What it takes

"All it takes is all you got." - Marc Davis

105 miles totaled this week, here's a breakdown of what that looked like:

Monday- 11+ miles, easy day (long run previous Sunday of 20 miles)
Tuesday- AM 10 x 3:00 hard (2:00 rest) for 13+ total miles, PM 4 miles easy
Wednesday- AM 10+ miles, PM 6+ miles (both easy)
Thursday- 14+ miles on a snow covered bike path
Friday- 3 x 5k (all around 18:00) workout for 14+ total miles
Saturday- 10+ easy miles
Sunday- long run 22 miles

This was a BIG week in the build-up for Boston.  It will most likely be my high for total mileage in one week.  I like the balance of easy and hard days from this past week.  I had my toughest days on Tuesday, Friday and Sunday.  The rest of the days were equally important, helping me reach my desired mileage for the week.  Here's what my workouts looked like.

(Heartbreak Hill)

Tuesday- On Tuesday, I drove to Wellesley so I could put in this timed interval workout on one of the toughest sections on the Boston course.  I am fortunate to live close enough to the course to do this on occasion and it also helped that I was on spring break from college this past week.  I parked in downtown Wellesley just before mile 15.  I did my warm-up from there until you make the "firehouse turn" onto Commonwealth Ave.  This is where many say the "race" begins at Boston.  It signifies the start of several rolling hills that concludes with the infamous Heartbreak Hill just after mile 20.  I started my workout here and did half of the repeats to get me to the top of Heartbreak and then the other half backwards on the course.  The workout, 10 x 3:00 hard (2:00 rest), is a nice break from doing measured repeats on a track.  If you are struggling with track repeats, give these a try!  I have done time intervals, such as 10 x 2:00 or 5 x 5:00.  You simply try to settle into your tempo pace and run hard during the fast section of the repeat and then jog to recover in between.  I averaged 6:20 pace during the workout (48:00 of running- 30:00 fast, 18:00 recovery), which includes the rest portions.  This means I was in the 5:40 range during the hard running of this workout.  This is encouraging because I was running through the hills of Newton.  This is the kind of workout that provides some confidence come raceday.  It is important to train on similar courses that you will be running your goal race on.  If you cannot make it to the course, look at its elevation online and try to map out something similar near you that you can run on to simulate it.  This will help better prepare you for any race!

Friday- This was the toughest workout I have done in my build-up to date, and might be the most difficult I have done in my life.  I completed a 3 x 5k workout in the snow/rain with 20+ mph of wind.  In these ideal conditions my splits were: 18:03 (5:48 pace), 18:09 (5:50 pace) and 18:03 (5:48 pace).  Awesome!  I was thrilled with the result of the workout.  Nine miles of quality running and even splits.  My third repeat was the same as my first, which I was very happy with!  This was one of those grind it out kind of days.  The conditions were rough, my legs were tired, but I stuck it out and put in my best workout of the cycle.  Hopefully this is a sign of good things to come!

Sunday- Long run: 22 miles 2:25:50 (6:37 pace overall).  I ran the first 22 miles of the Boston Marathon.  I started in Hopkinton, passed the train station in Framingham, went through Wellesley and battled the hills of Newton.  This was a solid long run.  It brought with it the end of a 105 mile week.  I went into this run with 83 miles already on my legs in the previous six days.  I am not rested.  My legs are not fresh.  I eased into the run, passing through the first 5 miles in 34:10 (6:50 pace).  I picked it up from there and went through the half in 1:27:30.  My last 4 miles were in 25:50 (6:27 pace).  This included another trip up Heartbreak Hill.  After cresting the hill, I ran my final mile, the "graveyard" mile, in 6:00.  It felt good to run a fast mile at the end of a 22 mile long run.  The key from this run was that I did not push the pace, except during the final mile.  I ran comfortably and strong the whole way.  I felt great post-run too.  My legs did not feel too tired.  I ran 22 miles but I did not hit the wall and ran my fastest mile last.  My goal is to try and hold 6:06 pace for the marathon.  This would put me at 2:40.  A 2:37 marathon would mean running 6:00 pace.  This long run allowed me to tour most of the course and left me feeling I could run a lot faster once I am rested and ready to race.

Up next: On Sunday I will be making my third trip to run in the New Bedford Half Marathon.  This year feels very different to the previous two.  New Bedford was my first half marathon just two short years ago.  I was a newbie.  I had no idea what I was doing out there.  I ran 1:45.  The next year I returned to New Bedford and ran 1:30.  A 15 minute improvement!  Right now, my personal best sits at 1:20 set at the Hartford Half Marathon this past October.  I have been training to run much faster than that come Sunday.  I am ready to "let it rip" and try to run a fast half marathon.  This is my tune-up race for Boston and it will help indicate what kind of shape I am really in.  I feel like I am due for a big time PR.  The competition will be very strong on Sunday and I hope that running with New England's finest will help pull me to a fast time.  It will be important to stay positive all week and hope for the best on Sunday!

Run Happy,
David

Irish 5k

(Pawtucket, RI)

It's March!  I know I have not been posting much lately but I have been very busy.  I have been eating away at high mileage weeks and completing marathon specific workouts each week.  I ran the Irish 5k this past weekend on Saturday.  The goal was to run it as a workout and to make my long run on Sunday a little bit tougher.  I have this thought that I have mentioned plenty of times before.  I want to get faster at shorter distances to give me the confidence to run faster marathons.  The problem right now is that I am not taking any time out of my training plan for Boston to rest or taper for a short distance race.  I went into the race last Saturday at the end of a 90 mile week.  I doubled the day before the race!  To run well at Boston, I decided it would be more important to make sure I get to 90 miles as opposed to resting before the race.  With this being said, my immediate goal in the 5k is to run sub-17:00.  I know this is possible.  I also know that I have been in marathon training.  It is difficult to hold 5:20-5:30 per mile, but I can hold 5:40 pace for 6 miles (as evidenced in my recent tempo runs).  I went into the start of the race with the ambitious goal to break 17:00 on tired legs, in the middle of marathon training.  Sounds feasible, right?  Wrong.  When the gun went off, I was determined to not get "trapped" behind people at the start.  I sprinted out behind the leaders and the pace was going very fast.  After about a quarter of a mile I found myself in about 5th place but losing all of the energy I had in me very early in the race.  At this point, there is a decent sized hill that takes you to about a half mile and then the course flattens out.  This climb got me, less than three minutes into the race.  I worked hard early on in this 5k race to try and maintain pace, rather then keeping an even effort on the hills.  There is a nice downhill section leading into the first mile, which I hit in 5:26.  This was on target for my goal time, but I worked too hard to get there.  The second mile starts with a half mile climb, before you make a left and go down a street to a turnaround.  This mile felt terrible.  I ran the first mile off the hip of another runner and he started to gap me during this mile.  When I finally reached the second mile mark, my watch read 5:53.  5:53!?  That's slower then what I hope to average for a half marathon.  For the third mile, which is downhill, I split 5:34.  Then, it was time for the big finish.  I had been beginning to kick since the last half of the third mile, but really started to sprint from the 3 mile mark.  When I crossed the line, the clock said 17:42.  The curious thing, however, is that my split from mile 3 to the finish (the .1) said 48.72 seconds.  That comes out to a modest 8:07 pace.  This is obviously wrong.  My finishing kick should be in the high twenty to low thirty second range.  I mapped out the course after the race and calculated in to +- 3.18 miles.  That kind of inaccuracy in a 5k hurts someone like me trying to hit a certain time and is disappointed being just a few seconds off.  I think the second mile might of been a little long too, because I did not think I had run that slow and I certainly would not have run the final mile twenty seconds faster.  A 3.18 mile course would put my 5k time at 17:17.  That would have been a new pr, but for now it remains 17:24.  My finishing time for the Irish 5k was 17:42, good for 9th place overall.  I'll take being in the top-10!  My lasting thought for this race is to not place so much emphasis on reaching a particular time.  I ran well and then got in a 20 miler on Sunday, averaging an even 6:40 pace for it.  My goal is for Boston, not in a local 5k weeks before it.  I need to enjoy training and let things come.  I have been working hard and I will have other opportunities to set new personal bests.  One of the local clubs, the Western Mass Distance Project, always says to "respect the process."  These are good words to train by.  Good races will come and there is no reason to be discouraged if you are doing your best.  My next race is the New Bedford Half Marathon.  It is in just a week and a half.  This will be my chance to prove myself at a distance I like much better.  I have not tested myself at the distance since October.  New Bedford is just four weeks before Boston and will really help to indicate what I should target for marathon pace.  I am eager to "let it rip" and just try to run fast out there!

David

New Year, New You

I was driving with one of my best friend's, Alex, in January and we read the phrase "New Year, New You" on a Wendy's billboard.  We both laughed and found it a little ironic for a fast food restaurant to be proclaiming something like this.  These words, however, have a deeper meaning for me in 2013.  I have an opportunity to train for something special this Spring.  I am running the Boston Marathon in just 9 short weeks.  I have been working diligently through the winter months of December, January, and now into February.  I have two tune-up races before Boston: a 10 miler and a half marathon.  My goals are ambitious for April.  I want to run sub-2:50 and get as close to 2:40 (or break it) as possible.  I have to believe this is something I am capable of achieving.  Step number one in reaching a running goal is having the confidence in yourself to get there.  You have to visualize yourself achieving your goal every day.  You have to want to get there.  It is easy to be intimidated of the goal you are chasing after.  This is why you need to have the faith in yourself to get there.  Surround yourself with the right people who believe in your goal too.  It is important to have the right people on your team.  I see 2013 as a new year, with endless opportunities to improve as a runner.  With Boston quickly approaching, I cannot help but think about last year.  I had one of those days where my body simply would not respond to the heat.  This is something that was out of my control.  My training had been great heading into the race.  Several great runners dropped out of Boston last year, including the defending champion Geoffrey Mutai.  Top American marathoner, Ryan Hall, dropped out of the Olympic marathon this past summer due to injury.  In a sport like running, it is impossible to control every situation.  Some days you feel great, and others are out of your control.  You can control the amount of effort you put into training and how badly you want to reach your goals.  I am fully invested in the Boston Marathon.  It is on my mind each day and I am training with a sense of purpose.  I am returning to the start line in Hopkinton with a sense of belonging.  I am now a Boston Qualifier and earned my spot in the prestigious race.  Whatever it is that you want to do with running in 2013, go out and get after it.  Do not listen to the people who tell you it cannot be done.  You may be far away from a particular goal, but you can still set smaller goals.  Running is a sport that requires patience, so RESPECT THE PROCESS.  Make 2013 into what you want it to be. 

I opened up the New Year with a local 5k race in Narragansett, RI.  I ran the Super 5k last weekend to test my speed and see where I was at in my training.  It is very difficult to race in the winter.  It was 30 degrees out and windy at the start of the race.  These conditions are not ideal for someone hoping to run a fast time or new PR.  When the gun went off, the leaders took off into a pack of about five runners.  There was then a second chase pack of about five to ten runners and then a third pack of about five runners.  I was in this third pack.  The 5k is one of the most challenging distances for me for a couple of reasons.  As a marathoner, the race feels much too short.  It also feels like an all-out sprint.  It is a painful race distance!  My final reason is that so many people run so fast at the beginning of 5k races.  Proper pacing is key to running a 5k time that you will be happy with.  After a half mile into the race I was in about 20th place or so.  I kept my pace the same and moved passed all of the runners in the third pack, caught the second pack, and then could only see the first pack in front of me.  I hit the first mile in 5:27.  I think, on the right day, that I could average 5:20/mile at the 5k distance.  This is the kind of shape I hope I am in now.  Looking back on this race, I should have started off faster and tried to hit 5:20 (or faster) for the first mile.  I probably started too slow, but I like to work myself into races.  The second mile has a slight uphill, but I knew I had slowed too much to account for this.  I reached the second mile in 5:42.  At this moment, I knew I still had a chance to try and push on and get close to my PR of 17:28.  I did my best to dig deep and push on to the third mile.  The final mile was run entirely into the wind.  At this point in the race, the field was strung out so that there were no other runners within 15 seconds in front of or behind me.  We were all running solo, racing against the clock and the elements.  I reached that final mile in 5:39, which I am fairly satisfied with because it was not my slowest mile of the race and it was run under the worst course conditions.  My kick to the finish over the last .1 miles was solid, being in the low 30s.  I crossed the finish line in 17:24 (5:36/mile), good for 8th place overall (1st age group) out of a couple hundred.  The race was won by William Sanders in 15:02.  He was followed by a local running legend named Matt Pelletier in 15:11.  It was fun to run behind these guys!  I ran a new PR by 4 seconds, but the 17:28 I ran was on a net downhill course so it was encouraging to run in the 17:00 range on a flat course in the cold.  My goal is to run sub-17:00, something I have still not been able to do yet.  I should also note that heading into this 5k race I did not taper.  I had run 80+ miles for four weeks previous and totaled the same for the week of the race.  My goal, right now, is not in the 5k but in the marathon.  My training is set up so that I peak in April and crush my marathon PR at the Boston Marathon.  I have it in my mind that I need to run faster at the shorter distances to produce a fast marathon time.  Whether this is entirely true or not, improving in the shorter distances does provide an added confidence boost in distance racing.  I do know that once I crossed the finish line, I felt I could have maintained the same pace for 10k.  I have my chance to see if I can maintain this kind of a hard pace for longer at the Old Fashioned 10 Miler in Foxboro next weekend.  I am looking forward to racing at a longer distance.  For now, I am approaching the heavy lifting of my program.  I have a few weeks coming up where I will be right at 100 miles for the week.  More marathon specific workouts are approaching too, where I will run longer tempos and strength workouts.  I am excited for this phase in the build-up!  Good luck to everyone with your winter training!  My motivation to get me outside each day is simply my goal race.  I want to do everything now to prepare for Boston.  I am fully invested in my goal.  Remember: New Year, New You.  Make it happen!

Run Happy,
David