Marathon Training: Week 3 Preview

This is week three of the Denver Marathon Training Plan (+ some swim & bike training) . After a reduced week on the bike and swim last week due to family commitments, I'm looking to add a couple of longer rides on the weekend. Since I'll be heading to the mountains on Sat., I'm looking for some good climbing on Sunday.

Plan for this week:

Weekday	Workouts
Monday:	Cross-train: Commute to pool and to/from work - 22.5 miles Swim: 2500 meters
Tuesday:	Run 3 miles easy/aerobic effort
Wednesday:	Run 6 miles aerobic/mod effort
Thursday:	Run 3 miles easy
Friday:	Cross-train: Commute to pool and to/from work - 22.5 miles Swim: 3000 meters
Saturday:	Ride 41 miles Run 6 miles @ goal marathon pace
Sunday:	Ride 40 miles Long Run: 8 miles @ marathon pace minus 45 to 90 seconds

Totals

Swim: ~2 hrs, 5500 meters

Bike: ~6:30 hrs, 126 miles

Run: ~4.0 hrs, 26 miles

Marathon Training Summary: Week 2

Week 2 of the marathon training is now complete. I did a little better this week numbers wise, finishing 26 of the 27 miles I had scheduled. I cut one workout short because my back was really aching due to the staleness of my shoes. After I got the new shoes, things went swimmingly.

Due to family commitments, I cut back the bike training, and only rode about 40 miles this week.

Totals for the week were as follows:

Day	Swim	Run	Bike
Mon	--	30 min (8.3 mi) to Work 30 min (8.5 mi) to Home	--
Tue	35 min. 1500 meters	35 min (9.75 mi) to Pool 15 min (4.25 mi) to Work 30 min (8.5 mi) to Home	26:40 min (3 miles) treadmill, Easy
Wed	--	--	32:14 min (4 miles) treadmill, Hard
Thu	1:00 2500 meters	--	24:35 min (3 miles) treadmill, Easy
Fri	--	--	--
Sat	--	--	41:45 min (5 miles) Easy
Sun	--	--	1:35:15 (11 miles) Easy

Totals:

Swim: 1:35 / 4000 m

Bike: 2:20 / 39.3 mi

Run: 3:21 / 26 mi

Total: 7:41

What a Difference a [new] Shoe Makes...

Bought new shoes at lunch today, some Mizuno Wave Rider 9's. My oh my! How much better my feet, knees and back feel after my first run in the new shoes!

My old Wave Creation 5's must have been completely shot! No wonder I dreaded every run in those monsters! I suppose it's my own fault, though. Although Laura bought me the new Wave Creation 6's for my birthday last year to replace the 5's I wore at the Ironman in 2004, I couldn't wear them to train in, because they kept rubbing a blister on the surgical scar on my ankle. Naturally, instead of returning the 6's and finding something else, I procrastinated, and kept using the 5's.

Well... running shoes don't last that long, and when I really started upping the mileage, my feet and back must have really started taking a pounding! How I managed to finish that 10 mile run in those shoes last weekend is a real mystery!

I HAVE to get new shoes...

I really need to get some new running shoes. I haven't done a whole lot of running since the Ironman in Sept. of 2004, and I'm still wearing the same shoes I used when I did that race. My poor feet, knees and back are taking a beating. I usually feel okay when running, but when I'm done, I feel crippled up like an old, old man.

Shoes are definitely on the list of immediate must gets.

Marathon Training Week 2

This is week two of the Denver Marathon (+ some swimming & biking) Training Plan. With the in-laws in town for my brother-in-law's wedding, there won't be much biking this week.

Plan for this week:

Weekday	Workouts
Monday:	Cross-train: Commute to/from work - 17 miles
Tuesday:	Swim 2500 meters; Run 3 miles easy; Commute to pool and to/from work - 22.5 miles
Wednesday:	Run 5 miles aerobic effort
Thursday:	Swim 2500 meters; Run 3 miles easy
Friday:	Day Off
Saturday:	Run 5 miles @ goal marathon pace
Sunday:	Long Run: 11 miles @ marathon pace minus 45 to 90 seconds

Totals

Swim: ~2 hrs, 5000 meters
Bike: ~2:15 hrs, 40 miles
Run: ~4.5 hrs, 27 miles

Marathon/Triathlon Training Summary - Week 1

I did pretty well with Week 1 of the marathon training plan (considering that I'm also including quite a bit of cycling and swimming along with it). The plan called for 26 miles of running this week, and I did 23. Instead of one "rest day," I took two, and rearranged a key run from Wednesday to Thursday, bumping my Thursday easy 3 miler from the schedule. All-in-all, not too bad. However, I need to make sure I don't do that too often.

Totals were as follows:

Day	Swim	Run	Bike
Mon	--	30 min (8.0 mi) to Work 30 min (8.5 mi) to Home	--
Tue	--	30 min (8.0 mi) to Work 30 min (8.5 mi) to Home	27 min (3 miles) treadmill
Wed	--	--	--
Thu	1:05 (3000 yds)	33 min (9.5 mi) to Pool 13 min (4.25 mi) to Work 30 min (8.5 mi) to Home	43 min (5 miles) treadmill
Fri	--	--	--
Sat	--	2:02 (40 miles)	40 min (5 miles)
Sun	--	--	1:31 (10 miles)

Swim: 1:05 / 3000 yd

Bike: 5:18 / 95 mi

Run: 3:21 / 23 mi

Total: 9:44

Starting the Marathon Training...

After a winter of doing virtually nothing, I've resumed triathlon training, which I have been doing fairly religiously for about two months now. I haven't been running much, but I bike and swim quite a bit. The results are beginning to show, as I've dropped 11 lbs from 220 lbs to 209 lbs mostly from increasing my mileage on the bike (I've actually been swimming about 2-3 times/week since January, but I hadn't seen much loss in body fat). That's a far cry from the 182 lbs I weighed at Ironman Wisconsin, but it's a start.

We're about to see the results of integrating marathon training into my current training schedule, which should (if my body still acts like it did when I was training for the Ironman) melt away the LBs pretty quickly.

Today marks the official start of the marathon training plan for the Denver Marathon. Unfortunately, there's nothing scheduled in my training plan. I decided to use Hal Higdon's Intermediate II marathon plan, which calls for a cross-training day on Mondays. So... in view of that requirement, I did nothing except commute by bicycle to work.

Plan for the week:

Weekday	Workouts
Monday:	Cross-train: Commute to/from work - 16 miles
Tuesday:	Run 3 miles easy; Commute to/from work - 16 miles
Wednesday:	Run 5 miles aerobic effort; Bike 15 miles -Hill/Power workout
Thursday:	Run 3 miles easy; Swim 2500 meters; Commute to/from work & pool - 21 miles
Friday:	Day off - Swim 2500 meters; Commute to/from work & pool - 21 miles
Saturday:	Run 5 miles @ goal marathon pace; 40 miles on the bike
Sunday:	Long Run: 10 miles @ marathon pace -45 to 90 seconds

Totals

Swim: ~2 hrs, 5000 meters

Bike: ~7.25 hrs, 130 miles>
Run: ~4.25 hrs, 26 miles

Revising the Training Plan... Yet again

I'm sure I'm doing myself no good by revising the training plan yet again, but my goals seem to be changing every few weeks or so.

Ironman Coeur d'Alene is likely not a reality next year. I just don't know how I can find the time to help raise two newborns and still have the energy to go to work and train for an Ironman race. I still haven't ruled it out, but I only have a few weeks to decide, as the 2006 Ironman CdA race is rapidly approaching, and I would need to sign up as soon as registration for 2007 opens following the race.

Okay... so what's the current plan? Running. I'm a terrible runner. I used to be pretty good as a kid, but alas! I'm slow as an adult. This is the one area of multisport I REALLY need to work on. So how am I going to do it? The Colorado Outward Bound Relay and the Denver Marathon.

The Colorado Outward Bound Relay is a 24 hour, 170-mile, 10-person relay race through the Rocky Mountains on September 8-9. It consists of 30 separate race legs ranging from about 3-12 miles each. Each team member is required to run 3 legs of the race, and the teams must cross the finish line together. I volunteered for one of the most difficult legs, doing 6.2 miles up Guanella Pass. Looks like I have a lot of hill running to do to be ready for this race.

The Denver Marathon (October 15, 2006) will be my first stand alone marathon ever. I had planned to do the Dallas White Rock marathon back in December of 2003 in preparation for Ironman Wisconsin, but a nagging knee injury forced me to withdraw. As a result, the only marathon I've ever done came at the end of the Ironman, following 2.4 miles of swimming and 112 on the bike. I'd like to see what I'm capable of in a standalone marathon. My Ironman marathon was a little disappointing, as I ran/walked it to a 5 hour split. With proper training, I think I can get down to a 3:30 finishing time (eventually), and I'm shooting for a sub-4 hour time this fall. Prparing for the Outward Bound Relay should help a lot, as I'm sure I'll need to run quite a few hills and mountain passes to be ready for that. That can only help my speed and endurance for the flat Denver Marathon.

Marathon Goal Time: 3:56:00 (~9 min/mi pace)

More to come on the training front.