Rough Week

As I alluded to in the previous entry, my illness definitely was stressing me out.  However, that was just the tip of the iceberg.  This week included track meets on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday.  Then, the following week had Tuesday (the day after Boston) and Thursday meets.  Due to entry deadlines, lineups for all five meets had to be planned before I could leave for Boston. ........

Tapering = Sick

First of all, it has been five to six weeks since I last updated my blog.  Basically, outdoor track season has leeched away any extra time I had available.  Starting April 10th, the team had 7 meets in just 17 days.  For the purpose of having an active journal, I intend to do all the entries as if I hadn’t missed a week. ........

Fools 5k Race Report

Roughly eight weeks ago, I started mapping out my tune-up races for the Boston Marathon.  I did not have much luck finding the prescribed race distances and was left to pick either a 20k or a 5k for my final tune-up.  I have learned enough to know that the 20k would have taken nearly two weeks to fully recover from, which would have bumped right up to the Boston Marathon start, so I chose a 5k. ........

Residual Effects of Previous Week

The past 8 days have taught me that I’m not as invincible as I either thought or hoped I was.  Dating back to two weeks ago, I ran a very strong 10km time trial effort (33:58), which was another new personal record.  The next week was Spring Break, so I had plenty of down time to get off my feet and rest a little extra.  Monday of that week, I did solid recovery runs for my two-a-day and Tuesday I nailed a track workout.  From that point forward, though, I struggled.  The next day was a long run that I suffered through.  I then had two days of recovery prior to a half-marathon race and both felt uninspiring.  I was left worrying about how the race would go. .............

O'RtL: Half-Marathon Race Report

I ended the week with my second road race of the year.  I got up at 4:10 AM after a so-so night of sleep.  I had double my usual pre-race breakfast and left home by 5:00 AM on a 130-mile drive to Emmetsburg, Iowa to run the O’Round the Loch Half-Marathon.  I ran this race a year ago as a planned training run, only to be convinced by a couple NAIA college runners to help them push for a national qualifying time.  We all made it under the time standard and I set a PR of 1:16:21, while taking second overall.  I also ran the race in 2005 after a sleet storm left a half-inch of ice on the roadways.  I won that year by twelve minutes. ............

Balancing Family/Kids

By request, this week’s topic is about how I manage to balance all my obligations, specifically family.  First, here is how my time is roughly allocated. ........

D-I Scholarship Athlete

Last Wednesday was a very exciting day for me as a coach.  On that day, one of our runners had her official signing ceremony signaling that she would run for the University of Iowa.  She will be a Hawkeye next year, which is very exciting. .........

Tune-Up Race Dilemma

As a part of the Pfitzinger’s training plan that I am using for my marathon training, there are three “tune-up” races one is supposed to run.  It is suggested that their length be roughly 8k (5mi) to 15k (9.3mi) and they fall on the second, fourth, and sixth weekends out from the goal race.  Here in central Iowa, there is a vibrant road-racing scene and I was very excited to pick out the races that will test my progress.  For me, the first tune-up race will be next weekend (March 3rd). ...........

Track Season Starts

I have spent the last 15 weeks free of any regular after school obligations.  It has been great!  I often got my running workouts done and was home by 4:30 pm, which allowed time to adequately refuel, wind down, stretch, ice, and rehab.  Following that, I still had a few hours each night to spend quality time with my wife and kids.  I have even managed to run every day since November 18th, a streak now closing in on 100 days.  I knew the day was coming, though, when this would change. ...........

Red Flannel Run Race Report

This week made for some interesting training.  I had signed up to run a 3-mile race in downtown Des Moines on Saturday.  So, I front-loaded my training week with all of my hard runs back-to-back-to-back-(to back?).  At times, the runs got tough because my body was fighting hard to refuel and I found myself running not recovered.  The payoff was enjoying simple 6-milers on Thursday and Friday. ..........

PRs on training run!

I have eluded before that the Pfitzinger training program I am following is pretty challenging.  It is by far the most miles and highest intensity training I have ever followed.  The workouts that scare me the most are the fast tempo runs and they have been getting longer.  Initially, it started with a 4-miler at a goal pace of 5:30-5:45 per mile.  Even that seemed challenging.  Just before beginning it, I had to remind myself that I could race 3 miles at 5:10 pace so I should just suck it up and start running.  It worked and I covered them at 5:35 pace. ............

Ego vs Ability

Today’s blog topic is not so much imparting wisdom, but rather a semi-hypocritical rant.  Please don’t judge me too harshly.  Last Monday, I was stuck running indoors again at the Lied Recreation Center.  Downstairs is a full 300m, 6-lane track but it is reserved for Iowa State athletics from 2pm-6pm.  Upstairs, they have a 3-lane track that is slightly shorter at 5.5 laps per mile. Both are really nice, but as a result, they are often crowded. ..........

LSD (long-slow distance)

The LSD workout is a staple of many running plans, especially the marathon.  It is common belief that if a runner hasn’t completed at least three 20-mile long runs prior to the marathon, then they will be in trouble.  Additionally, those long runs are encouraged to be ran at 1-2 minutes slower than goal marathon pace.  ........

NBC/USATF Drop Baton

Today was the U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon in Houston.  There were at least 10 runners with Iowa ties in the race, either as prep runners, collegiate runners, or now living and training in Iowa.  The past two weeks have been filled with excitement reading up on how their training has gone and what their strategies for the race was going to be.  Additionally, I have been following several of the other top runners interviews through sites such as FloTrack, RunnersWorld, and RunningTimes.  I anxiously awaited this morning’s coverage of the race. ..........

Shoes Everywhere

The front entry at my house is filled with shoes.  If a robber walked in, they would leave quickly out of fear that one of the five grown men living there might be home.  A friend walking in for the first time might wonder if I had the cross country team over for dinner.  The reality, though, is those five pairs of shoes in the entryway are mine.  And yes, they outnumber my wife’s shoes. .........

Another Year in the Books

Yes, another year has ended, but this year was far from just another year.  For me, this was “THE” year.  It was easily the pinnacle of my running ambitions thus far.  And, I feel the best is yet to come.  I am positioning myself for an even better year in 2012. ..........