Weeks 8 & 9: New England

I spent most of Week 8 in Millbury, Massachusetts (about 45 mins outside Boston) for work.  This presented the opportunity to get some hill workouts I'd otherwise not have access to in Louisiana.  Having traveled to this area before for work, I knew right where to go to find epic hill-age.

Stole this one from Google, but it really looks like this.

I spent most of Week 9 in Waitsfield, Vermont (about 45 mins east of Burlington) for Dave's wedding.  In addition to juggling best man duties, I also had to find time to get in 7:00/mile workouts.  Although I was only able to get in one run at that pace, I really had a great time just knocking out some easy runs with Dave.  The weather was cool and beautiful.

I still need to spend more time in New England during the winter to know for sure how I feel about that part of the country, but outside of that....I could totally live there.  Beautiful landscape, people were really nice and had a lifestyle I appreciated, and the outdoor opportunities are just endless.

Week VII: Blowing Up the Training Schedule

Sat down yesterday and re-assessed the training schedule for the Louisiana Marathon on 17 January.  I start this week with 7:10 pace, same daily workouts as before (fartleks for speed and distance, long runs, core workouts with Crystal).  Two-weeks before the race I should be at 20 miles for my long run and 6:00 for my training pace.

Week VII:

Training Pace:  7:10

Long Run:  7 miles around LSU checking out all the tailgates for the Florida game

Music:  Daft Punk (Harder Better Faster Stronger), Macklemore (Thrift Shop)

Week VI: No More IT Band

I put Crystal into full "coach" mode and she put me through the ringer with core and Pilate workouts.  That coupled with some stretching techniques from Pat Fellows and plenty of time on the foam roller has completely eliminated any pain associated with my IT band, mercifully.

I took it relatively easy this week even though my leg did feel substantially better.  As long as my planned pace was still slower than 7:00, I was more concerned with just building my leg strength back rather than hitting a certain speed.  That being said, I cruised through a 7:00 5-miler this morning and felt great.

The Marine Corps has decided it needs me to work the weekend of December 5th...the same weekend as the Baton Rouge Beach Marathon.  This was going to be my first stab at qualifying for Boston, making the Louisiana Marathon (January 17th) my back-up.  Now the Louisiana Marathon will be my primary and the Rock'n'Roll Marathon in New Orleans (Feb 28th) will be my back-up.  This means I have to re-adjust my training schedule so I peak at the right time.

Week VI:

Training Pace (Planned): 7:10
Long Run (Planned): 14 Miles
Music: I made an honest attempt to finish Bridge of Spies on audiobook...but its just awful.  The story rambles forever and I'm just waiting for it to end, so I'm pulling the plug.  I hope Tom Hanks has done a better job with the movie.

Week V: IT Band

I've stayed off my feet almost this entire week.

I wasn't sure, so I didn't want to mention it...but this image is pretty much what's going on.  Trying a bunch of different things, to include a stretching and Pilates routine introduced by Crystal.  Seems to be working pretty well, but I've never had this "injury" before so I'm unsure how to gauge my recovery.

I did get a 5 mile run Saturday afternoon.  Although I could feel the tightness in my leg, I found that if got outside of my mind (just stopped thinking about it) and relaxed my stride, I largely had no pain.  Going to start easing back into the running this week.

Week V:

Training Pace (Planned): 7:20
Long Run (Planned): 14 miles
Music: Bit the bullet and paid the subscription fee for Apple Music

Week IV: Boston or Busted Knee

I absolutely did not stay up past 8:30 to see the moon get really big and turn red.  I figured there'd be a ton of pictures on the web and that my time would be better spent doing something actually worthwhile...like sleeping.

I leaned in heavily into the rest plan on Monday and didn't run till Tuesday, which is when the trouble began.  Ever since I came back from Afghanistan, my left knee has given me problems.  Nothing major, and there wasn't ever a specific event that hurt my knee, but all the patrolling and gear we wore has made if feel weak ever since.  On my Tuesday afternoon run, I banked hard around a curve and felt it kinda give away.  I rested Wednesday and felt good through most of my run on Thursday, until I all of a sudden didn't.

I haven't run since then and don't plan to try again until tomorrow.  I'm only worried from the standpoint of this becoming a re-occuring issue.  My training pace is still relatively slow, so I'm not concerned about losing ground there.  Rest is the best option.

Week IV:

Training Pace: 7:30 (I was hitting this until the knee gave out)

Long Run: 12 miles didn't happen, put the boy in the stroller and went walking instead.

Music:  Still need to finish the "Bridge of Spies" audiobook, but powered through the NPR podcast Serial.  Really excellent story telling, looking forward to next season's episodes about Bowe Bergdahl.

Week III: Boston Qual Training

Week 3 presented some interesting learning opportunities, specifically how to gut through some workouts, as well as the importance of rest.  Although the pace goal of 7:40 isn’t that hard, I consistently struggled to maintain that speed.  I discovered that it was directly tied to my lack of proper rest and not listening to my body.  There was at least one morning where I knew that staying in bed was more valuable than lacing up (I’m sure that’ll change as I have to meet faster pace goals).  I also realized the importance of taking all of Monday off, the day after my long run, and doing absolutely nothing.

Crystal and I laughed at how when I was in my early 20’s, ramping up my training levels this quick wouldn’t have been that big a deal.  Clearly, training at 31 is different from 21.  Certainly I wish I still had that body, but I’m enjoying this new training challenge.

Week 3:

-          Goal Pace: 7:40

-          Long Run: 12 miles @ 7:40 pace

-          Music: Five more chapters left in the Bridge of Spies audiobook….the movie has got to be better.  This thing is really dragging out the details.

Fartleks workout (distance)

Week II - Boston Qual Training

Second week has for sure been more regimented than Week 1 with only two workouts missed the whole time.  Monday I was still burnt from my long run, so I just slept in.  Wednesday there was a torrential thunderstorm rolling through and it was easier to sit next to my computer and coffee.

Long run this week (10 miles) was done on a treadmill in New Orleans.  Drill weekends always make it tricky figuring out how to work in the day's workout.  I was impressed that I wasn't exactly tired or sore after my long run, even if it was at a 7:50 pace.  In other news, the temperature is beginning to drop and its officially feeling like Fall, should make for some great runs.

Week 2:
- Goal Pace: 7:50
- Long Run: 10 miles
- Music: almost finished with the Bridge of Spies audiobook, also picked up some Demi Lovato