All it takes is work

The hard part about running is that it takes a lot of patience and work. Oftentimes one doesn’t see the results of the work for a long time. In fact it usually takes at least two years or more of consistent work to see any results of consequence.

That’s probably one of the reason why people give up on the sport after just a short time of training and it’s just another in a pile of reasons why the sport is difficult. Running is hard, but then again it’s supposed to be.

Still, the good thing about running is that if one puts in the work there will be a reward. All it takes is hard work and that’s the easy part.

How hard is it to work hard?

Anyway, after years of consistent work that included a year at the University of Michigan before turning pro when he was just 20-years old, Alan Webb finally got the result that people had predicted for him when he was still in high school in Northern Virginia. Webb, 24, broke Steve Scott’s U.S. record for the mile by running a 3:46.91 in Belgium on Saturday. Interestingly, Webb broke a record that was set before he was born.

Some in the press or on the web wondered what took Webb so long. Wasn’t he supposed to be the savior of track & field in the U.S.? Why wasn’t he demolishing records on his way up? Well, it doesn’t work that way. Running isn’t like baseball, football or basketball. There is no rookie of the year awards or even trophies for good workouts. There are no signing bonuses based on draft position or potential. A runner has to win and produce the times in order to get paid. The trouble with that is running well takes time and for Webb the road to the record in the mile took at least four years.

Webb’s run was the eighth fastest in history and people are predicting that he will go quicker than 3:46.91. Better yet, some say he could go faster by the time the World Championships roll around in Osaka, Japan next month.

Hicham El Guerrouj of Morocco owns the world record of 3:43.13. That’s probably not going to happen by next month, but maybe in a year or so Webb will be right there.

Meanwhile, the top American marathoners are missing out on some pay days because the Olympic Trials are on Nov. 3 in New York City this year, according to a story in The New York Times.

Anyway, here’s the week of July 16 to 22:

Monday — 21 miles in 2:19:14
Ran well early on despite another achy stomach. Later in the run I was thirsty and edging on to dehydration. Other than that it was a good run that made me feel good when it was over.

There’s nothing that a good 20-miler won’t cure.

splits:
1st 5: 33:06
2nd 5: 32:16
3rd 5: 33:03

Tuesday — 15 miles in 1:40:49
Steady and solid the whole way even though I very little turnover. I got a tiny bit tired at the end, but for the most part I was just locked in. I think I could have kept going at the same pace for a while, but it wasn’t too bad for a recovery run.

splits:
1st 5: 33:40
2nd 5: 33:30
3rd 5: 33:38

Wednesday — 16.1 miles in 1:49:49
I wanted to do a hill workout, but didn’t get out until late because I stayed up until 3 a.m. watching baseball before spending the morning at the dentist. That’s the way it goes sometimes. Either way, it seems as if it takes me two days after a 20-miler to get my legs back. I have the strength and the endurance, but not great turnover. Hopefully I can do a hill workout and/or some lactate threshold soon.

splits:
1st 5: 34:19
2nd 5: 33:30

Thursday — 15 miles in 1:41:51
I had no turnover at all today. None. Nada. Zilch. I figured I would be recovered after two (relatively) easy days, but it wasn’t the case. Perhaps it was the 3-mile walk I took at 8 p.m. last night in attempt to clear out the lactic acid or whatever. Either way, I was slow and a little tired.

splits:
34:20
33:57
33:33

These late-night baseball games have really screwed up my schedule and sleep.

Friday — 16 miles in 1:46:56
Started out tight and slow (but strong) like yesterday and gradually picked up the pace. By the last two miles I was going 5:50s because I wanted to get a little bit of lactate threshold work in and try to get a “burn” and raise the heart rate a bit. Interestingly, 5:50s pace didn’t do it. In fact, it felt rather easy. Since it felt so easy I guess I’ll have to try to do it as much as possible.

Good idea?

splits:
33:53
33:19
32:09

Saturday — 13.3 miles in 1:29:32
Felt worn out and like I have a bit of a cold. It was tough getting myself out the door, but once I started running I was my usual strong self. Regardless, I definitely had to work to keep the pace I ran. It wasn’t taxing at all, but it took some soncentration.

splits:
1st 5 – 33:58
2nd 5 – 33:28
last 3.3 – 22:05

Sunday — 6 miles in 39:51
This was the perfect Sunday run — though I would have liked to have done a LT. Nonetheless, I ran free and easy — with my iPod — and felt like I could have gone all day.

I’m no expert, but I think this run could be just as important as the hard runs during the week.

Slow and hot, but I still got my triple-digit week. There’s 102.4 miles…

A slight readjustment

I think I’ve come to a conclusion about my running:

I’d rather win (or at least have a shot at winning) than running fast.

Come again?

I would rather have a chance to win a race than to simply run a good time. Oh, I definitely want to run fast and I believe that running fast and winning are not mutually exclusive. But I believe I have talked myself into thinking that I might have a chance to win a smaller marathon than going fast at a notoriously speedy course.

More than that there are other variables involved, too. First there is the money and time issue, which while not huge, is something to consider. If I went to run the Steamtown Marathon I would have to drive two hours, spend two nights in a hotel and go out for my meals. Then I would have to drive home all stiff-legged and all of that other stuff, not to mention the logistics of getting to and from the race start and from the finish line back to the hotel.

I’ll save the headaches for Boston.

But if I go to Harrisburg to run, a time that might crack the top 10 at Steamtown could get me on the podium. Plus, I would get to sleep in my own bed, eat my own food and easily get to the start and finish line with just a 30-minute drive.

Better yet, I’ll also get an extra month of training, which with a baby due in August might be needed.

So Harrisburg (again) is what it will be. It changes the training strategy a bit, but not much. It means I will be in really great shape come mid-November, then I can shut it down a bit in December and gear it up for Boston in April of 2008 starting in January.

See, it’s that simple.

Here’s the week of July 9-15.

Monday – 18 miles in 2:02:22
This one was rough and nasty. The temperatures got close to 100 by the time I finished even though I started reasonably early. I should have gone earlier.

Either way, heat notwithstanding, I have a lot of work to do.

Tuesday – first run: 15 miles in 1:41:06
Second run: 3 miles
18 miles total
Did my morning run of 15 miles in 1:41:06. Got out at the same time as yesterday and did my best to stay in the shade as much as possible. That meant staying off the field away from the locusts, beetles, dragon flies and sun. Because of the heat I was definitely finished at 15 miles.

I ran an easy, easy, easy 5k with John May at night. I broke a sweat, but my heart rate didn’t go too high… maybe I should get a heart rate monitor.

Wednesday – 16.2 miles in 1:50:39
5 miles in 33:39
21.2 miles
Doubled up again and it was tough because of the humidity. The temperature wasn’t great — though marginally cooler — but it wasn’t horrible. However, the humidity was as bad as it ever was.

Nevertheless, the first run was 16.2 miles in 1:50:39 and slow. With five-mile splits of 34:06; 33:42; 33:49.

The evening run, which was equally as humid, went in 33:39. Afterwards I took an ice bath.

Thursday – 16 miles in 1:42:52
I don’t know how I pulled this one off, but I’ll take it. After much consternation I opted to do a “knockdown” on the field instead of running hills. Actually, I just planned on doing a recovery run for as long as possible, but I felt pretty good once I got going so I gave it a shot.

splits:
1st 5: 33:02
2nd 5: 32:25
3rd 5: 30:05

Interestingly, I didn’t feel any oxygen debt at all. I ran at a high 5:40 to low 6 clip during the last five and it felt comfortable and maybe even a little easy.

I guess it’s fair to surmise that I should do a few more runs like this.

Friday – 15 miles in 1:38:21
I had planned to take this steady, easy, low-key and relatively short today. The plan was to recover a bit from running somewhat hard yesterday, but once I got out there I found a groove and stayed in it. The pace was easy, steady and effortless, which I credit to another perfect summer day weather-wise.

splits:
1st 5: 32:42
2nd 5: 32:55
3rd 5: 32:44

I’m starting to show signs of getting into shape. We’ll see what happens as the summer progresses.

Saturday – 13 miles in 1:27:28
This was one of those put-your-head-down-grit-your-teeth-and-grind-it-out runs. I have no idea how I got this one down, but I did. Afterwards I was as tired and spent as after any 20-miler, which I will chalk up to a long and hard week of training. In that regard, it was a good tired. Maybe I earned the right to feel a little spent.

Nevertheless, an easy run comes tomorrow where I can coast and relax. Then I dive back in on Monday.

splits:
1st 5: 33:32.29
2nd 5: 33:32.96

Sunday – 5 miles in 32:46
I always look forward to these easy, laidback Sunday run where I just go out to spin the wheels. This time, though, my stomach was a bit upset and instead of running 6 miles I just did 5.

A tough 106.2 miles for the week… I felt it toward the end of the week, but it felt good.

On the threshold…

More lactate threshold. More miles… that’s what I need.

At least that’s what I’m going to tell myself.

Here’s the week of July 2-8.

Monday – 1st run 15 miles in 1:37:26
2nd run 9 miles in 60:14
Total: 24 miles in 2:37:40
Crazy, crazy day. I was set to go out and hammer for 20 when I got the call to get to Philly to be on DNL with Floyd Landis. Because of that I just ran 15 (in 1:37:26) and wished that I could have gone much longer. It could have been the best I felt on a run all year. I don’t know what got into me, but I ran solid without even trying.

splits:
1st 5: 32:28
2nd 5: 32:46
3rd 5: 32:11

After a Clif Bar a drive to Philly, a 30-minute segment on the show and then some general office jerking around, I drove out to Kelly Drive and ran nine miles around the River in 60:14. Actually, I think I went longer than 9 miles (closer to 10 than 9), but just for arguments sake we’ll call in an even 9.

So there’s a 24-mile day, though I think a straight 20 would have been best.

After the run I went to old pal John Turner’s U.S. Hotel to hang out and have dinner. Good times.

Tuesday – 11 miles in 1:15:08
This one started out bad. My left hamstring, calf and foot hurt a lot. Better yet, they hurt to the point where I nearly abandoned the workout. But as I ran it loosened up and felt reasonably OK, though by the end of run I was tired and spent. I’m hoping to get up early and go race tomorrow, but the way my hamstring feels leaves me with some doubts.

splits:
1st 5: 34:04
2nd 5: 33:39

Wednesday – 8 miles warm-up and cool down
5 miles in 30:52
Total: 13 miles
Ran 8 miles as a warm-up and cool down with five in 30:52 in between. I wanted to run 29-something, but the mileage has definitely sapped my speed. So too has a nasty hamstring pull/strain or whatever it is. It’s been hurting pretty much non-stop for two days and occasionally I feel it knot up. Interestingly, it feels kind of good the longer I run on it.

Anyway, here’s how I ran in the “race:”
1 – 5:37
2 – 6:16
3 – 6:27
4 – 5:53
5 – 6:38

I had just one gear though the pace felt pretty easy for the entire run. There were a bunch of hills on the course, too. No, it wasn’t hard; I was just tired.

Thursday – 15 miles in 1:41:31
I can’t believe I ran as many miles as I did considering how bad my hamstrings have felt/feel, how tired I am, how much lifting/work I did this morning and how humid it was.

Crazy.

Anyway, my legs are a mess. They are tight, tired and have no snap. I think the run from Monday really zonked me and running in the race yesterday didn’t help either. I probably shouldn’t have done the race because it takes away from getting into to shape and preparing for the main goal — let those weekend racers who go to all the rinky dink stuff have their plastic trophies… I want to run well in a marathon. That’s the good stuff.

I’m beat after cleaning out the basement and garage, loading all the junk onto a U-Haul and taking it to the dump. It turns out that we had 1,665 pounds of crap to throw away that was sitting in the garage and basement.

Now it’s gone.

splits:
1st 5: 33:49
2nd 5: 33:50
3rd 5: 33:50

Friday – 15 miles in 1:41:05
This one was a lot like yesterday. I was tight, tired, slow, but still pretty strong. There has to be something good coming from the fact that I can crank out miles like crazy.

Anyway, the weather was decent and the nice breeze kept everything relatively cool.

splits:
33:50
33:33
33:41

Saturday – 16 miles in 1:48:50
Ran on the roads and did a bunch of hills. Based on the effort I’d have to say that neglecting the hills in favor of running as much as possible on grass has been a slight tactical error. In the past most of my strength came from seeking out hills as if I was the running version of Don Quixote. Hills build strength and speed.

I guess I’ll start doing more hills.

Anyway, I started out slow and easy, but picked it up to a decent pace during the second half. I feel strong and wasn’t as trashed as I was the past few days.

Sunday – 7 miles in 48:49
Went easy and tried to go as slow as possible without crawling. Nonetheless, it was a fun, easy outing and I have to admit that I look forward to runs like this one.

This was a difficult one, but I rallied to go 101 miles for the week. I guess the end justifies the means.

It’s On!

From now on there is no more kidding around. Whether I’m racing in the Steamtown Marathon on Oct. 7 or going back to Harrisburg on Nov. 10, I’m in full training mode starting Monday.

Then again, it wasn’t like I wasn’t training during the last two months. Though the aim was to get in shape in order to be able to handle the schedule I set up for myself. In other words, I guess I was training for my training.

So what do I have in store for myself? Funny I should ask… check this out:

Week 1
July 2-8
20 miles in 2:10

4 miles easy +
5 x 1 mile @ 5:10/mile +
5 miles easy

or Ephrata Firecracker Five Miler @ 8:30 a.m. on July 4

Week 2
July 9-15
20 miles in 2:15

2 miles easy +
10 miles in 58
2 miles easy

Week 3
July 16-22
4 miles easy +
8 miles in 48 +
1 mile in 5:35 +
6 miles in 36 +
1 mile in 5:35 +
2 miles easy

knockdown in 33, 32, 31

or Bon-Ton 5 Miler, York Galleria, York, Pa. @ 7:30 a.m. on July 22

Week 4
July 23-29
22 miles with 5 miles in 28

knockdown in 32, 31, 30

Week 5
July 30- August 5
22 miles in 2:28

2 miles easy +
10 miles in 58 +
2 miles easy

Week 6
August 6-12
20 miles with 12 in 72

knockdown in 32, 30, 29

or Ox Trot 5 Miler, Bowmansville, Pa. @ 8 a.m. on Aug. 11

Week 7
August 13-19
22 miles with 5 in 28, 10 easy, and 5 in 28

knockdown in 31, 30, 28

Week 8
August 20-26
22 miles in 2:27

4 easy +
10 in 57
1 mile cool down

or York 10 miler, York, Pa. @ 8 a.m. on Aug. 25

Week 9
August 27- September 2
23 miles with 12 in 72

knockdown in 31, 31, 27

Week 10
September 3-9
22 miles with 5 in 28

knockdown in 32, 30, 29

Week 11
September 10-16
22 miles easy

4 miles easy +
5 x 1 mile @ 5:10/mile +
5 miles easy

Week 12
September 17-23
BLAST WEEK

Week 13
September 24-30
22 miles easy

5k or 10k race
Hands on House Half Marathon/5k @ 9 a.m.

Week 14
October 1-7
* 13 easy
* 10 easy
* 4 miles warm up and cool down + 3 in 16
* 6 miles easy
* 4-5 miles easy
* 3 miles easy
* 4 miles easy

How it works is I do two “quality” workouts a week and the other five days are spent racking up the mileage. Of course a lot of what I do will depend on what happens when the baby comes in the middle of August. That’s the monkey wrench, but I think it will be OK.

Here’s the week of June 25- July 1.

Monday – 20 miles in 2:13:03
It was super-humid and I didn’t get out until later in the day. Either way, I did OK until around the 17th mile where I started to tie up a bit. I stopped at 15 miles to drink, which may have been too late. Either way, I got another 20-mile run in and it felt pretty good.

splits:
1st 5: 33:31
2nd 5: 32:23
3rd 5: 33:17
4th 5: 33:51

Tuesday – 15 miles in 1:40:04
This was the hottest and most humid day of the year, but that fact that I did this workout says something… like I’m crazy. Either way, I stuck it out thanks to having my Gatorade mixture with me on the route and the fact that I’m pretty strong. I also have adapted the theory that there is no such thing as overtraining, just under-resting. I picked that up from Floyd Landis’ book and so far it seems like it’s right on the money.

On another note, I have started to soak my feet in the ice-cold tub after runs… so far so good.

splits:
1st 5: 33:38
2nd 5: 32:45
3rd 5: 33:40

Wednesday – 15 miles in 1:41:55
The fact that I did this run under the conditions proves that I am either a badass or more than a little crazy… I’m going with the latter. It was hazy, hot and humid, and when the sun was out it was more than miserable. Running on the field was nearly unbearable, so I went home, got a drink, got out the garden hose and started up again with the hope of adding another 20 to 30 minutes. Somehow, though, I was able to go for eight more miles.

Thursday – 15 miles in 1:42:24
The temperature wasn’t as bad, but it was still unbearably humid. Plus, if I’m not mistaken, I bonked a bit… or maybe it has something to do with the fact that I had a big-assed diet coke instead of coffee. If I’m ever drug tested, the only thing they will find is that I’m hopped up on coffee and ibuprofen. Other than that, I’m clean.

Regardless, I struggled in the humidity and went slow. Maybe it’s the mileage… who knows. Still, I’m pleased about getting in the miles.
splits:
1st 5: 33:47
2nd: 33:59
3rd: 34:39

Friday – 16 miles in 1:45:18
Finally! A good day to run. It was overcast and much cooler, even though it was still humid. Nevertheless, I kept a solid pace the entire time and even picked up a little at the end, though I didn’t have enough energy to run a solid, six-minute pace.

It’s been a busy week and it’s just beginning. I talked to Floyd Landis for a story today and that was a blast. Hopefully the story comes off well.

splits:
1st 5: 33:14
2nd 5: 33:04
3rd 5: 31:54

Saturday – 15 miles in 1:37:43
Another excellent day to run… the weather was great and the humidity even broke. In fact, I didn’t even feel tight or sore or need much warm up time at the start. I just went out and got into it even though I was sitting on my ass at home and writing all day.

splits:
1st 5: 32:44
2nd 5: 32:45
3rd 5: 32:14

Sunday – 6 miles in 39:42
Went out “naked” today, which is a term I stole from the baseball players I typically write about. To play naked, as they say, is to play a game without taking a “greenie.” A greenie, of course, is amphetamines. Running naked in my instance has nothing to do with greenies. Instead, I ran without having coffee or ibuprofen this morning.

Needless to say, I felt a little bit of a difference, but that was fine. Today was an easy day and I treated it as such — I even ran with my iPod today and the weather was spectacular. Too bad such a nice day came on an easy day… I could have hammered.

But there will be time for that. Sometimes a guy just needs to go light.

1st 5 split: 32:44

There’s 102 miles… Kind of tough at times this week with the heat and humidity, but I hung tough.