OK, I finally, officially joined the insanity. I registered for Chicago against the advice of every non-runner I could find. ;) I set a soft goal of 3:45 (~8.5 minute pace), but I have no idea what to expect at that distance.
I had a wonderful experience over the weekend. I got to run at ~1000 ft elevation in Atlanta. I had wings! However, today's run was a bit of a rude awakening back at the usual 6000+ ft. It was just one of those "couldn't find the groove" days.
When I got home today, I saw that my schedule shows "tempo runs" starting about now. Since I didn't pay much attention to this the last time I ramped up, I thought I'd look into it. I found this interesting article:
http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-238-263-265-12224-0,00.html
Does anybody have any advice for tempo runs? For example, how do you dial in the right pace and interval? Are there clear physical signs of the lactose threshold?
Also, did anybody sign up for that $30 feeding frenzy before the Marathon? I passed on it since I wasn't sure.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Pat nuggets #6
Living In Faith Exchange Runners (LIFER's) Chicago Marathon Team
* Shane, John, Tracy, Steve, Chad, Bill, Lindsay, Rich, Courtney, Angi, Pat, Scott, Ben, Kevin?, Doug?
--------------------------------------------------
Hi, LIFER's:
Happy Easter! A few nuggets:
Registration: Scott is going to register! Scott's running partner, Kevin, may also join us. Chad's running partner, Ben, plans to register. Doug Young (Academy physics instructor) is thinking about joining our team as well. Doug, Scott, Ben, and Kevin...please let me know when you have registered and made hotel/flight reservations...Just Do It!
Running Goals: We need goals for John, Shane, Bill, Lindsay, Scott, and Ben...
Run for ProLife!,
Pat
Phil 4:13
* LIFER's Chicago Marathon Team blog at marathon-for-life.blogspot.com.
* ProLife Ministry Support: We have ProLife wristbands. Start asking friends and family to sponsor you ($/mile). Pick your own ProLife ministry to support. Angi and I are thinking about donating to the local crisis pregnancy center.
* Shane, John, Tracy, Steve, Chad, Bill, Lindsay, Rich, Courtney, Angi, Pat, Scott, Ben, Kevin?, Doug?
--------------------------------------------------
Hi, LIFER's:
Happy Easter! A few nuggets:
Registration: Scott is going to register! Scott's running partner, Kevin, may also join us. Chad's running partner, Ben, plans to register. Doug Young (Academy physics instructor) is thinking about joining our team as well. Doug, Scott, Ben, and Kevin...please let me know when you have registered and made hotel/flight reservations...Just Do It!
Running Goals: We need goals for John, Shane, Bill, Lindsay, Scott, and Ben...
Training: To prevent injury, gradually build up your miles (~10% overall weekly increase) to be ready for the first week of your 18 week training plan (8 Jun) .
* I am one of the officers in charge of the Academy Marathon Club. Some of our t-shirts have this quote on the back: "The will to win means nothing without the will to prepare." by Juma Ikangaa (world-class marathoner from Tanzania)
* How is your training going?
Run for ProLife!,
Pat
Phil 4:13
* LIFER's Chicago Marathon Team blog at marathon-for-life.blogspot.com.
* ProLife Ministry Support: We have ProLife wristbands. Start asking friends and family to sponsor you ($/mile). Pick your own ProLife ministry to support. Angi and I are thinking about donating to the local crisis pregnancy center.
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Pat nuggets #5
Living In Faith Exchange Runners (LIFER's) Chicago Marathon Team
* Shane, John, Tracy, Steve, Chad, Bill, Lindsay, Rich, Courtney, Angi, Pat, Scott?
--------------------------------------------------------------
Hi, LIFER's!
Lot's of great exchange this past week...great teamwork! A few nuggets:
Registration: Scott is still on the fence. Let's all encourage him to register and officially join our team!
Running Goals: Everyone has posted their goals except John, Shane, Bill, Lindsay, and Scott.
* Several of us signed up for Pikes Peak (Aug) on 12 Mar, including Scott, Courtney, Steve, Angi, and I. Steve replied to my Pikes Peak "let the suffering begin" email with these comments: "I think I'll make a shirt that says, "Don't look twice - You've just been passed by a very large man with 21 fusions and titanium rods in his spine!" I will just be glad to get to the top."
Training: The 18 wk training plans begin 8 June (novice, intermediate, advanced). Gradually build up your miles to be at the week 1 level by 8 June. Increasing your mileage no more than about 10% per week will usually prevent you from ramping up too quickly and getting hurt. Also, to prevent injury, do not go more than two days without running, take one but no more than three days off in a week, and include one cross training day (at least between now and 8 Jun). Starting 8 Jun, stick to the schedule!...you may have to ease off and then back into it if you have a minor injury or illness. Don't exceed your schedule...if the schedule says 9 miles and you feel real good, make it a solid 9 mile run...don't go 13 miles. Exceeding your schedule could lead to injury or jeopardize an upcoming workout.
* Rich is going to journal his daily training notes as a "comment" to his "Running Goals" post (consider doing this).
Stretching: To prevent injury and increase speed, stretch after every run. When you stretch, go until you feel tension and hold for 10 sec to 1 min (don't bounce). You should stretch at least these areas: calf, Achilles, quad, hamstring, groin, back, ITB. If you do not have an iliotibial band (ITB) stretch, Google it and start it today (very painful, common for >30 yr old runners).
Strengthening (core): To prevent injury (and for mountain running), do core training after stretching (after every run), including at least sit ups, push ups, calf raises, and shallow dips and/or lunges. Whenever you start a new exercise start easy (low reps) and build up about 10% per week until you level off. I leveled off at 20 pull ups, 100 crunches, 80 push ups, 150 toe raises (50 on each foot and then 50 with both feet), 100 shallow lunges/squats (50 lunges rotating legs followed by 50 squats).
ProLife Ministry support: Let's keep this simple and start casually asking friends and family to sponsor us ($/mile). Pick your own ProLife ministry to support. Angi and I are thinking about donating to the local crisis pregnancy center. Other ideas?
Run for ProLife!,
Pat
Phil 4:13
* LIFER's Chicago Marathon Team blog at marathon-for-life.blogspot.com.
* ProLife Ministry support: We have ProLife wristbands. Start asking friends and family to sponsor you ($/mile).
* Shane, John, Tracy, Steve, Chad, Bill, Lindsay, Rich, Courtney, Angi, Pat, Scott?
--------------------------------------------------------------
Hi, LIFER's!
Lot's of great exchange this past week...great teamwork! A few nuggets:
Registration: Scott is still on the fence. Let's all encourage him to register and officially join our team!
Running Goals: Everyone has posted their goals except John, Shane, Bill, Lindsay, and Scott.
* Several of us signed up for Pikes Peak (Aug) on 12 Mar, including Scott, Courtney, Steve, Angi, and I. Steve replied to my Pikes Peak "let the suffering begin" email with these comments: "I think I'll make a shirt that says, "Don't look twice - You've just been passed by a very large man with 21 fusions and titanium rods in his spine!" I will just be glad to get to the top."
Training: The 18 wk training plans begin 8 June (novice, intermediate, advanced). Gradually build up your miles to be at the week 1 level by 8 June. Increasing your mileage no more than about 10% per week will usually prevent you from ramping up too quickly and getting hurt. Also, to prevent injury, do not go more than two days without running, take one but no more than three days off in a week, and include one cross training day (at least between now and 8 Jun). Starting 8 Jun, stick to the schedule!...you may have to ease off and then back into it if you have a minor injury or illness. Don't exceed your schedule...if the schedule says 9 miles and you feel real good, make it a solid 9 mile run...don't go 13 miles. Exceeding your schedule could lead to injury or jeopardize an upcoming workout.
* Rich is going to journal his daily training notes as a "comment" to his "Running Goals" post (consider doing this).
Stretching: To prevent injury and increase speed, stretch after every run. When you stretch, go until you feel tension and hold for 10 sec to 1 min (don't bounce). You should stretch at least these areas: calf, Achilles, quad, hamstring, groin, back, ITB. If you do not have an iliotibial band (ITB) stretch, Google it and start it today (very painful, common for >30 yr old runners).
Strengthening (core): To prevent injury (and for mountain running), do core training after stretching (after every run), including at least sit ups, push ups, calf raises, and shallow dips and/or lunges. Whenever you start a new exercise start easy (low reps) and build up about 10% per week until you level off. I leveled off at 20 pull ups, 100 crunches, 80 push ups, 150 toe raises (50 on each foot and then 50 with both feet), 100 shallow lunges/squats (50 lunges rotating legs followed by 50 squats).
ProLife Ministry support: Let's keep this simple and start casually asking friends and family to sponsor us ($/mile). Pick your own ProLife ministry to support. Angi and I are thinking about donating to the local crisis pregnancy center. Other ideas?
Run for ProLife!,
Pat
Phil 4:13
* LIFER's Chicago Marathon Team blog at marathon-for-life.blogspot.com.
* ProLife Ministry support: We have ProLife wristbands. Start asking friends and family to sponsor you ($/mile).
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Running Goals (Tracy)
I think I'm the last one to post my goals, but better late than never, right? Here goes:
1) Realize (again) why I have always loved to run – just me, God’s amazing creation (especially in CO), and the peace and quiet to hear His voice and relax from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.
2) Become more educated about the ProLife movement and do my part to raise awareness.
3) Complete the training and the marathon while avoiding injury (I’ve had intermittent problems with IT band and bursitis injuries since my competitive running days in college). Hopefully I’ve learned by now how to avoid those all-so-pleasant overuse injuries.
4) Finish the marathon in under 4 hrs – once I get into my training I’ll hopefully be able to refine this goal a little more
5) After the marathon, maintain a healthy and more balanced lifestyle: good food, more consant fitness level, positive attitude, and a growing faith.
I've always said I would run a marathon someday, so I guess I'm finally going to do it. I'm super excited especially since I'm not just running a marathon, but I'm running it for such an important cause. I'm sure it will be a challenging journey, but that's usually what helps us grow the most. And maybe after my husband, Demi, sees how much fun it is, he'll want to join me next time :)
1) Realize (again) why I have always loved to run – just me, God’s amazing creation (especially in CO), and the peace and quiet to hear His voice and relax from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.
2) Become more educated about the ProLife movement and do my part to raise awareness.
3) Complete the training and the marathon while avoiding injury (I’ve had intermittent problems with IT band and bursitis injuries since my competitive running days in college). Hopefully I’ve learned by now how to avoid those all-so-pleasant overuse injuries.
4) Finish the marathon in under 4 hrs – once I get into my training I’ll hopefully be able to refine this goal a little more
5) After the marathon, maintain a healthy and more balanced lifestyle: good food, more consant fitness level, positive attitude, and a growing faith.
I've always said I would run a marathon someday, so I guess I'm finally going to do it. I'm super excited especially since I'm not just running a marathon, but I'm running it for such an important cause. I'm sure it will be a challenging journey, but that's usually what helps us grow the most. And maybe after my husband, Demi, sees how much fun it is, he'll want to join me next time :)
Some Helpful Resources/Tips
Here are some helpful resources that I used as I trained for my first marathon and some helpful tips I learned the hard way. After all experience is the best teacher, right?
Resources:
Resources:
- Training Plans - http://www.halhigdon.com/ HAL IS THE MAN - FEEL THE POWER!
- Split Calculator - http://runningtimes.com/rt/articles/?id=6766 - great for warm up races, training runs, or the real deal.
- Target Heart Rate Calculator - http://www.stevenscreek.com/goodies/hr.shtml ~ great way to gauge how you are progressing - gives you a focal point when you first start running
- Run mapping/mileage site - http://www.mapmyrun.com/ - this is by far the best site I have found (I did a lot of leg work on this). You can create markers, etc. and it's based off the Google earth technology. Check it out!
Tips:
- Keep a running journal of your training (I do mine right on my outlook calendar - I put my training runs in there then log my info each day that I am tracking). It's fun to look back on too.
- Do some races as part of your training (5K's, 10K's, half-marathons, etc.) - great for getting used to the road race environment or getting reacquainted if you're a vet. Why not set some PR's along the way?
- Long Runs - by definition anything over 13 miles (though you could use if for lesser runs too)
- 1) run early when it's cool
- 2) think long and slow
- 3) hydrate and fuel throughout out (gel packs every 45 min.'s and drink every 10 - 15 min.'s). How much and how often will be determined through trial and error, but those are general guides. I'm a larger guy so it took more often and more quantity. The heat also plays a role in the summer.
- 4) get a hydration pack system that works for you so you always have it on you - I used a hydration belt and loved it, but some people hate them.
- 5) if you are new to the long runs - find a "loop" that brings you back to your starting spot a couple times in the run - you'll only get stuck on a long out and back once. There's nothing worse than having to walk 8 miles back to your home. It's that or carry a cell phone in case you get into trouble and have a helpful voice on the other end (props to my wife, Tina, who did a number of rescue missions)
- Stretching and Ice are your friend - you are not a wuss if you have to use ice! Thanks to pes anserine bursitis/tendinitis in my right knee I am incorporating a more vigorous and aggressive stretching routine based upon long, slow stretching (hamstrings, quads and Achilles for me) at the advice of my doctor and PT professional. I paid lots of money for this advice so you can learn the hard way (get injured like me and pay lots of money for people to tell you what you already know) or the easy way (work smarter not harder).
- I will also be incorporating some strengthening exercises for my quads and hamstrings - I didn't realize it but long distance running actually weakens your quads. This can cause your knee cap to pull off it's natural track (sharp pain in the top of your knee when you start to run). Another issue I ran into about week 12ish into my training.
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Pat Note #4
Living In Faith Exchange Runners (LIFER's)
* Shane, John, Tracy, Steve, Chad, Bill, Lindsay, Rich, Courtney, Angi, Pat, Scott?
----------------------------------------------------
Hi, LIFER's:
Registration:
* Shane Hall registered this past Friday! Shane said, "I guess I can't let that go to waist" [regarding the registration $]. I replied, "The marathon training will be good for your "waist" :)!"
* Scott Casmer is still "on the fence." I think he is ready to get on our side of the fence based on this message from Fri night :), "OK, nut job. I've been doing some homework on this marathon thing. I'm fairly close to doing enough research." Let's all encourage him to register and officially join the LIFER's Chicago Marathon Team!
Running Goals: I noticed that Courtney posted her goals on the blog today, but for whatever reason, I did not get an auto notification email. So far, the following LIFER's have posted their goals: Steve, Rich, Chad, Angi, Pat, and now Courtney. To see their goals, simply click on the "GOALS" label (right side of blog, scroll down).
Stretching: I suggest doing a 2 min walk, ease into the first mile, finish hard, shuffle jog for one min (warm down), AND THEN stretch your warm muscles. You could pull something if you stretch cold muscle.
Fuel/Hydration: Food is fuel! Like Scott, I focus on three square meals. I also try to hydrate well: liquid with all meals, glass of water before and during dinner, and often glass of water before bed (recovering from hard workout or preparing for big workout next morning).
Training: For mapping your run milage, Scott suggest Google Earth (Tools->Ruler->Path function). Angi provided this website http://www.mapmyrun.com/.
ProLife fundraising: Scott suggested that we use this website to organize our fundraising: www.firstgiving.com/Design/1/sign_up_nonprofit_info.asp. More to come.
Inspiration: John Shannon shared this story about a 101-year-old man training for the London Marathon: sports.yahoo.com/top/news?slug=britmarathon030508&prov=reuters&type=lgns. John wrote, "Pat, I see you beating this guys record ~70 yrs from now J!" God, Angi, and knees willing, I would like to go for it J!
Run for ProLife!,
Pat
Phil 4:13
* LIFER's Chicago Marathon Team blog at marathon-for-life.blogspot.com.
* Training: Our blog has a link to Hal Higdon's 18 wk training guides for novice, intermediate, and advanced runners (starts 8 Jun).
* ProLife Ministry Support: I have our wristbands. More to come on sign up sheets for logging sponsors ($/mile).
* Shane, John, Tracy, Steve, Chad, Bill, Lindsay, Rich, Courtney, Angi, Pat, Scott?
----------------------------------------------------
Hi, LIFER's:
Registration:
* Shane Hall registered this past Friday! Shane said, "I guess I can't let that go to waist" [regarding the registration $]. I replied, "The marathon training will be good for your "waist" :)!"
* Scott Casmer is still "on the fence." I think he is ready to get on our side of the fence based on this message from Fri night :), "OK, nut job. I've been doing some homework on this marathon thing. I'm fairly close to doing enough research." Let's all encourage him to register and officially join the LIFER's Chicago Marathon Team!
Running Goals: I noticed that Courtney posted her goals on the blog today, but for whatever reason, I did not get an auto notification email. So far, the following LIFER's have posted their goals: Steve, Rich, Chad, Angi, Pat, and now Courtney. To see their goals, simply click on the "GOALS" label (right side of blog, scroll down).
Stretching: I suggest doing a 2 min walk, ease into the first mile, finish hard, shuffle jog for one min (warm down), AND THEN stretch your warm muscles. You could pull something if you stretch cold muscle.
Fuel/Hydration: Food is fuel! Like Scott, I focus on three square meals. I also try to hydrate well: liquid with all meals, glass of water before and during dinner, and often glass of water before bed (recovering from hard workout or preparing for big workout next morning).
Training: For mapping your run milage, Scott suggest Google Earth (Tools->Ruler->Path function). Angi provided this website http://www.mapmyrun.com/.
ProLife fundraising: Scott suggested that we use this website to organize our fundraising: www.firstgiving.com/Design/1/sign_up_nonprofit_info.asp. More to come.
Inspiration: John Shannon shared this story about a 101-year-old man training for the London Marathon: sports.yahoo.com/top/news?slug=britmarathon030508&prov=reuters&type=lgns. John wrote, "Pat, I see you beating this guys record ~70 yrs from now J!" God, Angi, and knees willing, I would like to go for it J!
Run for ProLife!,
Pat
Phil 4:13
* LIFER's Chicago Marathon Team blog at marathon-for-life.blogspot.com.
* Training: Our blog has a link to Hal Higdon's 18 wk training guides for novice, intermediate, and advanced runners (starts 8 Jun).
* ProLife Ministry Support: I have our wristbands. More to come on sign up sheets for logging sponsors ($/mile).
Running Goals (Courtney)
Chicago this year will become my 7th marathon. ( I have to get through Pikes Peak in August first..That will hurt.) My goals for these 2 marathons are:
1. Train HARD for both!
2. Run under 6 hrs for the Pikes Peak Marathon - if it is not to hot..last year = horrible!!
3. Do Hill, tempo, speed workouts - with my awesome runner buddy - Angi on the track off of Northgate!!
4. Eat more = have more energy this year!
5. Get to chicago with no bronchitis/pneumonia (I had that in chicago the year of 2006)
6. Qualify for Boston (3:40) - i missed boston by 18 SECONDS year of 2006.
7. RUN HARD!!
1. Train HARD for both!
2. Run under 6 hrs for the Pikes Peak Marathon - if it is not to hot..last year = horrible!!
3. Do Hill, tempo, speed workouts - with my awesome runner buddy - Angi on the track off of Northgate!!
4. Eat more = have more energy this year!
5. Get to chicago with no bronchitis/pneumonia (I had that in chicago the year of 2006)
6. Qualify for Boston (3:40) - i missed boston by 18 SECONDS year of 2006.
7. RUN HARD!!
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