SUMMARY, AUGUST 25-31, 2008

Daily Quote: "Continuous effort -- not strength or intelligence -- is the key to unlocking our potential." --Liane Cardes

I somehow managed to stay consistent throughout my vacation and ran all seven days! Yesterday, Saturday, was a Recovery Run of six miles. We later drove to Whiskey Pete's Hotel and Casino in Primm as my wife scored two free tickets for the Bill Cosby show!! Cosby's a spry 71 year old and gave a great 90 minute concert.

Today was a General Aerobic Run:

General Aerobic Run, Progressive, 9 miles. Life Fitness Treadmill set at a 1% grade. 5 miles at 6.6 mph (pace, 9:06 minute miles) and last 4 miles at 6.7 mph (pace, 8:57 minute miles.) Average heart rate: 145 bpm. Cardiac Drift: 149 bpm. (Note: my maximum heart rate is 190 bpm.) I increased both mileage and speed from last week's General Aerobic Run with no problems, hopefully I didn't overdue the effort as tomorrow is my Long Run.

Later we visited Mary & Glenn's family for a huge BBQ feast. As usual, I ate too much.

SUMMARY FOR WEEK OF AUGUST 25-31, 2008

I finished my last week of Base Training for the year and ran 71 miles, the highest weekly mileage this year! I was on vacation, but managed to run all seven days, which was easy to accomplish as I was able to have plenty of rest and recovery. Tomorrow I'll start my 2008 Las Vegas Marathon training, which will be roughly based on the training schedules from the book, "Advanced Marathoning" by Pfitzinger and Douglas.

I gained three pounds on vacation. I guess I enjoyed my vacation too much! I'm now 176 pounds on a six foot frame. My goal is to reach 165 pounds before the marathon on December 7th, it's a doable goal as I'll be increasing my mileage even higher during the upcoming weeks.

I was only able to accomplish two weight circuit sessions last week as most days I was out of town. I hope to return to three sessions next week. I still plan on doing my weight circuit sessions immediately after work.

I easily managed 7-8 hours of sleep every night as I was on vacation and my morning heart rate have remained low, 38-43 bpm. I feel totally rested and relaxed, haven't felt this refreshed in months! Next few weeks will be a challenge on getting enough rest as I increase my mileage and still work 12-hour days.

A short recap of last week's runs:
Monday: Long Run, 20 miles (in Vegas on the treadmill before we left for Mesquite.)
Tuesday: Recovery Run, 6 miles (on the roads, out & back from the Casablanca.)
Wednesday: General Aerobic Run with Fartleks, 8 miles (on the trail next to the Mesquite Wash.)
Thursday: Recovery Run, 6 miles (on the roads, again out & back from the Casablanca.)
Friday: Medium-Long Run, Progressive, 16 miles. (Back in Vegas, treadmill)
Saturday: Recovery run, 6 miles (treadmill.)
Sunday: General Aerobic Run, 9 miles (treadmill).
Total weekly mileage: 71 miles

Going Long Plan

Daily Quote: "If you've finished a marathon comfortably, you can finish an ultra. You don't need to double your mileage, your goal is to teach your body -- particularly your legs -- how to be out there for a long haul. The key is a weekly long run. The longer that gets, the more recovery your body needs. The upshot: you may end up with more days off than you did for a marathon." --Lizzy Hawker, former 100k world champion. From, "Runners World," England edition, July 2008, pg 78.

The Running Bob asked in my last blog entry after I left for vacation, "What is greatest weekly mileage at the pinnacle of your training for the ultra?" The above quote will be my rough blueprint for my "Labor of Love 50k" next April. The pinnacle ultra training mileage will be similar to my peak marathon training mileage, which will be 85-90 miles. My first goal this year will be the 2008 Las Vegas Marathon, which will be something like a fast, long, training run for the ultra.

I've been on vacation since Monday and I was able to maintain my training during the early morning hours. My wife was able to get free lodging at the Casablanca Hotel & Casino in Mesquite on Monday and Tuesday nights that became our home base for the Utah Shakespearean Festival in Cedar City during Tuesday.

My training runs were the following:

Monday: Long Run, 20 miles (in Vegas on the treadmill before we left for Mesquite.)

Tuesday: Recovery Run, 6 miles (on the roads, out & back from the Casablanca.)

Wednesday: General Aerobic Run with Fartleks, 8 miles (on the trail next to the Mesquite Wash.)

Thursday: Recovery Run, 6 miles (on the roads, again out & back from the Casablanca.)

I was able to get up early for my road runs, 6:00 a.m., and the temperatures were 75-77 degrees, which for a desert rat like me was perfect!

Enjoyed the Shakespearean Festival, saw the play, "Othello," we laughed, we cried, we had a blast!

I'm now back at home and this morning returned to the treadmill:
9:30 a.m. Medium-Long Run, 16 miles. Life Fitness Treadmill set at a 1% grade. 6 miles at 6.4 mph (Pace, 9:22 minute miles), 6 miles at 6.5 mph (Pace, 9:14 minute miles), last three miles at marathon pace, 7.5 mph (Pace, 8:00 minute miles). Average heart rate: 150 bpm. Cardiac drift: 162 bpm. (Note: my maximum heart is 190 bpm). No aches nor pain and run felt rather comfortable...it's so easy for these training runs during vacation week as I have plenty of time to rest and recover. I still have 10 years of work before retirement, can hardly wait!!

Tonight we saw the movie, "Traitor," starring Don Cheadle, the story had great suspense and Cheadle has become one of my favorite actors.

Sadly, only two more days left of my vacation.

SUMMARY, AUGUST 18-24, 2008

Daily Quote: "The marathon's about being in contention over the last 10K. That's when it's about what you have in your core. You have run all the strength, all the superficial fitness out of yourself, and it really comes down to what's left inside you. To be able to draw deep and pull something out of yourself is one of the most tremendous things about the marathon." --Rob de Castella

I'm a little behind on my blog as I strive to watch the Olympics and still maintain my running as well as working 12 hour days.

9:30 a.m. Today was a General Aerobic Run, Progressive, 8 miles. Life Fitness Treadmill set at a 1% grade. 4 miles at 6.5 mph (pace, 9:14 minute miles) and last 4 miles at 6.6 mph (pace, 9:06 minute miles.) Average heart rate: 144 bpm. Cardiac Drift: 148 bpm. (Note: my maximum heart rate is 190 bpm.) My run went really well and should increase my speed for my next General Aerobic Run.

Big day on Monday!! I hope to awake very early tomorrow morning to run a 20-miler and afterwards my wife will drive us to Utah for a very short vacation, we should be home by Wednesday night. Hopefully I'll be able to maintain my training, but on the roads or trails!!

SUMMARY FOR WEEK OF AUGUST 18-24, 2008

Finished first week of two week base building block (I start my Las Vegas Marathon training on September 1st.) I ran a total of 66 miles and somehow managed to run seven days this week, yesterday I was tempted to take off from running due to many errands, chores, and watching the Olympics...found a little time in the afternoon to hit the gym for a quick 5-miler. It's going to be a tough week to increase my mileage as I'll be on vacation, I'll just do the best I can.

I'm currently 173 pounds on a six foot frame and my goal is to reach my racing weight of 165 pounds for the 2008 Las Vegas Marathon. I haven't been focusing on my diet, the truth be told, I'm always hungry even though I eat something every four hours! Food is my fuel and I also need the calories to rebuild my muscles from all this mileage. My body has this set point of 173-175 pounds that's difficult to budge, I'll strive to be more aware of what and how much I'm eating this coming week.

I've accomplished three sessions of weight circuit training, but instead of doing weights after my Recovery Runs I'm now doing them immediately after work; I'm attempting to acclimate my body to exercise twice a day in preparation for doing "doubles" (running twice a day) during my upcoming marathon training.

Thursday and Friday I only managed to get about 4-5 hours of sleep, while the rest of the week I did accomplish my normal 7-8 hours of sleep. My morning heart rates have been good during the first half of the week, 37-42 bpm, not surprisingly at the end of the week my morning heart rates have soared to 50-52 bpm. I've been under stress from work and my heart rates have reflected that stress and lack of sleep. My vacation next week should get me back on track with plenty of sleep.

A short recap of last week's runs:
Monday: Long Run, 19 miles.
Tuesday: Recovery Run, 6 miles.
Wednesday: Tempo Run, 7 miles.
Thursday: Recovery Run, 6 miles.
Friday: Medium Long Run, 15 miles.
Saturday: Recovery Run, 5 miles.
Sunday: General Aerobic Run, 8 miles.
Total Weekly Mileage: 66 miles

Must Have Ultra Love

Daily Quote: "You have to run an ultra for the pure love of it -- and not for any other reason. Go in with the wrong motives and you won't be mentally tough enough to dig deep when you need to." --Lizzy Hawker, former 100k World Champion

The "Labor of Love 50k Race" next April will show if I have a love for ultras...I don't have wrong motives like for a bet or anything, just to test my endurance and see if ultras are a right fit for me. I'll be running my first ultra race with no time goals with the plan of learning from the experience.

2:10 a.m. Warmup: 10 minutes on upright stationary cycle. Weight Circuit Training, 35 minutes. Cooldown: 10 minutes on elliptical machine. I'm not fully recovered from yesterday's Tempo Run, and I could feel my exhaustion during the elliptical cooldown...I was wondering if I would have enough energy to dress and drive home.

Slept eight hours and awoke with my morning heart rate being 41 bpm, which shows I've recovered from yesterday's Tempo Run, but will still take a easy Recovery Run today.

11:45 a.m. Recovery Run, 6 miles. Life Fitness Treadmill set at a 1% grade. All six miles at 6.3 mph. (Pace, 9:31 minute miles). Average heart rate: 142 bpm. Cardiac Drift 145 bpm. (Note: my maximum heart rate is 190 bpm) My heart rate is in the Recovery Zone and suffered no aches nor pain.

Wife has convinced me to take a short vacation next week, we'll be having a short road trip starting Monday to visit Utah's Shakespearean Festival and see the play "Othello."

I Feel the need for SPEED!

Daily Quote: "If you're already trying to shed some pounds, here's more incentive: Research has shown that, on average, runners get two seconds per mile faster for every pound they lose. So, for example, a 10-pound weight loss would shave about one minute off your 5K race time." --Christine Luff, about.com running/jogging guide

I've lost a couple of pounds and often wonder what's my current 5k speed. I haven't ran a 5k race since last year as my emphasis this year was training for the 2008 Boston Marathon and later building a large mileage base during the summer. Maybe I could add a 5k race this fall as to make my marathon pace feel more comfortable.

Today I was mentally prepared for some hurting, raising my tempo speed to 7.8 mph, which is a pace of 7:42 minute miles. (My 10k pace is 7:40 minute miles). I haven't ran a 10k race this year either and was a little worried that I've lost some speed during my summer base building.

9:30 a.m. Tempo Run, 7 miles. Life Fitness Treadmill set at a 1% grade. Warm-up: 2 miles at 6.3 mph (9:31 minute miles). Tempo: 3 miles at 7.8 mph (7:42 minute miles). Cool-down: 2 mile at 6.3 mph. Average heart rate: 157 bpm. Cardiac Drift: 179 bpm. (Note: My maximum heart rate is 190 bpm) The run wasn't as painful as I imagined it would be, no aches nor pain, but plenty of negative thoughts concerning stopping and/or lowering speed as I was getting very tired. Next week I plan on the same speed with an extra mile of tempo running.

Double Workouts

Daily Quote: Run short double workouts for weight loss. Increase your metabolism by running twice as often but half as long, since your body burns calories at an elevated rate for up to six hours after each run. Just don't forget a weekly long run, which is the core of endurance training. --Runner's World Online, Published 08/11/2005

Eventually I'll be running twice a day (also known as "doubles") during marathon training, but for now my goal is to acclimate my body for exercise after work, therefore I'll be doing my weight circuit training during the early morning hours (I work from 2:00 p.m. - 2:00 a.m.).

2:15 a.m. Warmup: 10 minutes on upright stationary cycle. Weight Circuit Training, 35 minutes. Cooldown: 10 minutes on elliptical machine. Tough workout, if only because I did a Long Run of 19 miles before work.

Slept seven hours with my morning wakeup heart rate being 44 bpm (normally my morning heart rates are around 38-42 bpm)

11:50 a.m. Recovery Run, 6 miles. 6 miles. Life Fitness Treadmill set at a 1% grade. All six miles at 6.3 mph. (Pace, 9:31 minute miles). Average heart rate: 146 bpm. Cardiac Drift 149 bpm. (Note: my maximum heart rate is 190 bpm) My heart rate is slightly high, undoubtedly not fully recovered from yesterday's Long Run AND this early morning weight training.

19-Miler!

Daily Quote: “Don’t aim at success—the more you aim at it and make it a target, the more you are going to miss it. For success, like happiness, cannot by pursued; it must ensue, and it only does so as the unintended side-effect of one’s personal dedication to a cause greater than oneself or as the by product of one’s surrender to a person other than oneself. Happiness must happen, and the same holds for success: you have to let it happen by not caring about it. I want you to listen to what your conscience commands you to do and go on to carry it out to the best of your knowledge. Then you live to see in the long run—in the long run, I say!—success will follow you precisely because you had forgotten to think of it.” --Viktor Frankl

The above quote has hit a chord! Last year I strived hard to reach the goal of a 3:30 in the 2007 Las Vegas Marathon, but only managed to achieve a 3:44:58, which was still a personal record and wasn't too disappointed. This year I'll just strive to train hard and carry on to the best of my knowledge and let the (poker!?) chips fall where they may.

My Recovery Week is now over and time to return to hard, base training, I have only two weeks before I start my Las Vegas Marathon training.

Long Run, 19 miles. Time, 2:53. 9:06 minute miles. Life Fitness Treadmill set at a 1% Grade, 6.6 mph. Average heart rate: 151 bpm. Cardiac drift: 162 bpm. I was considering on doing this run with progressively faster speed, but decided against it as raising speed and distance at the same time right after a Recovery Week might not be wise. I was surprised how comfortable I was throughout the run and without the usual inner negative chatter, my Recovery Week has done wonders with both my body and mind. No aches nor pain, not even a small blister; I'm looking forward to raising my long run distance to 20 miles next week!!

Not enough time to take a short nap before work, will grab a Four Cheese Lean Pocket and eat it in transit to the Company Yard.