Procrastinating In a Good Way

I have a tendency to procrastinate some times, but in a good way. How is that you ask?

Well, I will have a dozen projects (quite literally) going on at one time and when I tell myself, ok you really need to work on that painting which is 80% done, I go off on a tangent and work on some other project which has been waiting for my attention. So what am I avoiding tonight?

Well, I really need to get that painting finished, but I also really need to get a training plan in place for the start of January when I kick up the mileage as I train for a spring Marathon. So, painting out for tonight, and Marathon planning it is.

Ok, so I just got back from my 10km run. I laid out the route using runningmap.com and ran that. I used the route to calibrate my iPod+ chip so that it should give me more refined results for the next while (I will need to recalibrate when the snow and ice abates). I ran pretty hard tonight since I missed my weekend run and figured I'd put in some gusto.

Time for 10km was 53 mins on the nose. That works out to 5:18/km. Based on the training plan I am following that works out to equivalent race times of 25:20 for a 5 km, 1:57:25 for a Half-Marathon, and 4:06:31 for a Marathon. I can say right now, the Marathon would be pushing it, since I need some drastic mileage and time on the legs to get up to that. It would also be 22 mins faster than my other (first/best) Marathon time. So maybe that is a good goal time for a spring Marathon (I am not committing to that but it is something to keep in mind).

So based on my time tonight, here are my target training speeds for January 2009.

Key Workout #1

• 5km Race Time: 25:20
• 400m Pace: 1:52
  
• 600m Pace: 2:50
  
• 800m Pace: 3:49
  
• 1km Pace: 4:48
  
• 1200m Pace: 5:49
  
• 1600m Pace: 7:53
  
• 2km Pace: 9:57

Key Workout #2 - Pace/mile

• Short Tempo: 8:26
  
• Mid Tempo: 8:41
  
• Long Tempo: 8:56
  
• Easy: 10:01
  

Key Workout #3 - Pace/mile

• Long Tempo: 8:56
• MP: 9:25
  
• MP+10: 9:35
  
• MP+15: 9:40
  
• MP+20: 9:45
  
• MP+30: 9:55
  
• MP+45: 10:10
  
• MP+60: 10:25
  
• HMP: 9:05
  
• HMP+20: 9:25
  
• MHP+30: 9:35

Holy a lot of paces Batman!!

Ya, it is but you write it down so that you don't need to look it up in the book all the time. The training plan I have is for 16 weeks. The training plan has the required training distances and paces are indicated for the 3 specific runs/week using the above terminology.

Key Workout #1 is a speed workout which is why there are so many short distances with an associated pace. This workout is meant for a track. Something that I will have to improvise in the winter (I might try to do these on the treadmill at work). As you can see, this workout is about speed. It has me running more than a minute faster per mile than race pace. The goal with this workout is to teach the body to run faster by performing at higher speeds and trains the body to more efficiently utilize oxygen intake.

Key Workout #2 is, as the pace names suggest, a Tempo training session. What is tempo? Tempo training consists of a couple slow miles to warm up and then a few miles at tempo pace which is a slightly faster than race pace speed. This workout is about teaching the body to maintain speed over longer distances. This pushes the envelope as the body must learn to deal with lactic acid buildup over longer periods, thereby making you more efficient for the slightly slower Marathon pace.

Then there is Key Workout #3, the long run. A translation of the acronyms is MP = Marathon Pace, HMP = Half Marathon Pace. The +xx indicates add xx seconds to the MP or HMP. So what good is a long run at slightly slower than Marathon Pace? Well, this is the workout that is going to get me to the end of the Marathon. The speed workouts will help me run faster and be more efficient, but this run is a long run of 6-20 miles (10km-32km) which will give me the time on my feet to allow my body to adjust to the beating I will subject it too on race day. You see race day, I will be running faster and by doing so I will be punishing my body that little bit more, not to mention race day will bring with it an additional 7-10km more distance than my longest training run.

So, how long is a Marathon? Several years of running, give or take a few, to get enough mileage on you to be able to train dedicated for 16-28 weeks, an only then does it take about 4 hours give or take an hour for most of us mere mortals.

Ok, enough chatting. Time to get these numbers into the spreadsheet that tracks my running exploits. The sheet that does not lie ;-)

28 more km to 1000km!!

Running Man

I was out for a run with Hiking Man this past Thursday. It was a good run but I thought the mileage on my new iPod+ chip was a little high for what the run felt like. Sure enough, when I got home the 8km it was posting was more like 6.7-7km, so I will settle for 7km for that one (so the Hiking Man does not feel like it was a total loss).

Tonight I am going to go knock off another 10 km. Waiting for final confirmation my son is sleeping so my wife only has one little one to handle (bed time is a fun time but not when the 5 month old is teething, like now and the 3 year old never had outside play since it was too icey/raining for Pre-School to send them outside, so he was a little hyper tonight).

That said, here is tonight's run: http://www.runningmap.com/?id=87293

Time to go get ready, looks like the 3 year old is out.

A running we will go...a running we will go...high ho the merry oh...a running we will go....

Cutting It Close

I was sick as a dog with a cold this week. That meant, I missed my 6, 8 and 5 k runs. I just got in a 10k and plan to put in another 10k tomorrow. That will have me caught up to my goal for November.

December will have to be very on track and with no more "sick days". I don't have much leeway to have low km weeks anymore.

Onto gadgets. I picked up another Nike+ Pod today (that is a footpod to track my distance). It just had it's first run and worked perfect. Here's to another 1300km on that pod (that's how much that last pod lasted).

Bright Spot

As I was preparing for my run today I could not get a signal from my Nike+ foot chip. This chip sends stride info to my iPod which calculates my speed, distance, calories, and time for each run.

After running many miles near the house I knew a 10km run which I did. So the bright spot? I ran a chip down, which should last about 1000miles. I have had this chip for about that long (2 years). So time for a new chip and time to put another 1000miles into it.

I also had to buy a new set of sneakers last week. My old ones had over 700km on them. I was also ending my runs with pains in knees, ankles, and everywhere in between and then some. So it was time.

I am holding off on a second set for alternating until I can find a good winter solution, be it winterize a summer pair or buy a winter runner (which the reviews I have read seem to translate the "winter" marketing tagline into, meant for running in -2 Celsius, with some rain; not the -20 Celsius in snowdrifts, ice, slush, and additional Canadian winter conditions).

I am thinking that for next year I will keep a pair of sneakers at work for treadmill work outs on bad days. As well, I will keep my winterized shoes for home on the days that I plan to run outside.

100 Klicks Left

That's right, 5.5 weeks left in the year and 100 km left to complete my 1000 km in 2008.

To help get to the end I've got some new music, I am charged up and I plan to kick out enough klicks the next 4 weeks to take 1.5 weeks off (ok maybe a couple easy runs) around Christmas. So, only 25 km/week for 4 weeks. Nothing too it.

With the forecasts calling for a mild week this week I am planning to pump up the distance this week and try to nail 35 km this week. 6km Mon, Tues; 8 km Wed (or Thursday if I meet up for a run with Hiker Man); 5km Fri; 10km Sun. That is this weeks goal.

And if we get the snow they are calling for I am prepared. I bought some short active gaiters for winter sports that will keep most of the snow out of my sneakers. I am looking into getting something that I can spare/coat/immerse a pair of sneakers in to make them winterized. That or possibly invest in a pair of winter running shoes if I can find something with extra support for my over-pronation.

Onto the final miles for 2008.

Row Row Row Your Boat

I'm such a pansy. I was rowing tonight, after work (at the gym), for 30 minutes and I have two blisters on one hand. Man, that is a sad indication of the pampered lifestyle I (probably many of us) lead.

Ok, so why rowing? Since they have fixed the showers at our gym at work, I am heading back into the gym for some cross-training. Plan is to row, cycle, and do strength training at work. Still trying to find time in the schedule for swimming.

Tonight's rowing routine was:

• 5 min easy; 1 min hard
• 1 min easy; 2 min hard
• 1 min easy; 3 min hard
• 1 min easy; 4 min hard
• 1 min easy; 3 min hard
• 1 min easy; 2 min hard
• 1 min easy; 1 min hard
• 3 min cooldown

The great thing about that routine is anyone can do it. Just take easy to be easy, as in not even breathing hard. Make hard as you want. For me, that is row like there is a shark chasing you down.

STROKE! STROKE! STROKE!

Still Running

Well, as the "1000K in 2008" section to the right shows, I am still running.

Motivation continues to be a big battle; that is, trying to keep it up. The blog helps, knowing my friends and family is cheering for me and keeping tabs on my progress help, and future goals help. That said, a Marathon takes about 26 weeks of training to prepare for, not to mention being prepared just to start training for the Marathon.

26 weeks of training for several hours where you compete against yourself to see if you have it in you.

Right now I will just keep on running as I reach for 1000km in 52 weeks. Only 8.5 weeks and 142 km left; 16.71 km/week.