Project: Run Faster

[Mike]

Everything automotive took a serious backseat this year to training for the Marine Corps Marathon, which took place last weekend.

The Skinny
I was fast in high school. Not "award winning" fast, but fast enough to be in the top few of a VA state champ cross country team. The guys faster than me were "all-met" fast and had successful college and (one) professional careers. I got injured my senior year, when I was supposed to be the team leader as we had quite a few guys graduate the year before... I couldn't run, we got a new coach who thought I was being a bitch, my head never got back in to it. I was recruited to Salisbury and was allowed to walk on at JMU, but neither came to fruition.

The Fat
College. I recently stumbled across my physical docs for heading to school. I don't have them with me as I write this, but I'm pretty certain I was 155... Skin, bone, and only the muscle needed to run fast. I did not run in college. I left college (still 6'2), but with a soft 180lbs.

Post College
Did the party thing for a bit, grew out of it after 3 years or so. Around this time, I began messing with some code and developed a training log: <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.iammike.org/index.php?loc=log">http://www.iammike.org/index.php?loc=log</a><!-- m -->. This log provided tons of motivation and after three years, the data contained in it is quite useful. I peaked at a bit over 190.

Spring '05
Started, 9 minute pace, some runs with Jessica! I was just a touch under 180, but I really wasn't doing much.

Winter '05
I wasn't doing squat aside from some random spinning in the winter. We're now mid 180s.

Summer '06
I decide to run a 5k. I'm right around 180, do more running than I have in years in prep (two ~30 months in a row!). I finish in 21:58. Around this time, Caitlin and I get together... She ran in college. I now have a running partner!

Winter '06
Really weak showing; back to mid 180s.

Summer '07
Decide to go for a half marathon! Do lots of training (had some nagging injuries from trying to do too much too fast, average 10-15 miles a week). Finish in 1:43:18. 5k time is now 21:18.

Winter '07
Continue training with a new goal in mind, a sub-20 5k. Still only 10-15 miles per week, but I pull it off with my 3rd attempt (did three in a row); 19:56.

Spring/Summer '08
Decide to do the marathon. I was doing 50 miles/month until my plan started, but that jumped to an average of 150 or so for four months. Miraculously, my body handled it. I did some racing to keep focused and now sport a 5k best of 18:56, a 4-mile of 25:41, a half of 1:34:10 (beat in the full) and a mile of 5:22. Some of those times were on really tired legs or even in the middle of a random run (the mile I was just showing up to the track to see some friends run... I ran there [3 miles] and ran back home afterwards). Did I mention I'm now weighing in below 170?

Pre Race
I used some fancy calculator to figure out a time I *should* be capable of given a known time I've run at a shorter distance. What it told me, was that based on a 19-minute 5k, I should be able to run a 3:10 marathon; 7:15 pace for 26.2 miles. I go with it, knowing it's a very lofty goal. My training goes perfectly, I accomplish my pace runs at the correct pace, and feeling good, but when it comes time to really test myself, a month or so before the race with a half, I only manage a 1:34 and feel very tired... Could have been the ridiculous humidity and heat (times were about 2:00 off), but I'm now worried. Regardless, I stick with my goal of 3:10 (Boston qualification, a life goal of mine) and that's that.

The Race
Everything goes great... until it doesn't. I had always heard mention of the wall and too kit with a grain of salt, but it exists... Its unlike anything I've ever experienced. If you think you've "hit the wall," but haven't run a marathon, you haven't properly "hit the wall." Once I nailed it, I nearly couldn't go on. Luckily, "nearly couldn't go on" is still 9 minute mile pace for me I managed to stay with my pace group, which was on pace for 3:06 until about Mile 18. I knew I was in trouble by 16, managed to pull a couple more decent miles out of my ass, but then it was all over. My 5k splits were 22:27, 22:29, 22:03, 21:53, 22:15, 23:26, 26:59, and 29:01. Funny, I basically ran 6 5ks at the pace I could run a single one at just two years ago. It's a good feeling... Once you're able to walk correctly again... 4 days later. I ended up with a total time of 3:22:38, which is a pace of 7:43/mi. I also managed to come through the half 20 seconds faster (1:33:48) than my previous best... so that's cool.

The Future
I'm tired, home life needs some time put in, but I don't want to throw away the amazing shape I'm currently in. I plan on doing a bunch of 5ks to close the winter out. I really have no clue what I'm capable of, but I'm hoping for low 18s. If a 17 pops in there, I'll be ecstatic, but dropping two minutes off my time this year is kinda nuts.

I will run another marathon... I MUST run Boston some day. Until I reach 35, I need a 3:10. I know I'm close... I might as well make it happen next year. The trick will be maintaining some mileage this winter. Once I obtain my goal of Boston, I'll likely stop this madness (marathons); they're too hard on the body, too hard on the wallet (I did a quick calculation and found some of my longer training runs actually cost $15+), and too hard on the schedule. Besides, shorter races are more fun, easier on the body, and I have a shot at winning!

Racing... I love it... If not in a car, give me pedals, give me shoes... whatever... Competition owns me.

More detail of my training: <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=pKVJZpKuJTHRJJZvQNBXGdw">http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key= ... JZvQNBXGdw</a><!-- m -->

[JackoliciousLegs]

Good work buddy. I like the write up too. It's inspiring.

[ScottyB]

that's awesome Mike. your diligence with the logging and practice sessions is pretty admirable.

i'm actually in a very similar situation. i was decent but not award winning fast in HS (2:01 800 in track, 18 minute 5k in XC) and once i got to college i just let it go and wasted away the muscle i built in training. i'm disgusted with my condition and have been working to get back into shape and to be able to have FUN running again instead of looking at it as something to endure until its over because i'm so out of shape.

i did a 5k fun run earlier this year in something like 21 minutes...i was demolished when i was done and it was pretty sobering. but it made me want to keep it up.

good thread, this makes me want to get it together even more.

[Mike]

I ran my 2nd marathon last Sunday. Went over to San Fran, ran, and then made a short vacation out of it.

I was told the course was surprisingly easy and I did do some hill training, but I wasn't ready for constant hills. If you weren't going up, you were going down... It really took a toll on me. I was on a pretty good pace the entire race, but slowed just enough in the final 10k to not reach the goal (didn't die at 18 like last time, though!). Due to some organizational issues, I wasn't able to run with my pace group, which may have made a big difference; running alone for three hours is tough.

While I improved on my previous best (3:22) by six minutes (3:16), I still didn't qualify for Boston, which is extra annoying because I ran a 1:04 ten-miler in April, which equates (there are nifty calculators that take a lot of data in to account) to a 2:59 marathon. I guess I just suck at marathons? They really are a whole different beast.

Perhaps it was the injuries that kept my training down? I started the plan the day after the ten-miler, but had sprained my ankle the week before that race, which resulted in me favoring that foot, which resulted in a jacked up knee for another few weeks, which resulted in a jacked up hip for the entire plan... I wasn't injured for the race, but that's only because I dropped mileage significantly the three weeks before the race... I guess I finally healed. I think my body begins to fall apart at 40 miles a week so in the future I'm going to likely stop there and then bike double-mileage to make up for the rest (need to run 10? bike 20).

So I still need to qualify... I just signed up for the Steamtown (Scranton) Marathon on Oct. 11th. It's relatively close and is supposed to be very well organized, have lots of cheering, and is very fast. That gives me another week of taking it easy after this one, six weeks of hard training, and then another three weeks of tapering. Normally a training plan is 18 weeks, but I'm already in peak shape and capable of running long runs... I just need to pick up just below where I left off. Really need to focus on core strength (I felt my form go to shit after about 16 miles) and drop a few pounds of "skin" by watching my diet more closely.

GPS: <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://connect.garmin.com/activity/10224662">http://connect.garmin.com/activity/10224662</a><!-- m -->