Training Update / Announcement

It has been a great week so far. I have hit every single scheduled mile this week. I aged another year and life is grand.

Monday's speed work was a success. I nailed all six 1000m repeats in 3:43-3:45 range (5:52-6:00/mi pace range) - and kept my recovery jogs to 90-100 secs max. I completed 11 miles total on Monday.

Tuesday's 14-miler was solid also. 7:35/mi avg pace - with with only a very short break for hydration. Later in the day, we celebrated my "official" birthday with a giant pizza pie from Lou Malnati's.

Wednesday was recovery day times two. I did a 6-miler in the morning (8:42 pace) and another recovery 4 miles in the evening . 10 for the day. 35 for the week so far.

Today is rest day (finally). I am now beginning to mentally prepare for the Labor Day 30k on Saturday morning. I'll do a real easy four recovery tomorrow before heading off to Michigan after to work in the afternoon.

Announcement

The marathon taper this year will be more interesting than ever. I have been given an exciting 6-week international assignment. I will be going to China to conduct an opportunity assessment on a Joint Venture that my Company initiated earlier this year with a Chinese company. Real exciting stuff.

That's right, I will begin my taper in Shanghai before heading to Chengdu, China. Our Procurement Head in the Asia Pacific region was kind enough to grant me a "break" to travel back to Chicago to run the marathon on October 7th.

The timing is perfect because I will finish core training on Sep 15th with my final 20-miler. I am really thrilled with this opportunity. I need to make sure I complete the taper effectively so I can run strong when I return home.

Another 60 miles - Steady Does It

Hi. I am back and ready to report my training progress with only six weeks to go until my sub-3 hour marathon.

I completed another 60 miles this week with some east coast travel intermixed. I guess it was successful, but there were no major breakthroughs. No highs, no lows - just steady mileage with some good workouts. Here is a brief recap.

Mon 8/21 - Holmdel, NJ - HS track - 9 mi w/6x600. I visited my brother's house before heading to a business trip in NJ. I hit the local HS track in the early morning. After a 2-mile warm-up in the rain, I began the repeats. I hit the first one at 2:20, which was slow. I did hit my groove and was able to hold the remaining 600m repeats at 2:15 (6:00/mi pace), which I think it my 5k pace about now. Wrapped up with another 4 miles easy.

Tue 8/22 - Norwalk, CT - 9 miles - 7:31/mi avg. Excellent jaunt through my old residential area, challenging hills. Ran straight through with no breaks. Impressive pace given the steep hills.

Wed 8/23 - Back home in Plainfield, IL - 6 mi recovery. Nothing special.

Thu 8/24 - Home turf - 13 miles - 7:43 avg. Challenging run through the humidity - ran 10.5 mi with the hydration belt and no stops.

Fri 8/25 - Home - 6 mi recovery. Mid-day run in the heat/humidity. Again, nothing special.

Sat 8/26 - Wheaton Prairie Path - 18 miles. The path terrain was very wet and sloppy from the major storm the prior two days. Many of the trees were downed and blocking the path. This run was full of many interruptions due to downed trees. My final six were pretty strong. I got in 18 miles at 7:32 pace avg. I will say I felt a bit tired toward the end.

This week, I will prepare for the Labor Day 30k on this coming Saturday in Milford, MI. Jen and I will take a road trip over to MI. I grew up in the Detroit area so it is somewhat of a homecoming for me.

I am nervous about tomorrow's workout: 6x1000m repeats at 5k pace with 90 sec in btw. Am I ready for this kind of intensity? Pfitzinger believes this is an important workout to improve speed for the marathon.

Plan for 8/27 week

Mon 8/27 - 11 miles w/ 6x1000m repeats at 5k pace with 90 sec in btw
Tue 8/28 - 14 miles med-long run - Happy Birthday to me
Wed 8/29 - 10-11 miles
Thu 8/30 - Rest
Fri 8/31 - 5 mi recovery
Sat 9/1 - 30k race

Total: 59-60 miles

Strong 67-mile week - I am on my way

My training week is complete. I tallied up 67 miles since Monday - and a total of 81 miles in 7 days straight when I count last Sunday's race.

Whilst I came up just shy of my 70-mile target, I am extremely proud of my training this week. I could try to add on 3 in the morning before my trip to NJ tomorrow, but I don't see the point. I've earned the rest.

The week was capped off by a stellar 22-miler this morning. The temperatures were unseasonably cool this morning and it felt great. I averaged 7:26 for 22 miles - including a marathon pace on the final mile. I think I had more in the tank, too. My heart rate was in check and I was comfortable throughout the entire run. See details below.

As I ran the last part of my final training mile today at marathon pace, I envisioned myself running up the Roosevelt hill and rounding left to Columbus. I am a sub-3 marathoner, I thought as I banged out a 6:51 22nd mile for the day.

I also had my best LT workout ever on Thursday. After Wednesday's mini-bonk on a recovery run, where I had to cut it short to 4 miles, I was worried that I would not be rested enough.

However, after a 2-mile warm-up, I did 28 laps at LT pace, which was in the range of 1:38-1:41 per 400m. With a 2-mile cooldown, I hit 12 for the day before heading into work.

I am making progress. I am convinced last week's 1:29 at CDC was not an accurate representation of my fitness. I am going to run strong at the Labor Day 30k in less than two weeks. Hopefully in the 2:05-2:06 range.

Tonight, we will be attending a work function on the Mystic Blue dinner cruise on Lake Michigan, which promises to provide us spectacular views of Chicago and fun times with my co-workers. Tomorrow, I head to NJ to visit my niece and nephew - meetings in NJ on Monday - then work at our Norwalk, CT office on Tue. Seven weeks to go 'til race day...

Recap of 8/13 week - PR training mileage

Mon - 10 miles recovery (split into a double)
Tue - 14 miles med-long run - mid-day heat
Wed - 4 recovery
Thu - 12 miles w/7 at LT pace (6:40's)
Fri - 5 recovery
Sat - 22 long run - 7:26 avg pace

Total: 67 miles

Plan for 8/20 week

Mon - 10 mi w/5x600m @ 5k pace - Holmdel, NJ
Tue - 10 mi general aerobic - Norwalk, CT
Wed - 6 recovery + speed - add 6x100m striders
Thu - 13 med-long run
Fri - 5 mi recovery
Sat - 18 mi long run

Total: 62 miles

Mid-week update - Peak mileage is here

Thanks to all of you who made encouraging comments on my Sunday's race report. I especially liked Wayfool's link to this site that showed my time may have been sub 1:27 in cool conditions. Also, Jim made a great suggestion to read Pfitzinger's taper article, which the lack thereof likely had an impact on my time. On with the mission...

Here is a mid-week update on my trek toward the 70-mile mark for the week. First, we need to keep things into perspective: the 70 miles DOES NOT include Sunday's hard half marathon mileage. Upon reflection, I may be in a bit over my head. It would have been nice to have a rest day on Sunday (like usual) before starting this peak week.

My plan was to follow Pfitzinger's schedule to a "tee" this week...

Monday - AM: 6 - PM: 4
Tue - 15 miles med-long
Wed - 6 recovery
Thur - 12 with 7 at LT pace
Fri - 5 recovery
Sat - 22 miles long

Total: 70 miles

Monday -10 total miles recovery - on track

I knocked 0ut 6 recovery in the morn and went to the treadmill after work to do 4.

Tuesday - 14 miles - 1 short of target

Yesterday, my plan was complicated by a lightening & thunder storm that hovered over my town yesterday during the entire early morning. It was not safe or sensible to run.

Not to be deterred, I juggled my schedule and darted out of work for a long lunch. I knocked out 14 miles in the mid-day August sun, in which temps hovered in the low 80's. I would not say I enjoyed it, but I got it done. Yes, this one mile short of my targeted 15 - but I was overheating and tired (not to mention it was the middle of a work day). Even got a mini-sunburn.


I am proud that I hit 14 out of 15 miles - this made for 38 miles in 3 days with a lot of quality miles.



Today - 4 miles recovery - 2 short of daily target

Folks, I was beat this morning. I knew it when I had to concentrate on not slipping below the 8:50 recovery pace. I decided to cut it short. It seemed silly to try to run more "junk" miles when I should be resting up for tomorrow's important LT workout.

In summary, I am off pace by 3 miles toward 70 for the week. I doubt I will make it up. Besides, I decided that 67 miles Mon-Sat (81 miles in 7 days if you count Sunday) is more than respectable and a very significant step-up in my mileage as it is.

Off to bed early tonight for a 5AM wake-up call - need to hit the track to get in the LT miles. Oh joy...!

Should anyone be disappointed with a P.R. in hot conditions?

That's the question I have been asking myself since finishing the CDC at 8:00 AM this morning. Here is today's result:

6:38 - Mile 1
6:47 - 2
6:45 - 3
6:41 - 4
6:41 - 5
6:43 - 6
6:49 - 7
13:43 - 8+9 combined
6:53 - 10
7:02 - 11
6:56 - 12
7:51 - 13 + 0.1
Finish time: 1:29:30

You could probably guess I'm a bit disappointed. It seems silly, really, to be down about today's result, which was a 54 second P.R. from last year. After all, the heat and humidity slowed all of us down.

Most runners I talked to afterward struggled. The winning Men's time was 8 min slower than last year. The women's was 10 minutes slower.

I knew it was going to be really warm - and it was - but part of me feels like it also had to do with my training. Mileage volume has been decent - but I know that I need more tempo/L.T. training. This much is clear.

The plan was to be at mile 10 at 1:06:xx - then see if I could knock out something close to a 20 min 5k. Well, as I soon found out, this plan was not feasible today.

I was pleased with a 6:38 first mile. From there on though, I found that I wasn't hitting the 6:38-6:40 splits the way I had hoped. After mile 7, I did not hit another split under 6:50. I hit 10 at 1:07:41 -- and my final 5k was a 21:49 - not the way I wanted finish.

Last year's CDC was enjoyable. I loved that last 5k and finished strong. Today I was a train off the tracks losing power slowly as the sun beamed on my overheating engine. I was spent late miles and I knew it. It was not fun. I couldn't wait today finish.

I am thinking the heat is worth at least two minutes improvement (I hope) . However, the scary thing is today's result matches up perfect with my 5k time of exactly 1 month ago. This is a disappointment because I was counting on tremendous progress.

I was targeting a 1:26:30 in good conditions. I'm not sure the heat added 3 minutes - but maybe it did. Two minutes at least.

Being honest w/myself, right now, I feel like I am progressing toward a 3:03-3:05 marathon time. This is a very admirable time and one that I would be proud of. But unfortunately, this is a long way off from the 2:59:59 target that I had set. I don't like falling short of my goals.

Afterward, Jayhawk and OOSG were kind enough to invite Jen & I, as well as J&L to her stellar apt to clean up and then head to brunch at RockIt. It was AWESOME. Thanx, guys!

Right now, it's back to the drawing board. Chalk this one up a good workout in hard race conditions. I'm not giving up on my goal of 2:59:59. I just need to work harder. Now I have to figure out how I am going to knock out 70 miles this week.

Week recap - 52 miles total. Hot/humid temps all week. Half marathon PR. Good speed work on Tuesday.

What the hell is "Bunco" anyway?

So my wife is presently hosting a bunch of neighborhood gals over to our house for some game called "Bunco". Various conversations have led me to believe that this game is some sort of dice game of chance, which got me excited, since I enjoy craps in Vegas.

But coming into the house around 10PM after escaping to the pub for a while, and observing, I'm not sure it's anything like craps. It's more an excuse for these chicks... er, lovely respectable ladies... to get together, drink and gossip...

Anyway, I will be running a half marathon in about 32 hours from now. Probably shouldn't have slugged 4 or 5 beers at the bar and my neighbor's house.... but I have 2 nights in between.

It's going to crazy hot on Sunday. That's a fact. All bets may be off for times. Doesn't matter, just got to give it my all.

I am at a mere 38 miles week to date. I may jog a couple tomorrow just because I can.... then crank it out on Sunday.

I've got a hotel booked for the Labor Day 30k in Milford, MI on Sept 1st. Seems like a good tune-up and workout so I think I will drag Jen out to Michigan. Plus, it's only 1/2 hr drive from my boyhood home, so it will be like a homecoming.

Not sure about what I can do at the CDC on Sunday. Can't wait to sweat my sack off and feel the pain of the early morn Chicago sun. It's all good...

Beginning Monday, I will go for my all-time highest weekly mileage of 70 miles. Here's a fact: I am scared, nervous, apprehensive, reluctant and uncertain about why I am trying to push to these kind of mileage heights.

The Mini-Taper Has Begun

I was invited to attend a downtown Chicago bus tour and fancy dinner last night with a group of co-workers. We saw the city on a roofless bus with an annoying MC and then ate on the 70th floor at Cite restaurant on top of the tower right in front of Navy Pier.

Both events took way longer than planned, especially the dinner (great view, high prices and poor service), and I didn't get back home until 11:30 last night, since I was beat and needed to sleep in a little. This required me to adjust my schedule. I'm pretty good at the adjustment routine and made up the mileage at lunch and this evening.

Bottom line is that I am right on track this week. I had a solid 6x600m workout early yesterday morn, in which I ran the repeats in the 2:12-2:15 range (5:50-6:00 pace) and 90 sec of rest (per Pfitzinger. I did this without much problem. Don't get me wrong, it was difficult, especially with this week's killer humidity. But I got it done.

This makes me feel like I can run that 18:45 5k right about now, despite a recent 19:20. I have dropped 5 pounds since then and run a ton of quality miles. I think I will work in some Yasso's later in the program.

I capped off 33 miles in three days with a strong 7-miler tonight. I flirted with MP for 4 of the miles and it felt pretty good. Under 50 minutes - about 7:08 pace. Keep in mind the temps were still high - and I was running on tired legs. 14 today total.

Here's the stat of the week: I typically count my weeks Mon to Sun. But if you count the last 4 days of last week, I have run 70 miles in 7 straight days. Think it may be a personal best. If you count this coming Sunday's race, the plan is to run 84 miles in 7 straight days next week. Wow, this is getting ridiculous.

Now the mini-taper for Sunday's half begins. I will rest entirely tomorrow. Run an easy 5-6 recovery on Friday. Then rest again entirely on Saturday. I'll be ready to rock the CDC on Sun.

Week to date mileage

Mon 8/6 - 10 miles - 7:50 avg pace - very humid/uncomfortable
Tue 8/7 - AM speed work - 2 miles w/u + 6x600m rep + 4 miles easy = 9 miles total
Wed 8/8 - 12 Noon treadmill - 7 miles recovery + gen aer = 58:00 (8:15 avg pace). 8PM - 7 miles strong - 49:59 (7:08 avg pace). 14 total for the day.

WTD Mileage: 33

Rest of week plan

Thu 8/9 - Rest
Fri 8/10 - 6 miles recovery - pick up race packet
Sat 8/11 - Rest
Sun 8/12 - Warm-up + RACE 13.1

Week 10 is Complete – Another Sixty Miles

What a solid week. You’ll see that I exceeded my planned goal mileage of 53 and decided to hit the 60 mark for the second time this season.

Have you heard of that theory that the more work a person takes on, the more efficient and productive they become? Miles are climbing, career work load has increased mildly, and productivity is climbing on both fronts. 60 miles and business trip to London for a 2-day workshop, all bringing on a new direct report - not bad. Throw on a social event, we hosted a BBQ last night as well...

Recap of 7/30 week

Mon – 13 miles – med-hard run – 7:40 avg pace
Tue – Travel to London / Work
Wed – London – 8 miles @ 8:00 avg pace
Thu – London Heathrow – 6 miles recovery – 5pm – home: 4 miles on treadmill 7:25 avg pace
Fri – 6 miles recovery pace
Sat – 18 miles – 7:30 average for 16.5 – added last 1.5 at close to MP (6:55/mi) – total 18
Sun – 5 miles recovery

Total: 60 miles

I am excited for next week’s Chicago half mary. I am praying for favorable weather. I am laying out the goal of 1:26:30.

Folks, I am seriously at a loss of what to expect of myself. I will be doing a lot mental preparation this week.

I have done this before. I have set a goal, prepared for it and nailed it. However, for some reason, this marathon goal seems a bit loftier than most for me. It's not lost on me that this race is a huge milestone toward a sub-3 marathon on Oct 7th.

Check out my last year’s CDC race result post for inspiration. I plan to write one of a similar tone this coming Sunday. 1:26:30 or better, here I come...

I also need to keep focused on my charitable commitment to the American Cancer Society. I am stuck at 58% of my target. Please visit my fundraising page and make a donation, if you are able to. I want to personally thank all of my wonderful donors who have gotten me this far.

In the spirit of cancer awareness, I wanted to share this link to an excellent commentary on the courageous Robin Roberts, the ABC newswoman who went public with her breast cancer diagnosis this past week.

Plan for 8/6 week

Mon – 10 miles - General aerobic
Tue – 9 miles – speed work: 6x600m repeats
Wed – 14 miles – med-long run
Thu – Rest
Fri – 5 miles recovery
Sat – 2 miles easy
Sun – CHICAGO DISTANCE CLASSIC HALF MARATHON – 13.1

Goal total: 53 with a 1:26:30 half marathon

UPCOMING 8/13 WEEK - Going for the big 7-0 - that's right, 70 miles in a single week - "can Ryan do it?!?"

REALITY CHECK?

So far this week, I went to a trade show for a day downtown, had a couple of fancy business meals, traveled to London, had two all day meetings, traveled back -- and found a way to knock out 31 miles in the meantime. And it's only Thursday nite. Not bad, I suppose.

Monday - 5:45 AM: 13 miles - 7:40 avg
Tuesday - Zilch / travel-work
Wednesday - 6:30 AM London time - 8 miles - 8:00 average pace
Thursday - 6 miles recovery at 4:50 AM London time / 4 miles on treadmill w/ some speed (avg: 7:25) - total 10

Plan for Saturday long run was 15 miles w/12 at MP. I honestly don't know if I can hold that. May be too early. Besides, Jim, our CARA group leader wants to do 18. I'm guessing he wishes to hold steady 7:30's. Maybe I shoud do the 18 with him - and plan to try to push the last six toward my MP goal of 6:51. Eeegads.... it's starting to set in how challenging a marathon goal 2:59:59 really is.

Plan for rest of week

Friday - 7 miles easy
Saturday - 18 miles - deciding on whether or not to try to more MP miles toward the end
Sunday - Rest

Goal: 53-56

Gut Check Time - 10 Weeks To Go

For my eighth week of training, I tallied 57 total miles, which was on the low end of my target range. I'd call it a good week of training.

While my mileage was slightly lower than last week's 61, my workout intensity was definitely higher. I did a speed tempo workout on Tuesday (albeit a little slow), 3 miles at LT on Thursday and a hard 20-mile long run yesterday.

Yesteday's run was my hardest, best workout of the season. I did 20 miles at 7:28 average pace. (see detail in image) While temps were reasonable, the humidity level was very high.
I wanted to test myself with MP mile towards the end of yesterday's run. I ran 6:56 for mile 18, but it was clear that I was not going to be able to hold that. My body was tired, my HR was too high and I felt winded. I think if the conditions would have been better, I would have had a stronger finish.

Between the 3 LT miles on Thursday which were rough, and yesterday's struggle to hold goal MP, it's clear that it's time to hunker down. It's gut check time.

I've got a solid base. Now I need to work hard on increasing lactate threshold and taking my miles up to 70. Right now, my paces clearly tell me that there is more work to do to get to a 3:00 pace range.

There is two weeks to an important time trial in the season: The Chicago Distance Classic. I am very hopeful I will show a marked improvement vs. my PR there last year. I want to crush last year's 1:30:24 with a sub-1:27.

This coming week mileage plan gets a little tricky with a business trip to London. Recap of this week and plan for next week posted below.

Recap of 7/23 week

Mon - 10 @ 7:40 avg pace
Tue - AM recovery 4 miles + eve speed work 6.5 = 10.5 mi
Wed - Rest
Thu - 10.5 mi in rain w/ 3 LT (6:40)
Fri - Recovery 6 mi
Sat - 20 mi @ 7:28 pace w/ 1 mile at MP
Sun - Rest

Total: 57 miles

Plan for 7/30 week

Mon - 13 miles - travel to London on red-eye
Tue - Rest
Wed - 10 in London's Hyde Park
Thu - 13 miles general aerobic
Fri - 6 recovery w/ 6x100m strides
Sat - 15 w/12 at MP
Sun - Rest

Goal total: 57 miles

Speed work was so-so... but driving ahead toward 58 this week

I am at about 20.5 miles through Wednesday, which includes a rest day today. I needed to take today off to recover and plan for a strong run in the morning.

On Monday morning, I cranked out 10 solid miles, which ended being a total avg of 7:40.

On Tuesday AM, I started the day with a recovery 4-miler at 8:40, in anticipation of the evening speed work routine.

Tuesday PM, I ran with CARA Speed Work group. We started up with a 1-mile easy warm-up and ended with a 1-mile cooldown. The core workout was designed to be as follows:

1 mile - Marathon pace - Target 1:41 400m repeats for a 3:00 marathon
2.5 miles - "Tempo" pace - Target 1:37 400m repeats for a 3:00 marathon
1 mile - 10k pace - 1:31 400m repeats for a 3:00 marathon

First off, I was tired going into this workout. Second, I should have written the target splits on my hand, because I forgot what I was trying to run.

Bottom line is that my first 4 laps on the track were too slow at about 1:45-1:46. I then ran solid 1:42's for about 10 laps - then averaged 1:37's for the final 4 laps. Honestly, I forgot what my goal pace was - and no one was pushing me. (Most are novices out on the track, and I have the fastest goal time).

I don't want to go as far as saying this speed workout was a disappointment, since I know from the experts that speed work doesn't matter right now... but I didn't go fast enough for a 3:00 hour marathon. It's all good, I got a decent workout in, but I know I need to focus more on LT runs.

I have a 12-miler planned for the early AM tomorrow. I plan to do at least 4 of the miles tomorrow at lactate threshold pace, which I think is around 6:35 per mile.

That sounds fast, can I run 6:35 pace for an hour (the unscientific definition of LT pace is what you can race in an hour)? Well, I ran 6:46 pace for 1:07:43 at a 10-miler about a month ago, and I have piled on the miles since then.

Rest of week will be the aforementioned 12'er tomorrow, a recovery 5-miler on Friday and then 20 miles on Saturday. I will probably land in the 57-58 mile range for this week.

Mission Accomplished – 61 Miles for the Week

It’s Sunday night and I am reflecting on a very strong week of training.

Since my last post on Wed, I rounded out the week with 9 solid miles (7:50’ish pace) on Thursday, a 4-mile recovery on Friday and steady 21-miler (7:54 avg) on Saturday.

Yesterday’s 21-miler was solid… not too fast, not too slow. Steady 8’s through 16 miles with the CARA 8-min pace group – then added 5 on my own at around 7:40 pace avg. This was exactly as planned. I wanted to be safe this week, with such a big mileage jump.

I re-read McMillan’s article on carb deprivation for long slow distance runs. I tested his theory yesterday by taking in far fewer carbs before/during my run than I normally do. It worked well, I think… I am interested in your opinions. Does it sound crazy to “starve” yourself of carbs on these long, slow runs to stimulate and expand your energy stores?

My focus is volume, not speed right now. This week, I will come close to another sixty-one miles, if all goes well.

I definitely want to get in a solid tempo run this week.. My dilemma is that, while I am not a fan of the evening runs, the CARA group Tuesday eve speed work is helpful. Basically I am picking and choosing which speed workouts the CARA team offers that fit with my training plan. Focus: Lactate Threshold and 60+ mile weeks.

On the diet and weight management front, I weighed in at fit 170 this morning. I have shed a few pounds over the past week and a half.

Here is the draft plan for the week, which is always subject to adaptation. This would repeat this week’s mileage of 61.

Mon – 9 general aerobic
Tue – AM: 5 recovery. PM: 6 with 4 at LT. 11 total for day.
Wed – 4 recovery
Thu – 12 gen aerobic
Fri – 5 recovery
Sat – 20 miles
Sun – Rest

On track for 60+ this week

I am proud to report that I am on track toward my biggest mileage week ever. This week’s 60 miles will be a huge confidence lift as I progress toward my peak 70-mile week, which is scheduled for August 13th. Here's this week mileage so far:

Monday – 5:50 AM – Rocked out 11 miles strong at 7:36 pace

Tuesday – 6:45 AM – Ran a 4-mile recovery run at 8:40 pace. 6:30 PM – Joined the CARA speed work team. Did 1 mile warm-up + 6 100m strides – then speed work consisted of 3x1200m + 1x400m at 5k pace - 3 times. Then 1 mile at MP. Finished w/1 mile cooldown.

Wednesday – 6:15 PM – 6-mile recovery – 8:36 pace . Temps in 80's and 90% humidity. I won't pretend that tonight's run was totally easy, as I expected. The conditions were moist and sultry - and I was feeling the effects of last night's speed work. Nevertheless, it is DONE. I need to monitor my body signals to make sure I am not ramping up too quickly.

WTD thru Wed: 27 miles -- Right on track.


I feel very good about last night’s speed workout. I am convinced that it is important for me to get out there every Tuesday night. The last mile at MP of the workout really felt easy - and most of us went too fast. That's the nature of this speed workout. It makes marathon goal pace seem easy.

Rest of week plan


Thursday AM - 9-10 gen aerobic (easy)
Friday AM - 4 recovery
Sat AM - 21 LSD – 7:50 pace target -- MY LONGEST EVER MARATHON TRAINING RUN!

Looking forward to nailing at least 33 more miles over the next 63 hours. This will get me to 60+ total miles for the week.

Man, do I want to rock out at the CDC on August 12th. It's my next big milestone. When I say rock out, I mean I would love to hit 1:25:59 as the stretch goal - while sub-1:27 is the main goal. Suppose I will run 6:35-6:40 in the early going and see if I can push to 6:30-35 over the last 4 or 5 miles.

60-mile weeks are not easy, at least, not yet anyway... lots of planning, focus and commitment. The train rolls on....

Recap of 7/ 9 week - 12 weeks to go

Chad and Andrew both weighed on Thursday's 5k race results that earned me the cool little piece of hardware seen here. I was somewhat dismayed that I had a meltdown in mile 3 and couldn't hold to break 19 (odd thing is that my 3rd mile felt better than my 2nd as I was running.) Basically they told me I need to put in higher mileage and focus on tempo runs - and to not sweat an early 5k race. Thanks, guys.

What they are saying makes sense. I think what got me concerned was that I ran a 3:10 5k equalivalent around this time last year, which was right on track for my goal. With the 2007 goal at 2:59, I had hoped to be further along. My mileage is definitely higher - with seemingly only marginal improvement. Much more work to do, I guess.

Another factor: I weighed in at 175 on Thursday this week; the day of my 5k PR. This is about 5 lbs heavier than I was at this time last summer. As Amby Burfoot pointed out in his recent RW Article, "there's no denying that healthy runners will race about two seconds per mile faster for every pound they lose." This 31 seconds would have put me at 18:50 on that 5k!

My goal is to be 169 lbs on CDC race day on Aug 12th. I will then plan to run a sub-1:27.

I finished the week exactly on target at 46 miles. I knocked out a solid 15 yesterday at 7:36 pace average. We had nice cool weather.


Our CARA training group has a speed work session every Tuesday night. You'll see in this week's plan that I'm working it into this week's schedule.


I am about to attempt my first ever 60-mile week. Check out the plan below.

Preliminary plan for 7/16 week

Mon 7/16 -10 general aerobic
Tue - 6:00 AM: 4 gen aer.
6:30 PM : 3 X 1200m @ 10k pace + 1 min rest btw + 400m at 5k pace - 3 min rest. Repeat 3 times. Then 1 mile at MP. Total of 6 after warm-up/cooldown.
10 total for the day.
Wed - 5 recovery (8:30-8:45 pace)
Thu - 10 miles gen aer
Fri - 5 recovery (8:30-8:45 pace)
Sat - 21 long - run with 8 pace group - target 7:45 pace
Sun - Rest

Goal mileage total: 61 miles

Joliet Sundowner 5k Update

I ran the Joliet Sundowner 5k tonight. I had hoped to be able to break below 19 minutes. Unfortunately, I didn't do it. Here are my splits.

5:50
6:04
6:38
0:40
19:22 (6:15 pace)

On the positive side, this was a PR by about 10 seconds. Most significantly, I won FIRST PLACE IN MY AGE GROUP. (pictures to come) This was the goal I set forth for this race and I achieved it. Sweet trophy, too...

However, I thought I'd be able to hold more strongly than I did. Time to get out on the track, I suppose. The conditions were very good - relatively cool for a summer 5k. Course was rolling hills, but not too challenging. This was a sub-19 opportunity, but I guess I wasn't ready. I need speed work. I have been avoiding it for the most part. It's time to bite the bullet.

This 5k time on McMillan's predictor chart puts me at 3:08 for the marathon. I have a long way to go, it seems.

WTD Mileage with this race: 26

Plan is to do six easy tomorrow and 14 on Saturday. Total in plan for week: 46.

A day late - or 3 miles short...?

First off, my sincere thanks to Yumke for his contribution to my ACS Charity Drive. Thank you very much, Yumke, for your donation to help fight cancer! Make sure you visit his blog and cheer him on toward Marine Corps.

I had planned to hit 53-56 miles this week. I was on track for 54 as of Friday, but I needed a 20-miler to get there yesterday.

The CARA group was only running 14 and I hoped to add 6 by my lonesome (as I often do). I started out with the 7:30 pace group, which was probably a bit overzealous since I did feel some fatigue going into the run. Not to mention my stomach discomfort at the start, but there was no time to resolve that.

One of our miles was 7:11, which didn't help. At 5.5, I let the group go and hit the can, with the plan to tag onto the 8’s group (who really should be called the 7:45 group).

We finished 14 and we were all overheating. I could not entice anyone to go back on the trail. I often get asked on days like this: “why are you trying to do 20? What program are you on?” I tell them it’s the original “Ryan Sub-3 program”, with the principles of Pfitz and whole lot of wingin’ it mixed into the plan.

Temp’s were in the low 80’s and I simply didn’t have another 6 in me by myself in the heat. I felt like I had partially bonked, to be honest. I was not so strong yesterday.

So I fueled up a little, chatted and then headed back toward home. Before going home, I detoured to the gym treadmill for another strong 3, including a 6:50 final mile. 17 total for the day -- 51 for the week. No way was I going to get six on that hamster’s wheel. I could've added on today - but it was 95 and I need to rest. Chalk it up to 51 this week.

I now have 367 miles on my Nike Air Vomero+2’s. I could feel the lack of impact resistance. Consider them officially retired. I’ve got the identical replacement pair ready to go for tomorrow morning.

Feels like a minor disappointment to not hit the weekly goal that I set, but that’s going to happen when you set stretch goals. It makes me realize I am testing my limits.

It should be noted that I have increased my mileage in seven consecutive weeks. The forthcoming week will be a step back to around 45-47, after which I will kick it up a notch with a 57-mile goal target the following week.

Friday checkpoint - 93 days to go

First off, I want to sincerely thank my donors who have supported my ACS Charity Runner drive. I really appreciate the contributions. You can see their names if you visit my page.

There's a long way to go towards my fundraising goal. If you would like to sponsor me as chase sub-3 and help support the ACS, this is the place to do it!

It’s Friday. I am on track for hitting the 53-56 mile target range I set last week, but it will require a nice, long run tomorrow in the heat. It’s going to be 90’s this weekend.

Mon - 6
Tue - 12
Wed – Rest
Thu - 10
Fri - 6
Sat – Planned 20 – CARA – Prairie Path
Sun – Planned rest

I should hit 54 for the week after tomorrow's 20-miler.

Unfortunately, a snag was thrown into my schedule next week for the 5k. I need to go CT for an unexpected meeting and my flight will likely get me in on Thurs eve after 6PM.

This means there is probably about 1% chance that I will make it to the 5k in Joliet that night. Just don't see how I can pull it off since it’s at least an hour drive down to Joliet from O’Hare – and the flights are never on-time anymore.

I probably will try to hit the Viking Sunset 5k on the 26th instead, where I earned third in my age group last year. Perhaps I can claim a second trophy there.

For the record, here are the mileage totals in my last seven weeks in reverse chrono order:

7/2 - 54 (to be completed tomorrow)
6/25 - 50
6/18 - 47
6/11 - 43
6/4 - 43
5/28 - 41
5/21 - 38

After a short step-back week to around 45-47 next week, I plan to average about 57-58 miles per week for seven straight weeks. Folks, this phase will be the heart of the plan that will get me to sub three - and will undoubtedly be the most running I have ever done in my life.

Week 4 Complete - Bring on July

I am pleased to report that I did complete a strong 18-mile workout yesterday. This run gave me my first 50-mile week since the week of March 5 during Boston training. I recall that after the 20-miler that week, my IT band syndrome was bothering me. I think I am pretty healthy right now.

The weather conditions in the Chicago area yesterday were perfect. I ran with the CARA group for 13 miles – and then ventured off on my own for another 5. Heart rate was in check and physical endurance was tested toward the end - but that's to be expected.

If you count last Sunday, I just completed a 63-mile week. I know that’s kind of cheating, but it gives an indication of my strong base-building progression.

Our CARA group leader, Jim, told me about a 5k that is scheduled in nearby Joliet for July 12. Initially, I was planning to run the Niketown 5k race downtown. However, if it was anything like the Nike Run Hit Wonder last year, I know it won’t be a good event for a time trial. Too many casual fun runners and not designed for speed.

So the Joliet 5k is interesting since it’s a smaller, local race. Jim said the competition is not very strong. I checked last year’s results and he was right – my 19:32 PR last year at this time would have tied me for first place in my age group. I’m in better shape than last year. I think I can break sub-19 right now. I’m going to go to Joliet to see if I can win my age group. My goal will be to run 6 to 6:05 pace. Wow, that sounds really scary – AND painful.

Plan for this week to run in the 53-56 mile range before stepping back next week. Not sure how I am going to structure the week as yet. Probably something like 7+11+0+11+6+20+0 (M+T+W+Th+Fr+Sat+Sun) = 55’ish. This would tie me for my biggest Mon through Sun week (without counting last week’s Sunday long run). July will be my first ever 200+ mile month.

On track to 50 for the week

First, I need to give props to the organizing committee for the DG 10-miler. I did not even know that I placed third in my age group until the results went up on the web that night. Thursday, I received a nice package in the mail containing my latest piece of running hardware. Excellent gesture for them to send it. Guess I need to start sticking around for the awards presentations.

Ramping up toward the 50-mile target this week has been challenging – mostly because I was pretty spent after a hard race on Sunday. On Monday afternoon, I felt really fatigued.

Although I had planned to take a rest day on Wednesday, I had to take it a day early. My body was sending me signals. I came back reasonably strong on Wednesday AM with an eleven-miler in the morning.

Good news is that I am still on track to hit 50, despite making the aforementioned adjustment. I’ve knocked out 32 miles since Monday.

Despite that this week is my company’s financial close (Read: hectic), I took Jen out to dinner on Monday night, attended a farewell party for a co-worker on Wednesday night and went to the Ben Folds/John Mayer concert last night. I am finding a way to get in the miles and not give up my life.

Recap of WTD

Mon – 7 recovery – 8:26 avg
Tue – Rest
Wed – 11 gen aerobic – 7:55 avg
Thu – 8 gen aerobic – 8:01 avg
Fri – 6 recovery – 8:35 avg

WTD: 32

Plan for weekend

Sat – 18 LSD – 7:45-8:00 pace range
Sun – DO NOTHING!

DG 10M Race Results - CHASING SUB-THREE

I ran the DG 10-miler one year ago in 1:11:52 (7:11/mile). My goal going into today’s race was to break 1:09.

I did not think I had enough speed work in me to break 1:08, which is where I wanted to be several weeks ago when planning my training. The Wheaton 10k three weeks ago – a 41:52 in very warm temps - made me question if I could do much better than 1:09. However, the conditions were much better today – mid 60’s and no beaming sun.

In the end, I shaved off 4:09 from last year’s result and broke 1:08. Miles 9 and 10 were 6:25 and 6:12 respectively. The DG course was reasonably hilly as well – especially by Chicago area standards.

I had an awesomely strong second half. It was a killer negative split. I dropped a lot of runners during the last 2 miles.

Downer's Grove 10-mile results - 6/24/07
First 5 miles - 34:35
Second 5 miles - 33:08
Finish time: 1:07:43 (6:46/mi)

Today's run was a real confidence boost. I hoped I would be able to run this kind of race today so that I could be sure I am progressing toward a 1:26 half in August, which is about where I need to be for a 3:00 marathon.

Recap of 6/18 week - 15 weeks to go

Mon 6/18 – 10 miles - 7:40 pace – Pretty strong run – BNL concert
Tue 6/19 – Early flight to NY -- 4 mile eve run – approx 8:00 pace

Wed 6/20 – 8 miler - 7:49 pace - hilly run in Norwalk CT

Thu 6/21 – Rest / Fly back home
Fri 6/22 – 8 miler – 7:40 pace
Sat 6/23 – Treadmill recovery run – 4 miles - 8:35 avg pace
Sun 6/24 – 10 mile race (6:46/mi) – 3 miles recovery 8:38 pace = 13 total

TOTAL MILEAGE: 47

We are seven weeks away to the Chicago Distance Classic, where the new goal will be 1:25:59. I plan to average 55 mpw between then and now.

Good news in that I am not traveling for work this week. I plan to get up to 50+ miles this week for the first time since in March before Boston.

I am torn on when to start the intense speed work on the track. Pfitzinger’s plan only prescribes strides in Mesocycle 1(first six weeks of the 18 weeks). I think I will try some track work to see if I can set my 5k PR on July 12.

Plan for 6/25 week

Mon 6/25 – 7 miles – recovery + gen aero
Tue 6/26 – 10 miles - Speed work: 400m track repeats
Wed 6/27 - REST
Thu 6/28 – 10 miles general aerobic
Fri 6/29 – 7 miles - Recovery
Sat 6/30 – 17 miles long – plan to run 7:40-50’ish
Sun 7/1 - REST

TOTAL MILEAGE TARGET: 51 miles

I can run a sub-three hour marathon. There is lots of work to do, but I am making progress toward this amazing goal.