Run Podo Run

Summer Running Plan

2010-06-06T10:37:00.003-06:00

I plan on running this weekly schedule for June, July and August. Distances include a half mile jog to 55th & Centennial and a half mile cool down back to my home. I plan on only running easy in June, adding some tempos in July and August but no intervals at all. The only race I plan on running is the 4K on the 4th July 4.

Spring Summary

2010-06-06T10:24:00.002-06:00

My plan to run the Colorado marathon May 9 in Ft Collins was thwarted by right Achilles tendonitis I got in the Boulder Distance Classic 15K April 24. I had decided to run 8 min/mi in the BDC because I had a terrible cold in early April that ruined my marathon training and I was not going to have a pleasant experience or reasonable time in the marathon. Missing the long run and peaking made my body susceptible to injury and in retrospect I should have just jogged the BDC. I used a calf compression sleeve and that helped me a lot sooner. I was able to run the Bolder Boulder in 54:56, 8:50 min/mi. This put 22/160 M62, not bad considering I could barely walk after the BDC.

Late March & April Training Plan

2010-03-26T20:52:00.000-06:00

I Ran the Boulder Spring Half Marathon

2010-03-16T16:11:00.002-06:00

My time for the Boulder Spring Half Marathon on 3/15/10 at the Boulder Reservoir was 2:03:28. I was 4th out of 9 M60-64. It was a great training run with aid stations and a medal at the finish.

Origin of My Marathon Training Plan

2010-03-05T14:07:00.002-07:00

I want to train at 45 miles per week for the 12 weeks prior to the marathon because medical studies have shown marathoners with this level of training do not develop cardiac arrhythmia's like runners with less training.

My marathon training plan is based on the book Daniels' Running Formula. I use the Vdot tables for my latest 5K time to determine my Easy, Interval, Tempo, Marathon and Race paces. A table of common race lengths and training runs for my current Vdot is posted above. I run hard/easy with two easy runs after my long run. I use Daniels' guidelines for the length of the three hard runs, Intervals (6-8% of weekly mileage), Tempos (8-10%), and Long (25-30%).

Weight 164 lb

2010-03-02T13:24:00.000-07:00

I weigh 164 pounds.

Weekly Plan for the Colorado Marathon

2010-02-14T10:22:00.003-07:00

The Colorado Marathon is Mother's Day, Sun, May 9 2010. It's 12 weeks until then so my starting plan is below. Easy on recovery days after 3 mi intervals, 4 mi tempo or 12 mi long run.

February Training Plan

2010-02-02T14:31:00.001-07:00

166 lbs

2010-02-02T14:26:00.001-07:00

I weigh 166 lbs

Fast and Flurry-ous 4.1 mi Cross Country

2010-01-24T14:06:00.001-07:00

Results for Steve Walker:

You placed 58th out of 83 finishers in a time of 34:29 for a pace of 8:25 per mile.

Out of 83 men you finished 58th. The winning time for men was 21:12.

For 60 to 64 year old men you were 5th out of 10 finishers. The winning time for your age and sex was 28:27.

January Training Plan

2010-01-02T15:56:00.008-07:00

Jan 1, 2010 Weight

2010-01-02T15:54:00.000-07:00

Weight 165 lbs

Weight 160 lbs

2009-12-01T14:19:00.001-07:00

Weight 160 lbs

December Training Plan

2009-11-29T12:02:00.003-07:00

CU Turkey Trot 5K

2009-11-27T13:16:00.001-07:00

I ran the CU Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving, 11/26. My time was 22:42 and I placed 3rd out of 45 60-69 year old men.

Vdot 45

2009-11-05T14:54:00.000-07:00

Easy: 8:57
Marathon Pace: 7:57
Tempo: 7:25
Intervals: 7:01

November Plan

2009-11-05T14:51:00.001-07:00

M-W-F: 3.5
Tu-Th warm-up: 2.25
Long: 7.58
Intervals: 1.82
Tempo: 2.42
Week: 30.3

weight 161 lbs

2009-11-03T11:00:00.001-07:00

weight 161 lbs

6 mi 9:00

2009-10-31T11:33:00.000-06:00

6 mi 9:00

3 mi at 8:59

2009-10-30T14:23:00.001-06:00

3 mi at 8:59

Excessive Speed Work in Oct

2009-10-28T16:44:00.002-06:00

I was shock when I computed my interval and tempo runs percent of my weekly mileage in Oct. Daniel's recommends 6-8% for intervals and 8-10% for tempos. Here is my actual.

I'm very lucky I did not get injured. I will not run any speed work the last week in Oct. That does not seem like a problem because it snowed 12" so far today and it is going to snow tomorrow as well. I changed my running plan, Run Plan in google docs, to have 6% int, 8% tempo, and 25% long. I will also move to Vdot 45 until the May marathon. This is Easy 9:00, Tempo 7:30, Intervals 7:00 and Marathon Pace 8:00. All nice round numbers.

4.5 mi at 8:59

2009-10-27T11:05:00.000-06:00

4.5 mi at 8:59

3.5 mi 8:55

2009-10-26T10:57:00.000-06:00

3.5 mi 8:55

3 mi 9:01

2009-10-25T11:46:00.001-06:00

3 mi 9:01

5 mi 9:09

2009-10-24T10:59:00.000-06:00

5 mi 9:09

3 miles

2009-10-23T10:38:00.000-06:00

I ran 3 mi today at 9:11.

3 mile Tempo 7:36

2009-10-22T11:42:00.001-06:00

I ran 2.83 mi at 7:36 pace for my tempo and 1.5 mi out at 9:05

2.5 miles Intervals 7:02

2009-10-20T10:36:00.000-06:00

I ran 2.55 mi of intervals today at 7:02. 1.5 mi out at 9:00.

3 miles

2009-10-19T10:35:00.000-06:00

I ran 3 mi today at 9:06.

9 miles

2009-10-17T12:37:00.001-06:00

I ran 9 mi today at 9:11. I read Daniels recommends no more than 8% of weekly miles be intervals and 10% be tempo. I changed my training plan from 2 intervals and a long/tempo to a 2.5 mi interval, a 3 mi tempo and a 9 mi long. This puts me at 29.5 mi/wk, 8.5% interval and 10% tempo. I could add 6 mi by increasing my recovery runs from 3 mi to 4.5 mi. I'll try to bump Monday and Friday to 4.5 mi next week for a gain of 3 mi.

3 miles

2009-10-16T10:11:00.000-06:00

I ran 3 mi today at 9:05.

3 miles Intervals 7:09

2009-10-15T13:47:00.000-06:00

I ran 3 mi of intervals today at 7:09. I ran 1.5 mi out at 9:15.

3 miles

2009-10-14T10:40:00.000-06:00

Today I ran 3 mi at 9:09.

2.5 miles Intervals 7:06

2009-10-13T11:38:00.000-06:00

Today I ran 2.5 mi of intervals at 7:06 and 1.5 mi out at 9:25.

3 miles

2009-10-13T11:36:00.000-06:00

I ran 3 miles at 9:01 on Monday, Oct 12.

3.5 miles Tempo 7:57

2009-10-11T11:48:00.002-06:00

I ran 3.5 mi at 7:57 back and 8:55 out. I read Jack Daniels tempo pace adjustments for distance and realized I was supposed to tempo at 7:40 instead of the 7:48 pace I had been targeting. But I could only run 7:50 when I turned around at the 3.5 mi mark. I eventually got comfortable at 7:40 and I probably will be able to run that pace next weekend. I was slowed down in the section of the trail between the rec center and Bobolink by treacherous footing and snarling off leash dogs. I will only go 3 mi until I hit the target pace, meaning next week's long run will be 6 mi.

3 miles

2009-10-10T16:03:00.000-06:00

I ran 3 miles today at 8:57.

3 miles

2009-10-09T10:14:00.000-06:00

I ran 3 miles today, out 9:08 and back 9:04.

2.5 miles Intervals 7:07

2009-10-08T09:42:00.004-06:00

I ran 2.5 miles of interval pace, 7:07 and 1.5 mi out at easy 9:27. Today I also started recording only actual miles run at easy, tempo or interval pace. I ran 5 intervals today but did not count the .5 mile recovery walk/jog in between.

3 miles

2009-10-07T10:27:00.003-06:00

I ran 3 miles today, 9:23 out and 8:54 back. I have revised my training plan for the Thanksgiving 5K on Nov 26. I will run Vdot 44 in Oct and Vdot 45 in Nov. Tuesday and Thursday will be 3 mi intervals with a 1.5 easy warm up. Saturday I will run 4.5 mi out at easy, and back at tempo. All four other days will be 3 mi easy. This works out to 30 mi per week, 6 mi 20% intervals, 4.5 mi 15% tempo and 19.5 mi 65% easy. I could increase the easy recovery runs to 4.5 mi and the weekend long/tempo. I'm going to leave them as is until after I ramp up to these levels and have at least 2 weeks of running at Vdot 45.

2 miles Intervals 7:09

2009-10-06T10:13:00.002-06:00

I ran 1.77 mi intervals at 7:09 pace. That is precisely my target interval pace. I ran 1.5 mi out at 10:00.

3 miles

2009-10-05T16:32:00.001-06:00

I ran 3 mi today at 3 pm because of rain earlier in the day. 9:05 out, 8:45 back

3 miles

2009-10-04T13:21:00.001-06:00

I ran 3 miles today, 9:15 out and 8:56 back. I am aiming for 2.5 mi of intervals on this coming Tuesday.

3 mile Tempo

2009-10-03T11:54:00.001-06:00

I ran a 3 mi tempo today in 4 segments. My gps battery died so I do not know my pace or time. I was breathing hard though. I also ran 1.5 mi warm-up.

2 miles

2009-10-02T11:04:00.001-06:00

I ran 2 miles at 10:30 pace today on the Buffalo Ranch cross country course. The ruts from last spring were gone and I will enter the Shootout 8K tomorrow. I weigh 160 lbs.

1.5 mi Intervals 7:05

2009-10-01T10:36:00.002-06:00

I ran 3 intervals in 1.5 mi today at 7:05 pace. I ran 1.5 mi out at 9:33. I want to increase the two interval workouts to 2 mi next week and limit my easy pace warm-up to 1.5 mi. I ultimately want my interval workouts to be 3 mi with a 2 mi warm-up. I could substitute a hill workout for one of the intervals while doing races, long and tempos on the weekend. I am enjoying the rush from 2 intervals a week for the time being.

3 miles

2009-09-30T17:54:00.000-06:00

I ran 3 mi today, 9:12 out and 8:51 back.

2 miles Intervals 7:16 min/mi

2009-09-29T10:40:00.002-06:00

I ran 4 miles today, 9:45 out and 7:16 back. There were 4 intervals averaging .45 mi in length. 7:16 is short of my goal of 7:09 but it is better than my last interval session where I averaged 7:23. I will try again later this week.

3 miles

2009-09-28T10:25:00.003-06:00

I ran 3 miles today, 9:02 out and 8:51 back. I decided to change the training plan I wrote about yesterday. That is nothing new for me, I often change training plans in mid run. I am not going to run a short tempo during the week because the value of a tempo is at longer distances. My new plan is to run 2 interval workouts during the week, increasing the mileage to a maximum of 3 mi per day. I will start at 2 mi and will increase that to 2.5 mi then 3 mi when I hit target interval pace. I will run long one weekend and tempo the next. Long runs will be 9 mi and tempos 4 mi.

8 miles

2009-09-27T10:43:00.003-06:00

I ran 8 mi today, 9:05 out and 9:04 back. This is Daniel's Vdot 44 Easy/Long pace of 9:07 min/mi, Intervals 7:09 and Tempo 7:48. Race times are 5K, 22:15; 10K, 46:09, BA Bolder Boulder wave; 13.1 mi, 1:42:17; and 26.2 mi, 3:32:23. I plan on Easy 3 mi, I/T 1.5 mi, and Long 9 mi until I hit the Vdot 44 Tempo and Interval paces. Then I will increase I/T to 2, 2.5 and 3 mi until I hit the paces. This is a minimum of 4 weeks of Vdot 44 and I will then start the sequence all over at Vdot 45, I/T 1.5 mi.

3 miles

2009-09-26T13:14:00.002-06:00

I ran 3 mi today, 9:00 out and 8:54 back.

2 miles Intervals 7:23

2009-09-25T09:57:00.003-06:00

I ran 2 mi out at 9:13 and 4 intervals back at 7:23 for 1.78 mi. My target interval pace was Vdot 43 5K pace of 7:18. The first interval was from the 1 mi mark to the junction of the concrete and dirt paths; .38 mi, 7:24 pace, 2:48 min. The second interval was from the fence to the pole at Bobolink Trailhead; .49 mi, 7:28, 3:41. The third interval was on Gapter to the junction of the concrete and dirt trails; .52 mi, 7:13, 3:43. The fourth interval was from the light pole to 55th; .39 mi, 7:29, 2:53.

3 miles

2009-09-24T09:32:00.001-06:00

I ran 3 miles today, 9:05 out and 8:54 back. I was going to run intervals 2 mi back but my right groin was twinging during my hip aductions, during my jog to the trail and during the first mile out.

3 miles

2009-09-23T10:22:00.002-06:00

I ran 3 miles today, 9:07 out and 8:48 back. That is a little faster than Vdot 43 but I felt comfortable.

Nike Nucleus Retired with 247 miles

2009-09-22T09:57:00.003-06:00

I ran 4 miles today, 9:10 out and 7:57 back. I wore my new Nike Nucleus shoes and they felt so good I am retiring the old Nucleus with 247 mi on them. I had no twinges of right Achilles tendinitis present since about 175 mi on the old Nucleus. I think two factors led to the old shoes breaking down. First I was not tying them snugly enough so my feet moved around in the shoe. Second, I was landing on my heel not flat footed like now.

3 miles

2009-09-21T11:41:00.000-06:00

I ran 3 miles today, 9:16 out and 8:51 back. I plan on 4 miles tomorrow.

4 miles

2009-09-20T11:19:00.001-06:00

I ran 4 miles today, 9:12 out and 8:50 back.

3 miles

2009-09-19T13:55:00.001-06:00

I ran 3 miles today, 9:15 out and 8:57 back. I will start tempos and intervals next week.

3 miles

2009-09-18T10:37:00.001-06:00

I ran 3 miles this morning, 9:30 out, 9:10 back. I am considering running back at tempo pace (8:03) tomorrow.

3 miles

2009-09-17T10:42:00.001-06:00

I ran 3 miles this morning, 9:41 out and 9:09 back.

Indian Summer Half Marathon Review

2009-09-16T14:16:00.006-06:00

I had a great experience running the inaugural Indian Summer Half Marathon on 9/13/09. The weather was cool (46 deg F at the start), calm and cloudy. The race organizers do not get credit for the good weather, but they do get credit for choosing a date that has the potential for good running weather. The view of the mountains was stunning and there was very little traffic to contend with. I estimate 80% of the surface is gravel roads and 20% is paved.
The course is a figure 8 that has a net elevation gain of 220 ft for the first half. This feature allowed me to run negative splits. The course starts out with a loop around the parking lot and then heads out onto 51st/55th St. The gravel road initially was washboard with two long uphills. I was thankful the race was not an out and back because running negative splits on 51st/55th would have been a challenge. 51st/55th was so rough one of the leader bicycles lost it's chain. The surface was a lot smoother after about 2 miles when we turned onto Neva Rd. The second half was downhill on Neva Rd, then followed a ditch to the reservoir dams, then onto Reservoir Rd and finished at the parking lot. I hope the organizers change the course for next year so the first part is also over the dam and 51st/55th Sts are avoided. I think the Indian Summer Half Marathon is going to become a Boulder classic. I know I will run in it next year even if the course is not changed.

3 miles

2009-09-16T10:20:00.002-06:00

I ran 3 miles today, 10:00 out and 9:24 back. I weigh 158 lbs. I am feeling much better. My cold is gradually going away and the half marathon I ran last Sunday has not caused a relapse. I will continue running 3 miles every day until I run out at 9:27 and back at 9:07.

Indian Summer Half Marathon

2009-09-14T10:04:00.003-06:00

I raced in the Indian Summer Half Marathon yesterday, Sept 13. Official results:

Thanks for participating in the Indian Summer Half Marathon.

Results for Steve Walker:

You placed 121st out of 392 finishers in a time of 1:48:32 for a pace of 8:17 per mile.

Out of 157 men you finished 81st. The winning time for men was 1:15:56.

For 60 to 64 year old men you were 2nd out of 10 finishers. The winning time for your age and sex was 1:44:22.

I went out at 8:18 and back at 8:08. This time is Vdot 41. I'm very pleased with my time because I had a lingering cold and went on four backpacking trips in July and August.

3 miles

2009-09-11T09:53:00.002-06:00

I ran 3 miles today, 9:40 out and 9:10 back. That is slow but appropriate for 2 days before a half marathon. I will not run tomorrow.

3 miles

2009-09-10T11:20:00.000-06:00

I ran 3 miles today, 9:10 out and 8:52 back. Still coughing occasionally.

3 miles

2009-09-09T10:05:00.002-06:00

I ran 3 miles today, 9:06 out and 8:40 back. I finally am feeling better after the long layoff from running. I also did not take any psuedofed after dinner last night. The coughing and runny nose seem to be greatly reduced. I also tried my new contact lenses and found my vision was much clearer without the left eye monovision. I could read my GPS,

3 miles

2009-09-08T13:03:00.000-06:00

I ran 3 miles today, 9:40 out and 9:16 back. Slight R Achilles pain afterwards.

3 miles

2009-09-07T12:51:00.002-06:00

I ran 3 miles today, Labor Day, 9:28 out and 9:44 back. It felt good to get the kinks out after not running for 8 days because of a backpacking trip and cold.

3 miles

2009-08-29T12:00:00.001-06:00

I ran 3 mi today, 9:28 out and 8:55 back. I ran the last 400 meters at 8:00 min/mi.

3 miles

2009-08-25T09:40:00.002-06:00

Today I ran 3 mi, 10:03 out 9:48 back. I just returned from backpacking in the Holy Cross Wilderness and my legs feel really depleted. I also decided that my short run should go back to 3 mi. I should not have increased my mileage when I started running Vdot easy paces.

4 miles

2009-08-19T09:58:00.003-06:00

I ran 4 mi today, 9:23 out and 9:11 back. Slight pain in my right Achilles at a3.25 mi but I slowed down and it went away.

5 miles

2009-08-18T12:10:00.001-06:00

I ran 5 mi today, 9:15 out and 9:06 back. My backpacking trip was postponed for one day.

4 miles

2009-08-17T09:08:00.002-06:00

I ran 4 miles today, 9:19 out and 9:05 back. I do not plan to run at all tomorrow in anticipation of backpacking on Wednesday.

5 miles

2009-08-16T13:57:00.002-06:00

I ran 5 miles today at 9:23 out and 9:10 back. I plan on running 4 mi tomorrow.

4 miles

2009-08-15T15:14:00.003-06:00

I ran 4 mi 9:17 out and 9:07 back. The Achilles tendinitis is much better but I think I will keep alternating between 4 and 5 mi until I feel well enough to run 6 mi. The increase in pace and mileage probably brought the tendinitis on.

5 miles

2009-08-14T11:22:00.001-06:00

I ran 5 mi today, 9:23 pace out and 9:12 pace back. My backpacking trip got postponed for a few days to let a couple of rainy fronts to pass.

4 miles

2009-08-12T10:56:00.002-06:00

I ran 4 mi, 9:28 min/mi out and 9:08 pace back. I originally set out to run 11 mi but my right Achilles tendinitis, a sore lower back and starting off at a 9:50 pace convinced me I should just run 4 mi and not injure myself. I plan on resting tomorrow before my 4 day backpack into the Holy Cross Wilderness.

5 miles easy

2009-08-11T09:47:00.003-06:00

I ran 5 mi at 9:12 min/mi pace today. This is a little bit faster than my target of 9:17 and I reached the turnaround with an average pace of 9:10. This is backwards from what I should be doing. I would like to run out or upstream at target pace + 5 seconds and then back or downstream at target pace -5 seconds to simulate running negative splits for my upcoming half marathon. I'll try this tomorrow on my 11 mi run.

My hill workout

2009-08-10T15:25:00.000-06:00

I live in East Boulder where the terrain is flat but I have found a hill on Westview Dr at E Baseline Rd that is suitable for hill workouts. It is within warm-up distance from my home and is a lot more convenient than driving/biking to NCAR or Linden. The hill is 0.17 mile (900 ft) long and has an altitude gain of 30 ft for a 3.3% grade. The view of the Flatirons across Baseline Reservoir is spectacular and where I am sure the road got it's name.

I typically run 6-7 repeats in about 90 seconds each. I concentrate on using my glutes as Dave Scott coaches. I have seen Dave Scott running around Boulder and IMHO he has the best running form in town. Of course my running form is nowhere near his but using his principle of running uphill using your glutes has made me a better runner. He also advises taking the shock of landing with the glutes when going downhill and I have found this also works. I am much more efficient when I run with my glutes.

Bobolink trailhead at Baseline and Gapter is a convenient place to start a hill work out because it's about a mile warm-up away. Starting at Bobolink head North on Gapter, turn right on Dimmit, cross Cherryvale and run East on Baseline Rd until Westview Dr. Baseline Rd is fairly busy 8-9 am and 3-5 pm so I try to avoid those times. Thursday is trash collection day and I try and avoid it also.

Reflections on running the Steamboat Marathon

2009-08-10T15:21:00.002-06:00

This is me at 25 miles.

I was trying to smile for the camera.

This is the best I could do.

Steve Walker, June 7, 2009

I thought the Steamboat Marathon would be a fast race, but I was wrong. I ran it in 4:07:09 and placed 3rd out of 5 M60+. The marathon course starts at the old mining town of Hahn's Peak Village and drops in altitude by 2,100 ft / 640 meter to the finish in front of the Courthouse in Steamboat Springs, CO. The graph of the course elevation printed on the entry form had had a very short horizontal axis and the rolling hills were not visible. The two big hills at 4 mi and 20 mi were visible on the graph but I did not understand how large a roll they would play in my time until I drove the course in my car the day before the marathon. I found that the 2 mile long hill at 4 mi had a steep descent, and the 3 mile long hill at 20 mi would slow me down considerably. I planned on going slow on the steep downhill, running at a heart rate below my anerobic thresehold from 5 to 20 mi to conserve my energy for the hill at 20 mi. I targeted my Boston Marathon qualifying time of 4:00:00 and was right on pace at the hill at 20 mi. This meant I had to maintain my 9:10 min per mi pace up the hill. I could not do that given the steep, long hill so I hoped to climb it at 9:40 pace and descend into Steamboat Springs at 8:40. This was not to be because a stiff head wind hit me when I turned away from the Elk river and started up the hill. I should have built a cushion from 5 to 20 miles in anticipation of the hill. I enjoyed the Steamboat marathon, their organizers, and the locals on the course cheering us on in the rain showers. I would do this race again in a heartbeat. I highly recommend this race for it's spectacular course and organization. Do not expect a PR.

9 miles

2009-08-09T12:07:00.002-06:00

I ran 9 mi at 9:27 min/mi today. My Achilles were both sore so I decided not to run 11 mi or a 3 mi tempo at 9:17. My prime objective is to avoid injury caused by the increase in stress from going up to Vdot 43. I will only run easy 5, 7 and 11 mi runs in the next four days before I backpack into the Holy Cross Wilderness next weekend.

Nike Lunar Glide Shoe Review

2009-08-08T08:40:00.008-06:00

I just returned from running 5 mi at 9:12 min/mi pace on my new Nike Lunar Glide shoes. These shoes appear to be a good lightweight, moderately stable trainer for me. Cushioning is good, the toe box is roomy, and I could feel the stability inserts doing their job. It has a somewhat lower heel than other shoes and I found it easier to soften the shock of landing with my forefoot.

The Lunar Glide is a good looking shoe with a seamless upper.

I require stability shoes and currently run in Nike Nucleus for easy runs and Brooks Axiom 3 for tempos, intervals, repeats and races. The Lunar Glide is not as supportive as the Nucleus but it weighs 2-3 oz less. The comparison between the Lunar Glide and the Axiom is more subtle. They weigh about the same with the Axiom having more outside forefoot support, less heel support and a higher heel.

7 miles easy

2009-08-07T09:32:00.001-06:00

Today I ran 7 miles at 9:17 minutes per mile. I seem to be adapting easily to the 9:17 pace and noticed in the last week of July that I was naturally running it instead of 9:27.

5 miles

2009-08-06T12:55:00.002-06:00

I ran 5 miles at 9:16 min per mi. My Vdot 43 target paces from now until the Indian Summer half-marathon, 9/13 are Easy - 9:17, Tempo - 7:58, Intervals - 7:18, Repeats - 1:40. I suffered only a pinched nerve in my L ankle on the backpacking trip into the Gore Range. I am going up a Vdot level and increasing my mileage in anticipation of the half marathon.

Easy 5 miles

2009-07-31T09:52:00.002-06:00

I ran 5 mi at a pace of 9:08 min/mi today. There was snow where I was going backpacking so I decided to delay the trip by a day. I feel very fit after 4-6 weeks of keeping my paces at Daniels' Vdot 42. If I had trained for the Steamboat Marathon this way I would have had a much better time. I think the key parameter is the Easy/Long pace. The proof will be me running a 1:45 in the 9/13 Half Marathon at Boulder Rez.

Rest

2009-07-30T07:39:00.000-06:00

Rest day. Ordered Nike Lunar Glide shoes, due in 8/18.

Bobby McGee Half-Marathon Level 1

2009-07-29T14:06:00.002-06:00

I replaced AeT D with 45 min in this training plan to give me a view of his aerobic workout lengths.

Bobby McGee 5K level 2 training plan

2009-07-29T13:57:00.002-06:00

I went through this plan in his book "Run Workouts for Runners and Triathletes" and replaced the aerobic codes with the minutes for each workout. For example, AeT D is replaced by 45 min.

9 miles

2009-07-29T11:02:00.006-06:00

I ran 9 mi at 9:26 min/mi. It was wonderful for the first 8 mi and then I got tired. Dave Scott said "Hi." This concludes 6 weeks of running at Vdot42. It's 6 weeks to the half marathon and I plan on doing that at Vdot43. This is an easy pace of 9:17 and a half marathon pace of 7:58 min/mi. I am going to run 7-8 mi easy, 8:00 min/mi 3-4 mi tempos and 11-13 mi long runs interspersed with backpacking 3 times. My target time for the half marathon on 9/13 will be 1:44:22. I am off to look at Nike Lunar Trainers at Boulder Running Co.

Easy 5 miles

2009-07-28T10:58:00.002-06:00

today I ran 5 mi at an average pace of 9:18 min/mi, Vdot43. I know I said yesterday I would go 4 mi but I studied McGee's 5K level 2 race training plan and the majority of the easy days call for 45 min. In my case, 5 mi at 9:17 is about 47 min. So 5 mi is my new easy/recovery run distance from here on out. I plan on running 11 mi easy tomorrow, but tonight I am going to review McGee's training plans for half marathons. I cannot help but anticipate the half easy distance is longer than 5 mi.

Easy 5 miles

2009-07-27T11:17:00.002-06:00

I ran five mi this morning with an average pace of 9:17 min/mi. I plan on 4 mi easy tomorrow and Wed will either be a 3 mi tempo or 11 mi easy. Thursday will be easy 4 mi and I go backpacking Fri-Mon in the Gore Range.

Moved up to 4 mi easy

2009-07-26T10:19:00.002-06:00

Today I ran 4 mi at an average pace of 9:13 min/mi. My right lower leg felt fine so I am going to have this distance be my new Easy run distance. I plan on running 4 mi tomorrow.

My leg is OK

2009-07-25T10:24:00.002-06:00

Today I ran my easy 5K at 9:23 min/mi and the heel and Achilles felt fine. I think snug shoes has a lot to do with it. I've been rethinking my summer plan and am going to take the Repeats and Intervals out. After all, I am going to run the Indian Summer Half on September 13. This will leave me with Easy, Long and Tempo runs, perfect for 13.1 mi race training. My Tempo pace of 8:03 for Vdot 42 is perfect for a target 13.1 at 8:08 min/mi. I'll run 4 mi easy tomorrow and see how that goes.

Heel much better

2009-07-24T10:07:00.002-06:00

I ran my 5K at 9:13 today and the heel was much improved. I still had slight throbbing at about 2.5 mi so I will do an easy 5K tomorrow. I read in the Runners World shoe faq that shoes should be tied tight enough so you cannot push the foot out with the other foot. I tightened my shoes before today's run to meet this criteria and it was very nice. Loose shoes may have contributed to this Achilles strain because I remember the right shoe was very loose during my interval session last Sunday. I also may have a touch of planar faciitis because only the heel is still stiff. Once again, the good news is I can still learn and the bad news is I am still learning.

I slowed down

2009-07-23T09:24:00.004-06:00

I did 5K at 9:34 and my Achilles feels good. I noticed the throbbing was present when I ran uphill. So I plan on running 9:30 uphill and 9:15 downhill on my 5K course until I feel well enough to run more than 5K. I also did some research on my interval and tempo paces. My plan of running intervals at 5K pace looks feasible but I am going to lower the distance from 5K to 2 mi, my repeat distance. I also am going to increase my tempo pace from half marathon pace to 1.08 x 5K pace. That is going to increase my pace for Vdot42 from 8:08 to 8:03. This is supposed to be for 4 mi but I will continue to run 5K tempos.

Thoughts about pace oriented training

2009-07-22T14:13:00.002-06:00

I have switched over to pace training instead of heart rate training in July. I have never achieved my marathon time predicted by my 5K and 10K times. I think this is because I did not run fast enough on my easy and long runs. I have started training at the Daniels's Vdot of 42. The critical numbers are a 5K time of 23:09, a pace of 9:27 for easy/long, and a time of 1:42 for 400m repeats. I am also running 5K worth of .2-.25 mi intervals at 5K pace (7:27) and 5K tempos at half marathon pace (8:08). I have achieved all these goals and plan on staying at this Vdot until the Indian Summer half marathon on Sept 13. This should result in a 1:46:27. I feel more fit now that I have increased my E/L pace with the Garmin 205 GPS. I suspect I was running E/L at 10-11 min/mi while training for the Steamboat marathon. I am having difficulty running at 9:27. Today I ran an easy 5K at 9:01. I wanted to slow down to 9:27 because I have a slightly strained right Achilles, but I just could not slow down, even when the Achilles began to throb at about 4K. So now my plan is to run 5K's at 9:27 until my Achilles heals.

Summer Plans

2009-07-06T20:30:00.004-06:00

I have the possibility of following the Daniel's formula or Run Workouts For Runners and Triathletes by Bobby McGee . My number one priority in July and August is backpacking. I will use the Daniels formula to prepare for the Indian Summer 13.1 mi race at the Rez when I am not backpacking. My marathon training was done at too slow a pace so for the summer my emphasis will be on track Repeats, Intervals, Tempos and fartlek's starting at Vdot 42.

Vdot 5K pace 10K pace 13.1 pace 26.2 pace E/L Intervals Tempo Repeats Pace

40 24:08 7:46 50:03 8:03 1:50:59 8:28 3:49:45 8:46 9:50 7:46 8:28 1:46 7:03

42 23:09 7:27 48:01 7:43 1:46:27 8:08 3:40:43 8:25 9:27 7:27 8:08 1:42 6:48

44 22:15 7:09 46:09 7:25 1:42:17 7:48 3:32:23 8:06 9:07 7:09 7:48 1:32 6:08

Ramp Up for Marathon Training

2009-02-10T19:21:00.002-07:00

My plan for February and the first two weeks in March is here.
I aim to start training at 44 mi/wk.

January Running: Westview Dr Hill Repeats

2009-01-09T15:47:00.003-07:00

My goal is to run at least 6 sets of hill repeats on Westview Dr in January. The hill on Westview starting at Baseline Rd is .17 mi long according to my Garmin 305. I figure 3 repeats equal a mile. It's 2.25 mi to Westview and Baseline from home. This is the Merritt way. I count 7 repeats as a 7 mi run.
Actual January Running

Running Goals for 2009

2009-01-07T21:17:00.002-07:00

My running goals for this year are to do well in the Bolder Boulder 10K and Steamboat Springs Marathon. I will start hills in January, ramp up my long run up to 16 mi and start running at Potts Field twice a week on Tuesday and Friday morning in February. I will run 45 mi/wk March through May. After the marathon on June 7, I will run 4 mi easy, 6 mi medium and 10 mi on the weekend. I will assess my fitness level in September.