21 Days and Counting: Looking at the Training Numbers

Steve and I squeaked in the 18 miler just as the weather conditions started to deteriorate. I had added a long sleeve coolmax after the first loop with Annie. Then the day would just be a damp, raw and treacherous rainy day where I did not go outside for the rest of the day. That will be my last LSD run and next weekend I will go to MLR 14-15 or so and then start to shut things down. Last week was another good week with hard workouts and some good distance. I'll post the numbers (total and long run) for the 16 week training program here, starting with week 2. People can then look back and comment after Boston on whether they think the mileage is enough or too much.

Week:
2) 45mi (LR 16mi)
3) 37 (10)
4) 59 (16)
5) 57 (19)
6) 72 (12)
7) 63 (20)
8) 48 (17)
9) 69 (22)
10) 66 (18)
11) 72 (18)
12) 86 (24)
13) 75 (18)

Summary:

Total weeks 2-13: 749mi
Avg. Week: 62.4mi
Avg. LR: 17.5mi

To compare to 2008: 672mi (56mi avg) which is about the same as 2006 (2007 record lost)

Last year I was definitely feeling the pressure to train on the bike for IM France, so I'm sure that played a role in there being less running miles. I am going to guess that this year also trumps 2007 miles. I was also swimming 3-4 days a week in 2007. We'll have to wait and see if there is pay-off come 4/20.

-Kyle

Less Than Four Weeks Out

It's coming quick and the piling of the miles will soon come to an end. Last week was another big week, with my last run with the boys out on the Boston course - 24 miles with tempo 8.3 miles, first half fast at 1:32 flat. The course run tops off my week with 87 miles total. I'm looking back at my logs and can not find a bigger week in years. Believe it or not, my legs felt better last week with all the miles, than the week before. The New Bedford week was tough and my legs were definitely responding to the increase in mileage. This week, legs feel great! and I'm still piling on those miles!! My swimming has exploded recently and I am doing intervals at what would be PRs for me a few years ago. Biking also going well and has gotten a lot easier now that winter is over - definitely less taxing on the body cycling in the 40s&50s - over those days that were teens morning and 20s afternoons and now there's no snow ruts on my street. I survived a full winter of outdoor cycling! another first! My weight has also come way down - 150lbs @ 7% body fat - 18 pounds down since the holidays - I can never let that happen again. No more beer and ice cream diet.

Anyway, I hope everyone's training has gone well. It comes to a quick hault pretty soon. Next week I will be focusing on shorter quicker and broken-up doubles of less distance. I hope to get a long bike ride in also, as LP09 is now 4 months away.

-Kyle

New Bedford 1/2M

Well ... I did it again. A week of heavy training and tight legs led me tired and a bit achy into race day. Even though I was tight, I still ran a 1:23:48 - not far off my 1:22 PR in 2007. In fact I was well on that pace right up to mile 8 (49:58), but slowed a little towards 10 and then at 12 I was really struggling up the big hill. I felt like I was dragging a cinder block behind me. My legs were shot, but I continued to push and finish with a decent time. The day capped off a 75 mile week. The coaches feel it's better for me to train for Boston and not worry about this race. I've never been a great half runner anyway.

Some interesting notes on this year's race:

Not much wind at all - very unusual for NB.

Warm temps ~50 to start and then maybe a bit warmer.

American winner - it was good to see race winner Pat Tarpy leave a trail of Kenyans behind. They could not keep up with him and he ran the fastest time in a decade. Also, nice to see women's winner and BAA teammate Heidi Westerling shed 3 minutes off her PR, wow!

Today I am very tired and need to get some rest! An easy run, bike commute and we'll see if I survive tonight at the pool. I guess it's really not a rest day!

I will try to post training numbers the next few weeks, as I have not been recording anything except running miles. Also, 5 weeks out means the next 2-3 weeks I will be piling on the running miles on. Expect to see some big numbers as I start to do more doubles (last week I had two doubles) and now that the trails are opening up I can do that, get off the roads for some easy running and not get injured.

Hope everyone has time to get the big miles in the next two weeks. I will be running on the course again. Hopefully I will get to chat with Olympian Ryan Hall again ...

-Kyle