Exercise - February 21-27

• Sunday: 1 mile w/u @ 11:00, 8 miles @ 9:10, 1 mile c/d @ 11:00
• Monday: 0.75 mile w/u @ 11:00, 4 x 800 @ 8:30 w/400 recoveries, 0.5 mile c/d @ 11:00, upper body strength training, core
• Tuesday: 1 mile w/u @ 11:00, 5 miles @ 9:31, 1 mile c/d @ 10:19
• Wednesday: 1 mile w/u @ 10:55, 2 miles @ 9:13, upper body strength training, core
• Thursday: 1.5 mile w/u @ 10:16, 4 miles @ 8:41, 1.5 mile c/d @ 9:50
• Friday: upper body strenth training, core, rock climbing
• Saturday: 5.45 miles @ 9:57 (it was snowy and icy)

Total Miles: 36.45

Exercise - February 14-21

• Sunday: Rest (a little hike in our yard)

• Monday: 4 miles (warm-up, 6 x 400 @ 8:30 w/400 meter recoveries, cool down), upper body weights
• Tuesday: 6 miles easy (1 mile warm-up, 5 miles @ 9:42)
• Wednesday: 3 miles (1 mile warm-up, 2 miles @ 9:17), upper body weights
• Thursday: 5 miles (part tempo) (1 mile warm-up, 3 miles @ 8:49, 1 mile cool down)
• Friday: Rest
• Saturday: 5.17 miles @ 8:48

Total Miles: 23.17 miles

Half Marathon Training Experiment

After having almost a week of unscheduled running post-marathon, I have put together what I hope will be the ultimate half marathon training plan. I'm not really sure what my goal for the year is, but I am signed up for three half marathons this spring and I have a distinct goal in mind for the first one and tentative goals for the next two. Here goes:

• Sam Costa Half Marathon - March 27, 2010
• Goal Time: <2:00:00
• Goal Pace: <9:09
• Kentucky Derby Festival Half Marathon - April 24, 2010
• Goal Time: <1:57:00
• Goal Pace: <8:55
• Geist Half Marathon - May 22, 2010
• Goal Time: <1:54:00
• Goal Pace: <8:42

I feel like the first goal is a pretty realistic one. I did a training 13.1 a few weeks ago in 2:01:59 (9:18/mile). In a race setting I should be amped up enough run a bit faster. I may reset the last two goals as I go.

I have tried to include two days of speed work each week in hopes that I can achieve my race goal times. On my schedule for this week:

Sunday: Rest
Monday: 1 mile warm-up, 6 x 400 @ 8:30 w/400 recoveries
Tuesday: 6 miles easy
Wednesday: 3 miles easy
Thursday: 5 mile tempo run
Friday: rest
Saturday: 6 miles

Exercise - February 7-13

• Sunday: Surf City USA Marathon - 26.2 miles
• Monday: rest
• Tuesday: rest
• Wednesday: 2 mile run - easy, core, upper body strength training
• Thursday:  3 mile run - easy
• Friday: rock climbing
• Saturday: 6.22 miles (2 icy miles @ 10:45, 4.22 miles @ 9:32)

Total Miles: 37.42

Surf City USA Marathon Race Report

After months of anticipation, I completed my first marathon last weekend. For weeks I had been agonizing over what pace group to join, which socks would be most likely to keep my feet blister free, how many Gu's to eat and when, and many other seemingly trivial race-day details. On February 7th at 6:30 AM, I started my race and a big new learning experience.

My typical MO is to ignore advice, instructions, and most words of warning and try things out for myself. I went about my first marathon endeavor as usual. Big mistake. Partway through running 26.2 miles is not the time to be thinking about what great advice you were given and have chosen not to follow.

Most of my try-by-doing strategies worked. I alternated between Vitalyte and water to balance my fluids and electrolytes. (Who gives Vitalyte at a race instead of Gatorade anyway?) I ate my Gu's every 5 miles eating the last one at Mile 20. My favorite purple Mountain Hardwear shirt and my Mountain Hardwear Pacer Advance running shorts kept me comfortable, cool, and dry-ish, if not a little bit salty for the whole race! I even made a good sock choice; I finished the race with only two blisters.

The most problematic decision that I made was to start the race too quickly. If I had slowed my pace by a minute or so per mile at the beginning, I probably would have finished many, many minutes earlier. This advice was given to me many times, but of course I did not listen. Next time I will pace myself better. Yes, there will be a next time. While 4:38:53 is an okay time for a first-time marathoner, I hope to better that sometime soon!