To Infinity and Beyond - Becoming a Better DopeyBadger (Comments Welcome)

[DopeyBadger]

I love how thought out all your replies are. Also yay at being back at running. I can't wait to see more about how your training is coming alone. I also really liked your reply about nutrition. It's the most sound common sense and correct advice that can be give. Eat natural foods, and in moderation. Not exactly a crazy idea. Of course knowing this and acting out on it can be two totally different things.

Thanks! My wordy and sometimes lengthy posts come from my background as a scientist. I am a big believer in knowing why I am doing something or if it isn't known why then I'm going to set out to figure it out. It was a major turning point in my running career when I decided to give the same dedication to endurance research that I've given to other areas of my life. While endurance research is not my career, it has recently become a passion of mine. The topic I'm delving into now is Psychobiology, or the relationship (or dominance) of the mind and endurance activities. The research in this relatively new field is quite fascinating. I'll share more when I can feel more comfortable with the concepts.

Nutrition can be a finicky thing. I read an interesting piece the other day that suggested that different diets work for different people, because well we're different (novel, right!). However, for the majority of us, it really is quite simple. There isn't a need for any fancy diet manipulation. Just eat healthy and exercise. An apple or an orange can actually make for a tasty dessert.

 

[flvy]

Ohhh please do share when you feel you've got a better grasp on it. I think anyone who has mentally pushed through any kind of wall knows how much your mind plays a role in these activities. I'm glad it's finally getting attention and research like it deserves.

 

[DopeyBadger]

15 Weeks to Go (Welcome back and here is a robot Olaf for your troubles!)

Glad to be back to running after taking 2 weeks off since Dopey. The reasoning for taking two weeks off was to aid in making a full recovery from the marathon and to optimize by body's ability to accept the new training stimulus. I had decided to switch Monday to Sunday because of a myriad of reasons (wife in Vegas and possible snow). Of course, feeling like a champ until about one hour before heading out the door for the first run of the cycle on Sunday. Then, my one year old daughter accidentally dropped robot Olaf on my mid-leg bone. Yikes did it hurt! Pain subsided rather quickly and I was out the door not much later. It only took about 5 steps into my 6 mile run, and I was like, "Umm, yea I've never felt something like this before." Like always, I let me body decide what to do and decided we were ok to finish. The pain lingered once I got home, the next morning through the whole next day. I added the pain to another reason it was fine to take Monday off. Thankfully, by Tuesday things were feeling better and the pain was minor during Tuesday's run. I'll keep an eye on it, but I think I dodged something serious. So let's review how I did...

Date - Day - Scheduled Workout (Intervals within desired pace, Speed +/- 5 sec, everything else +/- 10 sec)

1/20/16 - W - Medicine Ball Workout (MBW)
1/21/16 - R - Off
1/22/16 - F - Off
1/23/16 - Sat - Off
1/24/16 - Sun - 6 miles @ 9:32 min/mile (5/6) + MBW
1/25/16 - M - Off
1/26/16 - T - 6 miles @ 9:32 (3/6) *SOG

Total mileage = 12 miles
Number of intervals within pace = 8/12 (66.6%)

*SOG = Snow on Ground

Generally, with very few exceptions I expect to maintain the correct pace for all intervals. There are two exceptions:
1) Typically, I allow the first interval in a set to be +30 sec or less because I see the first interval as a warm-up. This includes cases where an actual warm-up precedes the interval.
2) Snow on Ground. In almost all cases of inclement weather (heat, cold, wind, rain, etc.) I still expect to try and maintain the desired pace. My goal is to memorize the effort necessary to run in any conditions at any pace. My saying is "You'll never know what race day will be like". However, that isn't the case with snow/ice. Like most people it adds a level of difficulty for balance that forces me to slow down to maintain a resemblance of similar effort. In the end effort is king, and I can't allow an easy day to become hard because there is snow on the ground. I tend to do poorly in snow or grass races because my foot strike pattern is very low. I tend to barely lift my feet off the ground, so when I come in contact with obstacles (like snow or grass) it slows we down greatly and forces me to expend significantly more energy.

Overall, a good week back. I anticipated being hit or miss during the first two weeks back on maintaining pace. It takes some getting use to new paces and memorizing how they're suppose to feel. It also takes a few weeks to get back to where I was prior to Dopey, so I can expect to miss on more intervals in the earlier part of the cycle. I still have another easy week ahead until the true training schedule starts.

 

[opusone]

Number of intervals within pace = 8/12 (66.6%)

Typically, I allow the first interval in a set to be +30 sec or less because I see the first interval as a warm-up.

What do you consider "within pace" after the first interval? +/-5 sec? +/-10 sec?

 

[DopeyBadger]

What do you consider "within pace" after the first interval? +/-5 sec? +/-10 sec?

For speed workouts, I attempt to get the interval within +/- 5 seconds of desired pace (this cycle is 6:56 min/mile, so 6:51 to 7:01). This gets really hard with 400m speed sessions because each second of real time equates to a difference of 4 seconds on overall pace, so I generally don't expect to do well on 400m intervals. I setup my Garmin to give me interval pace alerts when I fall outside of this range.

For all other workouts, +/- 10 seconds. Since these intervals are 1 mile or longer, I don't use the Garmin alerts and try to use my effort based memorization system.

 

[dmross]

Following this thread...

Thanks for starting a journal!

 

[DopeyBadger]

Following this thread...

Thanks for starting a journal!

Appreciate it!

 

[DopeyBadger]

Sometimes in our pursuits to reach future ambitious goals we lose sight of where we came from. So something I always like to do from time to time is to look back at the same month one year ago to see where I've come from.

Jan 2015
Miles - 109
Time - 17:23
Notable Performance - Dopey in 7:40

Jan 2016
Miles - 108
Time - 16:09
Notable Performance - Dopey in 6:45

Two things stand out to me. The obvious is that I cut off 55 minutes off my Dopey time in a year span. Credit goes to the new training plan I had used during this past Dopey. The other thing that stands out that isn't obvious in the numbers is the miles between the two years (109 vs 108). On the surface they are equal. But in 2015 I took no time off after Dopey, but in 2016 I matched the mileage but took 2 weeks off from running. The big difference will come in Feb between 2015 and 2016. In 2015 I ran 103 miles, but in 2016 I have 204.5 scheduled.

 

[DopeyBadger]

14 Weeks to Go (How DopeyBadger got his groove back)

Finally feeling the rust fall off and getting back in a rhythm. Sometime on Sunday I could feel a difference and what was suppose to be "easy" felt "easy". I always gauge my easy runs by whether I have to intentionally pull back. Sunday was the first of one of those for me. So let's see how the week went.

Date - Day - Scheduled Workout (Intervals within desired pace, Speed +/- 5 sec, everything else +/- 10 sec)

1/27/16 - W - Medicine Ball Workout (MBW)
1/28/16 - R - 6 miles @ 9:32 min/mile (5/6) *Cut 0.15 miles short due to time constraints
1/29/16 - F - 6 miles @ 9:32 min/mile (4/6)
1/30/16 - Sat - 6 miles @ 8:53 min/mile (6/6)
1/31/16 - Sun - 6 miles @ 8:33 min/mile (5/6) + MBW
2/1/16 - M - 1.5 miles @ 9:32 min/mile + 6x800m @ 6:56 min/mile with 400m RI @ 10:00 min/mile + 1.5 miles @ 10:00 min/mile (5/6)
2/2/16 - T - 6 miles @ 9:32 (5/6)

Total mileage = 37.25 miles
Number of intervals within pace = 30/36 (83%)

Overall a good week. The intervals are getting closer to being more consistent. I'm starting to get a "feel" for what each of the paces should feel like. I was a little nervous about the new speed paces at 6:56 min/mile but was happy to hit the paces consistently with still having an extra gear or two if needed. Crazy to think that in 1.5 years I want what is currently my speed paces (5K) to be where my marathon paces end up (for that sub-3 hr). But when I think about it, what used to be my 5K paces a year ago, are now my half marathon paces. Slow steady progress.

Well the last of the recovery weeks after Dopey are over and done with. It's time to get back to training for the next marathon in May. This May marathon is a bit of a bittersweet running moment for me. It truly broke my spirit in 2015 when my goal was a sub-4 hr and I finished in 4:55. However, it's also the moment I made drastic changes to my training regimen and diet to help get me to the new heights I'm at now. I vowed at the conclusion of the race last year I would be back and I would obliterate the course. I'll use those memories as focus defining memories during the next 14 weeks of training.

 

[opusone]

Crazy to think that in 1.5 years I want what is currently my speed paces (5K) to be where my marathon paces end up (for that sub-3 hr). But when I think about it, what used to be my 5K paces a year ago, are now my half marathon paces. Slow steady progress.

^^^THIS^^^
Folks can sometimes get down/unmotivated when they compare where they are to where they want to be, but if you consistently train, there is this slow improvement that happens, and although at times you feel you've hit a plateau, your body is still making progress. Over time, you do see this improvement, such that when you look back, it appears to be monumental progress.

I mean, just think about it... your current half marathon pace is what your 5k pace was just one year ago. That means that, what was your all-out effort for 23 minutes, is now a pace you can maintain for 98 minutes. Incredible!

I have been having the opposite thoughts lately: comparing where I was when I was younger to where I am now, and this can be depressing as well. My current 5k pace is what my marathon pace was when I was 23 years old (I'm double that now). But, after seeing your post above, you reminded me to look at my more recent improvement, and since I returned to running (albeit inconsistently) about 6-7 years ago, my current half marathon pace is about what my 5k pace was then, so I have made progress, and now that I am consistent again, this will only get better.

 

[DopeyBadger]

^^^THIS^^^
Folks can sometimes get down/unmotivated when they compare where they are to where they want to be, but if you consistently train, there is this slow improvement that happens, and although at times you feel you've hit a plateau, your body is still making progress. Over time, you do see this improvement, such that when you look back, it appears to be monumental progress.

I mean, just think about it... your current half marathon pace is what your 5k pace was just one year ago. That means that, what was your all-out effort for 23 minutes, is now a pace you can maintain for 98 minutes. Incredible!

I have been having the opposite thoughts lately: comparing where I was when I was younger to where I am now, and this can be depressing as well. My current 5k pace is what my marathon pace was when I was 23 years old (I'm double that now). But, after seeing your post above, you reminded me to look at my more recent improvement, and since I returned to running (albeit inconsistently) about 6-7 years ago, my current half marathon pace is about what my 5k pace was then, so I have made progress, and now that I am consistent again, this will only get better.

It's so true. I remember when I started this journey back in 2012 that after a few months of training the fastest I could run a single mile in all out effort was 8:30. Crazy to think this past October 2015 I ran my marathon at an average 8:21 min/mile pace. I mean really, 26.2 miles at a slightly faster pace than what I could barely do a single mile at. It's mind boggling.

I know those days where things get tougher are coming for me as well (although admittedly I still have some good years in me). My uncle in law used to be a marathon runner back in the day. He always likes to share his stories of times before GPS, running belts, data capturing devices, carbohydrate gels/drinks, research papers, widely available training plans, and the internet. He says that he used to take a watch with him, run out of the house, run around outside, run back to the house and check the watch. Then he'd go to his atlas map and with a ruler figure out the distance he ran. But the one thing he has brought up many times to me during my personal journey is how his PR in the marathon was 3:00:01. It's something I know if he could of he wished he would have broken 3:00 but it wasn't in the cards for him. Now he just isn't able to run like he used to (running knee issues).

Consistency is king!

 

[roxymama]

It's so true. I remember when I started this journey back in 2012 that after a few months of training the fastest I could run a single mile in all out effort was 8:30. Crazy to think this past October 2015 I ran my marathon at an average 8:21 min/mile pace. I mean really, 26.2 miles at a slightly faster pace than what I could barely do a single mile at. It's mind boggling.

I know those days where things get tougher are coming for me as well (although admittedly I still have some good years in me). My uncle in law used to be a marathon runner back in the day. He always likes to share his stories of times before GPS, running belts, data capturing devices, carbohydrate gels/drinks, research papers, widely available training plans, and the internet. He says that he used to take a watch with him, run out of the house, run around outside, run back to the house and check the watch. Then he'd go to his atlas map and with a ruler figure out the distance he ran. But the one thing he has brought up many times to me during my personal journey is how his PR in the marathon was 3:00:01. It's something I know if he could of he wished he would have broken 3:00 but it wasn't in the cards for him. Now he just isn't able to run like he used to (running knee issues).

Consistency is king!

So what's I'm gleaning from this is that there is still hope for me yet
That's an impressive improvement, so kudos!

 

[DopeyBadger]

So what's I'm gleaning from this is that there is still hope for me yet
That's an impressive improvement, so kudos!

Absolutely. You are well on your way to meeting your goals and many more that you have yet to realize you even want to accomplish.

 

[DopeyBadger]

Psychobiological Model


So here is my attempt at describing a model for a mental/physical explanation of endurance running.


The psychobiological model is an effort-based decision model based on motivational intensity theory. The model states there are five factors that primarily determine regulation of pacing.


1) Perception of effort

2) Potential motivation

3) Knowledge of distance/time to cover

4) Knowledge of distance/time remaining

5) Previous experience/memory of perception of effort during exercise of varying intensity and duration


The potential motivation is defined, as the maximum effort a person is willing to exert to meet a certain task. The motivational intensity is the amount of effort that people actually expend to meet that task. The combination of these two ideas into the Motivational Intensity Theory creates the framework for why an individual will continue in a task: either the level of potential motivation hasn’t been reached or the task is still viewed as possible. A person will disengage from the task when either the perception of effort outweighs the potential motivation or the person believes they are physically unable to maintain the task (believed to maxed effort).


The crutch of this model in my opinion is based on the perception of effort. My goal in my recent research binge was to find other research articles directly and not directly that would fit this model and show either factors as amplifiers or dampeners.


Dampeners of Perception of Effort (Factor 1)


Music

Essentially, it has been shown in many studies that by having music that is enjoyed, self-selected, and has a high bpm the overall perception of effort is decreased. This decreased perception of effort was connected with increased ability when used during races below the anaerobic threshold. I believe this is because in a 5K the physical limitations are what they are and the dampening of effort is ineffective. However, prior to a 5K using amping up music works by raising self confidence and HR.


Caffeine

Apparently an antagonist of adenosine which has a significant number of receptors in the brain that are responsible for sleep, memory, learning and cognition. Since caffeine occupies these receptors without actually activating them it is hypothesized that the perception of effort during endurance events is dampened and performance increases. An 11.2% improvement in performance was seen with a decreased perception of effort.


Self Talk

When one repeats positive messages to themselves its been shown to improve a test to exhaustion by almost 17%.


Amplifiers of Perception of Effort (Factor 1)


Mental Fatigue

A study was conducted on cyclists that had to perform one of two simple tests. For a period of time prior to cycling the subjects had to state the color of the word. In group A, the color of the word matched the actual word (Word Blue was written in Blue ink), whereas the second group the word blue did not necessarily appear in the color blue. The second group was more mentally challenging, but in the grand scheme of mental tasks was not overly difficult. While the rate at which perception of effort increased equally, the starting point was significantly higher in the group who had to complete the “harder” mental task even though that task had no additional physical component. The harder mental task caused a decrease in performance by about 4% from the easier mental task. It is hypothesized that this harder mental task works in the same area of the brain as adenosine, which might explain the possible increase in perception of effort.


So what does it mean for me and how can I use this information?


You can potentially decrease the perception of effort by:


-Listening to music you enjoy, makes you happy, and has a higher bpm.

-Use caffeine during exercise (I won’t do this one because caffeine gives me a headache).

-During the entire event use positive thinking. Consistently tell yourself how awesome you are and how awesome you are doing. If a negative thought comes in your head “Why did I sign up for this?” try to counter balance it with positive thoughts. Remember why you signed up for this. Remember how proud you are making someone in your life. Remember that you are rocking this!

-Reduce the amount of things you are thinking about prior to and during running. Set out your clothes in advance. Plan your driving route. Reduce your mental gymnastics by pre-planning as much as possible.


What about the other factors?

Potential Motivation

-One of my biggest motivators is trying to beat others. But something I’ve found for myself is this is self-dampened when there is a staggered start. It’s hard to know whether the person passing you is actually beating you or not because maybe they started ahead of you or behind you. But in a single start race it’s more likely when someone passes you they are actually head of you time wise as well.

Knowledge of Distance/Time to cover (Factor 3)

-This is hard to manipulate in an actual race because in almost all scenarios you usually know the duration/distance that is going to be covered.


Knowledge of Distance/Time remaining (Factor 4)

-I believe in running by effort and thus ignoring how you’ve been performing. I feel like in the past I have been overly negative during running when a mile split comes in at an unexpected slower pace. In this negative loop this causes me to start thinking about alternative finishing times. Then your goals start to slip away and your motivation wains. Without your motivation your perception of effort increases and makes everything feel harder than it would have been. As you can see I feel these are all connected in a cascade of events. To combat this, I ignore how I’ve been doing and just keep positive thoughts telling myself that I’m crushing it.


Previous experience/memory of perception of effort during exercise of varying intensity and duration (Factor 5)

-This one is physical and mental in my opinion. I believe this is where the training aspect of running comes in physically. The fitter you get the easier something feels. What was once tough is easier because your level of perception of effort has changed for that level of fitness.

-I follow this by trying to memorize what every run feels like. What does an easy run feel like? What does a marathon tempo feel like? What does a long run feel like? What does a full sprint feel like?

-Once you get to race day keep reminding yourself that this race is actually easier then some of your training runs. Keep telling yourself this is not that bad compared to that one training run you did.


Feel like this was a little more disorganized than when I sat down to write this but let me know what you think. If you want to call BS, call BS. I always enjoy hearing dissenting opinions because that’s how one becomes more aware of other explanations.

 

[DopeyBadger]

13 Weeks to Go (The Paces Are Getting Real!)

It was the first full week of training under a normal Hansons cycle. It was a bit of a struggle and a bit tougher than it has been in the past. Let's see how it went.

Date - Day - Scheduled Workout (Intervals within desired pace, Speed +/- 5 sec, everything else +/- 10 sec)

2/3/16 - W - Medicine Ball Workout (MBW)
2/4/16 - R - 1.5 miles @ 9:45 min/mile + 6 miles @ 7:52 min/mile + 1.5 miles @ 10:05 min/mile (6/6)
2/5/16 - F - 7 miles @ 9:32 min/mile (7/7)
2/6/16 - Sat - 6 miles @ 8:53 min/mile (6/6) + MBW
2/7/16 - Sun - 11 miles @ 8:33 min/mile (11/11)
2/8/16 - M - 6 miles @ 9:32 min/mile (3/6) *Memorization Run
2/9/16 - T - 1.5 miles @ 9:56 min/mile + 4x1200m @ 6:56 min/mile with 400m RI @ 10:00 min/mile + 1.5 miles @ 10:17 min/mile (3/4) *SOG + 3 degree WC

Total mileage = 45.75 miles
Number of intervals within pace = 36/40 (90%)

First-off, I feel it was a major success to get 36 of the 40 intervals within pace. However, how about the tough parts?

The Tempo pace on Thursday @ 7:52 min/mile seems unreal at this time. I felt like I was blazing and it was hard to fathom this is my desired marathon pace. I know things will get better but it was a reality check. The pacing on the run was about as good as it gets for me with the 1st 2 miles at 8:02 the 2nd 2 miles at 7:52 and the 3rd 2 miles at 7:42. I like to make sure that my fastest splits are at the end because it shows I still have something in the tank.

The Long Run pace on Sunday @ 8:33 min/mile was another reality check. This pace was my marathon pace just last full cycle for the October marathon. In that cycle, the longest I ran at 8:33 was 10 miles at the end. Now this cycle starts out of the gate with 11 miles at that pace. Yikes! I never really felt in the groove during the run, but was still able to nail 11/11 intervals.

I treated the Easy run on Monday as a Memorization Run. I started the watch and then covered it up. My goal was to see how my effort of what I believed was an absolute easy run related to what I should be running. The prescribed easy pace was 9:32 min/mile, and the splits were 9:59, 9:37, 9:29, 9:49, 9:52, and 9:51. This tells me at this time my true easy pace is 9:50ish (at least by effort). This is neither a positive or negative but more just a gauge at where I'm at. A 9:50 easy pace would be about a 3:33 marathon pace instead of 3:26.

Lastly, it was cold for today's speed session. A 3 degree wind chill with snow on the ground added an extra level of difficulty. I'm sure I looked odd with a base layer, long sleeve, jacket, two pairs of gloves, baclava, 2 pairs of tights, and a pair of shorts on. I was actually surprised that I was able to hit a 6:57 and a 6:58.

How do things look going forward? Well Saturday looks like a pure joy day given it's suppose to be -17 wind chill almost all day. I might actually have to run on the treadmill for the first time in years. We'll see about that... The run to look forward to is the Speed Ladder on next week Tuesday. It is arguably one of the toughest runs I do during my entire cycle. It starts with a 400m, then 800m, 1200m, 1600m, 1200m, 800m, and 400m at 6:56 with RI of 400m between each. It causes you to run 4 miles at 5K pace with a few rest intervals in between. One of my weaknesses that Hansons has helped me overcome is my ability to get restarted. Once I stop/slow down I usually have a tough time regaining that speed. The Ladder forces you to regain that speed and to hold it for longer than the previous interval. For me, it's a beast!

 

[DopeyBadger]

12 Weeks to Go (Oh Wisconsin Winter...)

I've always felt that a spring marathon PR will be much more difficult than a fall marathon PR for me. A Wisconsin winter is why. I generally try to avoid missing workouts in all cases. This week though threw a major wrench in the overall plans. Let's see what happened...

Date - Day - Scheduled Workout (Intervals within desired pace, Speed +/- 5 sec, everything else +/- 10 sec)

2/3/16 - W - Medicine Ball Workout (MBW)
2/4/16 - R - 1.5 miles @ 9:35 min/mile + 7 miles @ 7:52 min/mile + 1.5 miles @ 9:25 min/mile (6/7)
2/5/16 - F - 6 miles @ 9:32 min/mile (0/6) *MISSED WORKOUT DUE TO -25 WC
2/6/16 - Sat - 10 miles @ 8:53 min/mile (1/5) + MBW *RUN @ -18 WC, ENDED AT 5.25 MILES
2/7/16 - Sun - 8 miles @ 8:33 min/mile (8/10) *RUN @ -5 WC, ADDED 2 MILES FOR TOTAL OF 10
2/8/16 - M - 6 miles @ 9:32 min/mile (4/6)
2/9/16 - T - 1.5 miles @ 9:53 min/mile + LADDER @ 6:56 min/mile with 400m RI @ 10:00 min/mile + 1.5 miles @ 10:26 min/mile (1/7) *HILLS!!!!

Total mileage = 39.75 miles
Number of intervals within pace = 20/41 (49%)

The week started out well. On Thursday, I felt comfortable completing the 7:52 min/mile Tempo workout. The odd thing about this workout was the temporary inability to remember how to run. This has now occurred to me 4 times. During my fall marathon PR at mile 16-17. During my winter half PR at mile 8. During last week's tempo at around 5.75 miles into the tempo, and lastly at around 6 miles into the tempo in this workout. I'm not really sure what's going on, but the sensation is that the body isn't quite sure what it is suppose to do and fights me on my running technique. I don't have an explanation, but I guess I'll just keep a tab on it.

Well Friday rolled around and it was -25 wind chill out. My threshold was -15 wind chill and wasn't willing to push that to -25. I relegated myself to trying to do the workout on our treadmill in the garage. It is permanently stuck on a 4% grade (about 60 sec slower pace equivalent). Also, found out that the treadmill has a hitch to it regardless of your pace. Long story short there was no way I was going to be able to run on it for more than 60 seconds so I decided to chalk it up as a missed workout. My wife is a saint for training on it for the entire duration of her disney half cycle. Crazy that's what she went through.

Saturday rolled around and I had a busy day scheduled. Daughter's 2nd birthday and Olympic Marathon trials meant the run had to be early in the morning. It was -18 wind chill. So I bundled up as much as I could. After 2 miles I thought my hands would freeze off. After 3 miles, my hands felt normal but it was getting tough. At around 4.5 miles, my breathing out of my nose was freezing to the headband over my nose and was preventing me from being able to breath through my nose. I thought at that point it's time to call off this running attempt and head home. It was a joy to watch the Marathon trials. Big fan of Hansons so I was cheering for Desi. Happy to see Galen finish in first after so many doubters said he wouldn't be able to translate from 10K to marathon.

On Sunday, I decided to add 2 miles to the run to make it 10 instead of 8. Was feeling comfortable with the pace and knew I needed to add a little distance because of the missed runs, but not compromise the rest of the week.

Lastly, the most difficult workout was the Ladder today (Tuesday). I knew from previous experience the Ladder is one of the most difficult workouts of the Hansons cycle. Unfortunately, the weather didn't cooperate today and put down about an inch of fluffy snow. The snow stuck to the sidewalk on my 0.66 miles flat loop but not on the streets. Thus, my decision came down to running the flat loop with a 0.15 miles section covered in slippery snow, or doing it all in the streets but having some legit hills on the longer intervals. I went with the hills... Well, I only hit 1/7 intervals. But it really isn't as bad as it seems on the surface. Paces by interval (Goal-6:56, with acceptable range 6:51-7:01):

400m - 6:48 (1:42)
800m - 6:50 (3:24)
1200m - 7:05 (5:18)
Mile - 7:02 (7:02)
1200m - 7:01 (5:16)
800m - 7:10 (3:35)
400m - 6:50 (1:42)

It becomes quite clear that if the pace window were +/6 sec instead of +/- 5 sec I would have hit 4/7. Add in that this was done with significant hills and I'd say the only interval that was off pace was the 7:10 min/mile 800m.

As in overall picture for the week, I was down 9 miles from the scheduled weekly mileage and hit less than 50% of my interval paces. However, I'm not going to worry about it too much because we're still 12 weeks from the marathon. In addition, as I stated in the beginning consistent winter training is difficult in Wisconsin because of the possible brutal cold or a ton of snow. Thankfully, the weather seems to be turning around and this weekend its suppose to be in the 50s. Super excited! On to the next week!

 

[DopeyBadger]

11 Weeks to Go (It's time to throw down the Hammer!)

Finally the weather has taken a turn for the better. We actually had a few days in the 40s and 50s! Hooray! Let's see how the week went.

Date - Day - Scheduled Workout (Intervals within desired pace, Speed +/- 5 sec, everything else +/- 10 sec)

2/17/16 - W - Medicine Ball Workout (MBW)
2/18/16 - R - 1.5 miles @ 9:35 min/mile + 7 miles @ 7:52 min/mile + 1.5 miles @ 9:39 min/mile (6/7)
2/19/16 - F - 7 miles @ 9:32 min/mile (6/7)
2/20/16 - Sat - 8 miles @ 8:53 min/mile (7/8) *Skipped MBW due to time constraints
2/21/16 - Sun - The Hammer - 10 miles @ 8:33 min/mile (8/10) + 4 miles Hammer (8:02, 7:46, 8:00, 7:33) *No fuel
2/22/16 - M - 6 miles @ 9:32 min/mile (6/6)
2/23/16 - T - 1.5 miles @ 9:50 min/mile + 3 x 1 mile @ 6:56 min/mile with 400m RI @ 9:50 min/mile + 0.75 miles @ 10:29 min/mile (2/3)

Total mileage = 50.75 miles
Number of intervals within pace = 39/45 (87%)

The tempo run (7:52) is starting to feel more comfortable. I was happy with how it felt and many of the intervals were near spot on pacing.

Nothing happened of note on either the Friday or Saturday runs.

And then Sunday came around. In my mental back pocket, I always keep extra workout ideas in case things are going well and I'm prepared to push the envelope. I knew going into my Sunday long run of 14 miles that if I was feeling good around mile 10 I would drop the Hammer. The Hammer is a simulation run that when you're near the end of the race and you need to push hard to break your competitor's spirits. I also ran this run past my 90 minute fueling threshold to the 120 minute level. So I was trying a semi-depleted run (I did have breakfast 2 hours prior) with the possibility of a Hammer. Around mile 8, I could tell things were going well and I mentally committed to running the Hammer. When mile 10 arrived, I let loose, and tried to push the pace to a still comfortable level, but to a point where I was accelerating past my invisible competitors. I dropped my pace from 8:23 down to 8:01 down to 7:46. After mile 12, I relaxed a little bit to envision my competitors catching up a bit and ran a 8:00. Then it was time to push one last time and dropped the pace down to 7:33 for the final mile. It felt comfortable and I was happy to simulate the end of the marathon with a strong hammer finish. The Hammer is a special workout that I try to only do once per month at the most. In addition, I typically avoid doing it within 8 weeks of race day. So, I might do one more Hammer in this cycle, but I don't feel obligated based on how well this one went.

I was very happy with my recovery going into Monday's run. I wasn't sure how my body would react to Sunday's Hammer, but everything went well.

Monday on the other hand was tougher. I just couldn't get in a 6:56 rhythm. The best my body could do was 7:02, 7:01, 7:00. So very consistent, but just slightly off pace. The thing that is astounding though is the fastest paces recorded within each of those miles were 6:48, 6:55, 6:55. This means that while the mile pacing was off by 5 seconds, the overall pace during the entire duration of the mile was very consistent. Still a solid workout and overall pleased.

Happy to be back over that 50 mile in a week threshold. From this point forward, all of my remaining weeks will be at 50+ miles. We're starting to enter the bread and butter phase of the training where the major gains are made that are necessary for marathon success. I'm coming for you sub-3:30 marathon!

 

[roxymama]

I am not sure I've ever done this specific hammer idea..but I am happy that I'm not the only one to envision runners/situations where there are none. I sure do make mental finish lines with cheering crowds in my head. Mostly my imaginings just helps pass the time. I've been known to even envision myself being filmed for a women's running commercial to keep my posture and pace going (can't punk out if being filmed), etc. I've had fake "biggest loser" coaches "running" behind me yelling at me. Sometimes it makes me feel a bit silly but it passes the time.
Yours sound a bit more guided and useful where mine is generally just my crazy imagination taken over.

 

[DopeyBadger]

I am not sure I've ever done this specific hammer idea..but I am happy that I'm not the only one to envision runners/situations where there are none. I sure do make mental finish lines with cheering crowds in my head. Mostly my imaginings just helps pass the time. I've been known to even envision myself being filmed for a women's running commercial to keep my posture and pace going (can't punk out if being filmed), etc. I've had fake "biggest loser" coaches "running" behind me yelling at me. Sometimes it makes me feel a bit silly but it passes the time.
Yours sound a bit more guided and useful where mine is generally just my crazy imagination taken over.

I like to use mental imagery all the time as well. I like to imagine during races passing other people towards the end of the race and gaining confidence from that moment. However, I'd have to say I've never imagined being filmed for a running commercial to help with posture, but I might add this one to my wheelhouse.

 

[DopeyBadger]

10 Weeks to Go (Welp, that was close...)

This weather has been all over the place. We've had days in the mid-50s and days in the low single digits all just this week. I came very close to an overtraining injury. Let's see why...

Date - Day - Scheduled Workout (Intervals within desired pace, Speed +/- 5 sec, everything else +/- 10 sec)

2/24/16 - W - Medicine Ball Workout (MBW)
2/25/16 - R - 1.5 miles @ 9:50 min/mile + 7 miles @ 7:52 min/mile + 1.5 miles @ 9:50 min/mile (6/7)
2/26/16 - F - 6 miles @ 9:32 min/mile (5/6)
2/27/16 - Sat - 10 miles @ 8:53 min/mile (10/10) + MBW
2/28/16 - Sun - 11 miles @ 8:33 min/mile (8/11)
2/29/16 - M - 8 miles @ 9:32 min/mile (7/8)
3/1/16 - T - 1.5 miles @ 10:01 min/mile + 6 x 800 @ 6:56 min/mile with 400m RI @ 9:50 min/mile + 0.75 miles @ 10:13 min/mile (5/6)

Total mileage = 52.25 miles
Number of intervals within pace = 41/48 (85%)

I noticed almost immediately on Thursday that something didn't feel right. My right leg's hamstring/knee seemed out of rhythm. During the entire 1.5 mile warm up it seemed off. I went ahead and started the intervals and was more off than normal with a 8:19 on interval 1. Even the second interval didn't seem normal and my right leg just seemed off. By intervals 3-7 things improved but I could still feel something lingering. I was able to complete the workout, but never felt comfortable. I know why this occurred as this has happened to me before. When I do too much (on the verge of overtraining) one of my body's signals is this hamstring pain. It happened because I had the Ladder + Hills, then Tempo, then Hammer, then Mile Speed, and then Tempo. The ladder is a hard workout and the Hammer is a hard workout, but putting these two so close to each other put me in a position where I was pushing too hard. I knew if I could get through Thursday I could have a few days without any tough workout and make it to Tuesday's speed more well rested.

Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday came and went with the mindset that if I had to be too slow on an interval I would be comfortable with it. As the weekend went along I felt stronger

Tuesday came up and I felt rested and prepared. Too bad we got dumped with 2 inches of snow during the mid-day and the temps dropped into the single digits. I was able to find a 0.5 mile loop that had a minor hill on it. I felt incredibly strong during these intervals and actually had to back off on the 3rd, 4th, and 5th intervals to keep them within paces. I was very happy with my decision to back off on the week a bit and be able to complete Tuesday's Speed workout comfortably.

This is a big training week. I'm moving the Tempo run up a mile from 7 miles to 8 miles. It's also the last week of a Speed workout. After this week, we move into marathon specific training (the Strength phase).

It's also the end of another month. Let's see how February went.

February Training Report

Running Mileage - 194.68 miles
Time - 28:46:01
Average Pace - 8:52 min/mile

I was only short by 9 miles from my scheduled workouts. Not ideal as I like to hit 100%, but I can live with it since it occurred because it was -25 out. The next month puts me at 246 total miles. This would be a monthly mileage PR if I hit 100% of the workouts. Excited!

Lastly, the running organizers I compete in many of the races with has decided to put on their 1st marathon in September of this year. This makes my decision for my fall marathon tougher. Chicago is probably still my number one choice, but I have to be able to justify the price (entry, travel, hotel) and full weekend commitment (lots of positives though, super well attended by spectators and competitors, and well stocked aid stations). Lakefront is a good choice with a downhill course, medium crowds, cheaper than Chicago, and closer so it's a one day trip. Lastly, DoLittle is the cheapest (by far), the closest, I've run the course and it's super flat paved with tree cover course, but it will likely be light on crowds and other competitors. I'll need to evaluate these options to make a decision by sometime in Mid-April.