Training is now half over, or half left, depending on how you view it.  We completed our last and longest repetition workout this week, and capped off the week with our second “race” effort, The Manhattan Half Marathon.  I feel good the way training has gone thus far.  Completed some tough workouts over the pst 6 weeks and have stayed very healthy (I’ll attribute that to the design of the schedule and the strength training, haha).  Mileage continues to build. Week 13 topped off at 41 miles (slight down week because of semi-taper for half marathon.  the most mileage we have done in one week has been 48 miles…. I expect, and hope that number continues to build over the next two months.

Ok, here are the details for week 13:

Mon- P90X Plyometrics

Tues- 2 mile warm up, 4 x .85 at Repetition pace (avg time- 4:57 (5:47 pace/mile), 2 mile cool down.
(workout was done from West 72nd to West 86th St in Central Park- long gradual incline).

Wed- 7 miles EASY

Thurs- 8 miles EASY with 8 STRIDES

Fri- OFF

Sat- 4 miles EASY (race prep)

Sun- Manhattan Half Marathon- 1:26:36 (6:36/mile pace)
Splits:
1- 6:50
2- 6:37
3- 6:17
4- 6:46
5- 6:39
6- 6:25
7- 6:32
8- 6:44
9- 6:24
10- 6:59
11-6:36
12- 6:30
13- 6:23

My goal was to stay between 6:20-6:40 for the first 6 miles, at which point I would decide whether to speed up or hold. I held based on the way I felt for the first 6.  The ONLY miles out of this zone were the miles that contained Cat Hill and Northern Hill (which is fine with me). I always prefer to be slightly slower uphill than too fast.  Mile 10, 2nd time up Northern Hill was too slow but that is more likely due to mld side stitch I was experiencing. I am pleased how the last three miles progressively became faster…..  Can you say that? haha…

Recover week is HERE!!!!  

Until next week.

Michael

The course for the Manhattan Half Marathon is two counterclock wise loops of Central Park plus an additional lower loop with the finish on the 72nd transverse….  In my opinion, I think this is a favorable course to years past.  Weather depending, this could be a great day for a PR… Â

I will breakdown my plan into THREE parts as follows:

Miles 1-6: 6:30 Pace (6:20-6:40)
Miles 7-10:
a) If, the avg pace for miles 1-6 was between 6:30-6:40 and they felt HARDER than expected, I will HOLD pace for miles 7-10.

b) If, the pace for miles 1-6 was between 6:20-6:30 and they fely EASIER than expected than I will modify plan as follows:
Miles 7-10: 6:20 pace (6:10-6:30)

Miles 11- finish: run by “feel”… gradually increasing pace with passing miles….
I would expect to be running on faster side of window (6:10-6:20) if all is well.  If faster at this point I will NOT hold back…..  

Breakdown of course from mile to mile…..

Mile 1: Flat lower loop.  Depending on placement in corral may be slower than anticipated. For most, this is a good thing. prevents you from going out TOO fast….

Mile 2: Cat Hill- should see your pace drop off… again, this is a positive thing…  

Mile 3: flat to downhill as you approach E 102.. should get into pacing groove by this mile….

Mile 4:  Downhill, Uphill, downhill to W 102…  Northern uphill will be cancelled by Lasiker pool downhill and Northern hill downhill….

Mile 5: West side rollers….

Mile 6: LONG downhill to short uphill by TOG…. should be fast mile….  Make decision?  Do I HOLD or increase pace?

Mile 7:  Fast lower loop…  

Mile 8: This will be your slowest mile of the race (if I was a betting man,

Mile 9: Back on pace…  nice flat to downhill mile….

Mile 10: Same as 5…  second time around you will be faster…  you are well trained machines….  Second decision?  Is it time to step it up… Am I hurting?  Don’t finish the race with gas in the tank…  BRING IT!!!  

Mile 11: West side rollers…  

Mile 12: downhill…. to small uphill.. may be fastest or second fastest mile of the day…

Mile 13: Third time is a charm…  Percentages say this will be your fastest mile if you paced smart….  Compare to mile 1 and 7…  

Simple right?  

Questions?  Let me know… During the race, listen to your body, listen to your breathing to see how you are doing.  On loop 2 compare miles…  miles 2 and 8, miles 4 and 10, Miles 5 and 11, etc…..  Can be BIG confidence booster….  

Talk soon,

Michael

M

This Sunday we will be racing the Manhattan Half Marathon in Central Park.  At this point in our schedule (week 13) this race is to be performed at “race” effort.  We will not be tapering for this event in the conventional sense but the schedule as be written to ensure that everyone is well rested and ready to put in their best performance.  I wanted to provide you all with some tips, advice on how to get ready for Sunday’s race.  In David Letterman fashion, the top 10 things to do this week in order to PR in Sunday’s race… Â

10- Follow the schedule as written.  After today, the intensity of this week’s remaining runs is EASY. If unsure whether to run or rest always error on the conservative side.  

9- Start preparing for the race tomorrow.  What do I mean?  Start hydrating and paying special attention to your diet ASAP…  Hydrating?  Drink 6-8 glasses of water/day……  Nutrition?  Starting Wednesday 1/21 your caloric intake should be be comprised of 70% carbohydrates.  Who doesn’t love that,

8- Get 8 hours of sleep/night…

7- Limit your alcohol consumption….  

6- Determine your “race plan” based on your CURRENT fitness levels…..  This is an “individual” effort, stick to your race plan….

5- Register and pick up your race packet as listed on NYRRC website…  

4- Prepare race day nutrition in advance…  What will I eat and drink for breakfast? (this is practice for your upcoming Spring marathon….).  How many gels will I consume? (On avg, we consume 1 gel every 30-45′). Do I have my most favorite flavor or do I need to purchase?

3- Draft when possible if conditions are windy.  Research shows that we save approximately 9% of our energy when drafting… that is very significant over a long distance like a half marathon.  Proper running etiquette: let the runner you are drafting off know you are there. Take turns in front, perhaps rotate every mile.  

2- Use a pacing window… as you know Central Park is a hilly course.  If your goal pace is an 8:00 average, you can’t expect nor should you run the same pace UP Northern Hill and you run down…  Speed may vary but your effort is the same.  Average intensity for half marathon is around 85% of max HR…  A half marathon is a “RACE” not a distance to complete anymore. I think you all have learned or understand that by now….  

1- Race to FAIL…  Don’t be afraid to challenge yourself. This is not your “A” race so go for it…  Don’t be afraid to let it hurt, particularly in the late miles.  

Best of luck,

Michael

PS- I am posting a sample of the race plan I will follow in my next post.  Hope it is helpful….

The TOUGHEST week thus far…. would you agree?  Coming off last week’s 18-19 miler, doing Northern Hill repeats on Tuesday and then a LONG… tempo run on Thursday had my legs feeling like lead….. begging me for a break…   (which was the point of the tough week followed by the shorter long run).  The good news is that i completed each workout at the desired time, effort and HR with only a increased RPE (Rate of Perceived Effort) during Thursday’s tempo run.  Combination of tired legs and weather made that workout feel harder than I expected….  What’s the old saying, “What doesn’t kill you, only makes you stronger”…

Here’s what I did for week 14….

Mon- P90X Chest and Back….

Tues- 2 mile warm up, 7 x Northern Hill to 3rd traffic light on decent (avg pace: 2:32, best: 2:28), 1 mile cool down…

Wed- P90X Core Synergistics….

Thurs- 2 mile warm up, 2 x 3 miles at Tempo pace with 1 mile EASY between sets (6:25 avg), 2 mile cool down.

Fri- 13 miles- 8 miles EASY, last 5 miles at MP (three lower loops- loop 1: 7:10 avg, loop 2: 7:00 avg and loop 3: 6:50 avg)….

Sat and Sun- OFF- I was away for Kari Ostrem’s wedding (Congrats….. Kari and Marshall,

Ready to take on whatever week 13 has to bring (longest repeat workout- 1200 m and Half Marathon on Sunday)..  BRING IT!!!!  Tony Horton- P90X….. Â

That’s it…

Michael

14 weeks to go.  Really?  And we already did 19 miler?  NICE!!!  Week 15 was tough….  Included hard repetition workout, our longest TEMPO run to date and our LONGEST and HARDEST long run to date (19 miles for most……).  Training is going well, we are staying healthy (I hope), we are following the training schedule (I hope) and we are getting stronger, faster and increasing our overall endurance (I hope).  

This is what I did this week:

Mon- P90X- Legs and Back. CORE….

Tues- 2 mile w/u, 6 x 800 (lower loop)- avg pace (2:41, fastest- 2:38).  HR monitor was NOT recorinding accurately.  Stated my HR was 160 which is virtually impossible at that intensity…… Normal HR for repetition workouts over past few weeks has been 177….  2 mile cool down.  Weather was cold and rainy, AWESOME!!!!!!
P90X- Shoulder and Arms….

Wed- P90X Core Synergistics…..  7 miles EASY

Thurs- Tempo run…  2 miles w/u, 5 miles at TEMPO pace with EARL.  (31:05- 6:25 pace). 2 mile c/d…

Fri- OFF

Sat 19 miles- Palisades Park with Beth and Parks.  Pace gradually increased. According to parks and his trusty TYPE A Garmin- pace at the end was 6:20….   which, to be honest, felt very comfortable….  

Sun- 4 miles EASY- roads were icy, quads and calfs were sore….

That’s it for me. What did you do?  

Michael

To paraphrase Veronique’s question, when running at maximum HR how much discomfort can one expect? How do I keep my respiration rate in control?  

Before I answer this question let’s first take a step back at describe the intensities for all the “paces”, “efforts”, etc.. that we have encountered thus far.  

EASY:  Comfortable, conversational pace.  Approximately 65-75% of our max HR.  This is essentially the pace or effort for our long runs (unless otherwise specified) and our “junk” mile days (Wed and Sun- days where we are out there to add mileage to our overall weekly mileage.  We are not overly concerned with how fast or slow we run, we just run and ensure it is easy and comfortable….).  Our respiration rate is most likely a 3:3 ration on these days.  This ratio means that every third step we inhale, next three steps exhale, etc…. If running easier you may actually find yourself running at a ratio of 4:4, perfectly fine…..  

TEMPO:  Comfortably Hard.  Approximately 88-90% of our max HR, or, a pace (or should I say effort) that is slightly faster than our half marathon pace.  Tempo runs are best run on a flat terrain to allow us to run at a consistent pace or effort (find me flat terrain in Central Park or during the Boston marathon and we will stick to these guidelines).  As I just mentioned these workouts need to be CONSISTENT….  Try to find an EFFORT, NOT pace, that fits the above description and keep it there.  Our breathing rate for these workouts will be at a 2:2 ratio.  

REPETITION: HARD.  Approximately 100% of our max HR.  If you want a race pace to associate with this effort or workout, 5K or better yet, 3K pace works best (How many 3K’s have you run though? Â
The breathing rate for this effort is 1:1, meaning, you are inhaling every time your left foot strikes the ground, and exhaling every time your right foot strikes the ground. The trick to these workouts is to be comfortable with being “UNCOMFORTABLE”.  I once heard a coach tell one of his runners before a race “don’t be afraid to let it hurt”.  It doesn’t get any more real than that. I once had a runner tell me that at the end of each repeat she felt as though she was going to vomit but by the time she recovered and was ready to start the next repeat she felt fine and ready to go.  She also stated that EACH rep was completed at  the same pace. PERECT way to up our VO2 max workouts, NO?   

Overall, regardless of the workout, you need to keep a few things in mind:

1) Build gradually, maintain effort and finish strong.  NOTE:  I was telling Parks the other night that I really think he and I have an advantage over the rest of the group. Why? We have no one ahead of us pushing us out of the gate TOO fast (except for when Ryan decides to man up and power his way to the front, haha…  You need to build gradually at YOUR own pace, maintain, and finish strong…..  

2)  Read the Road…  Just like when you are cycling.  You need to maintain effort, regardless if you are running easy, marathon pace, tempo pace or VO2 max…  If you try to maintain the same pace (speed) uphill your HR will surge causing your workload to increase.  By maintaining the same speed you are causing excessive stress on your body which potentially can lead to injury.  

For instance, TODAY’S TEMPO run course.  The upper 5 mile loop.  It doesn’t get hillier than that.  Earl and I completed the workout this morning at 10:00 (where were the rest of you?  Oh, working, hahahaha.. sorry, I couldn’t resist….).  We started at West 81st Street and headed South (downhill, great way to start any workout).  Mile 2 was up Cat Hill so we were 12 seconds slower that mile than our estimated TEMPO pace, but we maintained TEMPO effort (How do I know?  My breathing, Earl’s breathing (yes, I always listen to the way other people breath to ensure we are both working similar efforts), and how the run felt- COMFORTABLY Hard…  Before the workout I estimated we would complete the 5 mile loop at a 6:25-6:30 pace. We finished at a 6:26/mile pace.  We had no mile markers, no Garmin, not even a HR monitor (my monitor has been off the past two workouts so I wanted to do it the old fashion way- listen to my body and how I felt).  Earl and I slowed the pace (maintained the effort) when going uphill, and increased the pace (maintained the effort) when going downhill….  It felt great (when we were done, haha…  

How was your run?  Post your comments… please!!!  

Earl and I will be doing our Tempo runs every Thursday at 10am if anyone has a flexible schedule. As I discussed with Earl, no way I could have maintained that effort without him.  I encourage you all to find a partner for your Thursday Tempo runs…. even if the other person is slightly faster or slower than you it will keep you honest just having someone to meet up with.  Feel free to use the Blog or email list to find someone…

Ooops…. it’s 1:00 and I need to go to work….

Michael

Week 16 was the last week of 2008 and the first week of 2009.  I wanted to make sure week 16 was a solid week of training to ensure we kick off the new year on the right foot.   With 15 weeks to go until the Boston Marathon I am very pleased with both my own personal training and that of the “Tuesday” night group. Here’s what we did this week:

Mon:  P90X- Legs and Back, and Core with Jason…..

Tues- 2 mile warm up. 8 x Cat Hill from East 72nd to East 79th (approximately 600 meters).  Avg pace: 2:04, HR: 177.  1 mile cool down.  

Wed- 5.5 miles EASY

Thursday- OFF (New Years Day)….

Friday- 6.5 miles EASY….

Saturday- 14 miles- last 4 miles at MP (last mile was 6:52)

Sunday- 5.5 miles EASY….

Onto week 15…..

Michael

Here it is….

Holidays have gotten me behind in my updates.  This one and the next will be very brief….  

Mon- P90X Chest and Back…

Tues- 2 mile warm up. 12 x Strawberry Hill Repeats (Avg: 31 seconds, HR monitor not worn).  2 mile cool down.  

Wed- 6 miles EASY. P90X Legs and back. Core…..

Thurs- 7.5 miles EASY

Fri- OFF

Sat- 15 miles. last 4 miles at MP- 6:50 avg…

Sun- Off…  Cold and rainy. Low back and right hip sore from long run….

Poor write up, I know,

Michael

This too will be brief….

Mon- Core Synergistics with Jason and Laura….

Tues- 2 mile warm up.  10 x 400 meters on lower loop (avg:1:19, HR:177).  2 mile cool down….

Wed- OFF

Thurs- 5.5 miles EASY

Fri- OFF

Sat- 16 miles EASY….   

Sun- 5.5 miles EASY

Next week will get better… Â

Michael