Hill Program, 6 miles.
Tuesday: Recovery Run, 5 miles. Weight Circuit Training.
Wednesday: Long Run, 12 miles.
Thursday: Recovery Run, 4 miles. Weight Circuit Training.
Friday: Recovery Run, 3 miles.
Saturday: 5k race, 3.1 miles.
Sunday: Recovery Run, 4 miles.
Total Weekly Mileage: 37.1 miles.

9th Annual 4th of July 5k Blast

Daily Quote: "Poetry, music, forests, oceans, solitude -- they were what developed enormous spiritual strength. I came to realize that spirit, as much or more than physical conditioning, had to be stored up before a race." --Herb Elliott, Olympic champion and world-record holder in the mile who trained in bare feet, wrote poetry, and retired undefeated.

Awoke at 6:00 a.m. and ate a small breakfast of raisin bran cereal with lowfat mile and grape juice. I was already registered for the race and didn't need to rush to Bunker Park for the 7:00 a.m. start, which was only a ten minute drive away.

Arrived at Bunker Park at 6:35 a.m. and started my warmup routine of a light jog around the course. A few fast strides and I was ready to go, but I didn't have the usual restlessness and excitement that I normally have before a race, I was very calm and relaxed. I felt hot, the temperature at the start was 87 degrees with partly cloudy skies and a slight breeze SSW at 3 mph. One thing I noticed during my warmup was that the course didn't offer any shade from the sun whatsoever!

I now had to decide what pace I should set for Garfield (Garfield is my pet name for the Garmin 301 Forerunner training partner). Since my last 5k race was May 16th, "The Runnin' For the House 5k", with a time of 24:27, decided to set Garfield for a 7:49 minute per mile pace for a final time of 24:20. Granted, today's race is much hotter than last May, but hope that I can beat Garfield due to my strong training during the month of June.

I placed myself in midpack of approximately 200 runners, not the best idea since this race doesn't have a starting computer timer mat, only a finishing timer mat. Nevertheless, my Garmin Forerunner is all I needed to determine my pace and final time...as long as I remember to push the start button!

Mile 1, 7:30 minute mile. Heart rate 178 bpm. (Note, my maximum heart rate is 190 bpm.) Several racing kids up front helped me keep my pace slower for the first mile as I gently passed them at the first turn. I'm well ahead of Garfield, although I'm already feeling the heat as I turn sharply onto Alexander road. Took a quick sip of water at a pit-stop and spilled the rest over my head, felt wonderful!

Mile 2, 8:09 minute mile. Accumulated time, 15:33. Heart rate 181 bpm. Garfield just passed me and I'm really struggling, I'm gasping for air and all I do is suck in the dry taste of hot asphalt. I resolve to catch Garfield before the next turn. I heard a noise coming towards me and was alarmed that a rollerblader was in front of me coming at full blast, I took a little stagger side-step to allow her to pass...it's amazing how wide her leg span, she takes up alot of space, heard a runner behind me yell for her to get off the course. I didn't have the extra energy to yell, but happy to hear that someone did!

Mile 3, 8:36 minute mile. Accumulated time, 24:10. Heart rate 188 bpm. Garfield is well ahead of me and know I can't catch him, my mind keeps telling me to slow down and walk, and I'm getting so discouraged I want to quit...somehow I just keep putting one step in front of another. I did manage to pass a few runners who were also suffering from the heat and we acknowledge each other with grunts.

Finally see the finish line timer, it's ticking close to 25:00 minutes, if I can only reach it before it strikes...nope, I couldn't do it, as I staggered over the line. Final time, 25:06. 8:04 minute miles. (Garmin Forerunner time) 25:18. 8:08 minute miles. (Official time)

I placed fourth in my age 55-59 age group (I'm 57 years old), which is the first time in ages when I haven't placed in the awards. The race had a nice Fourth of July Barbecue of hamburgers and hot dogs...I haven't ate red meat in a long time, and must admit the hamburger was perfect!!

I'm not despondent nor depressed as I know I gave this race my best effort. My 5k and 10k racing season is now over and for the rest of the summer I'll be rebuilding my base on the treadmill.

Cut-back Long Run

Daily Quote: "A few months before, someone who called himself "Barefoot Ted" began blitzing Caballow with a torrent of messages. He seemed to be the Bruce Wayne of barefoot running, the wealthy heir of a California amusement-park fortune who devoted himself to battling the worst crime ever committed against the human foot: the invention of the running shoe. Barefoot Ted believed we could abolish foot injuries by throwing away our Nikes, and he was willing to prove it on himself: he ran the Los Angeles and Santa Clarita marathons in his bare feet and finished fast enough to qualify for the elite Boston Marathon. He was rumored to train by running barefoot in the San Gabriel Mountains, and by pulling his wife and daughter through the streets of Burbank in a rickshaw. Now, he was coming to Mexico to commune with the Tarahumara and explore whether the key to their amazing resilience was their nearly bare feet." --From the book " "Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen.", by Christopher McDougall.

My friend, Wendy, had been posting on the barefoot forum and Barefoot Ted had actually commented on her posts, how cool is that?!? I highly recommend "Born to Run" that reads like an adventure novel, yet inspires anyone who seeks to live life to the fullest and to improve their running. Go get this book!!!

I will eventually be experimenting with barefoot running, but unfortunately I live in the Las Vegas desert, work late, and don't awake early enough to run during the cooler morning hours. In fact, after this Saturday's race all my runs will be on the treadmill at my local gym, 24 Hour Fitness, and highly unlikely they'll allow me to run barefoot on the treadmill due to liability concerns. Although I can't run barefoot on the treadmill, I can find the most minimalist shoes out there so I can run as close to barefoot as possible. Any ideas for a minimalist shoe? Currently my Nike Air Structures have 199 miles on them, and once I wear them out I'll find less cushioned and high healed running shoes.

Today is a cut-back long run as I continue my taper for the upcoming "9th Annual 4th of July 5K Blast"! Instead of a 15-miler, I'll run 12-miler at a very easy pace instead. My race this Saturday is just around the corner!

9:00 a.m. Long Run. 12 miles. Time 2:00. Overall pace, 10 minute miles. Life Fitness Treadmill set at a 1% grade and 6.0 mph. Average heart rate: 139 bpm. Cardiac Drift 144 bpm. (Note: my maximum heart rate is 190 bpm) Shoes: Nike Air Structures. Eventually I'll be gradually increasing my long run pace during base building phase this summer...my marathon training period will start at the end of August. No aches nor soreness and my right ankle feels great!