A Quick Half Indeed

This Sat. we had a great group of 30 runners, which included a few alumni, who joined back in, just for the fun of it.  We were asked to push the group a bit this weekend, to go for full marathon race pace, and we did.

What this means is that RW5 is designed to do a 2/1 interval, 2 run/1walk, and we are training for a 15min/mile average.  This translates to a 6:30-6:45 hour finish for the 26.2 mile marathon.  We've been pretty much doing close to that all season, but on Sat. we pushed it a bit just to see how ready our group was, and the group did even better.

We covered the 13.1 miles with an average pace of a 14.46 min/mile, and this included the entire hill up to San Vicente and 26th...totally amazing.  Check the link below to see the stats from Jamie's Garmin watch.  The fun part is to click on "Play" and you can see the interactive playback of our entire run, including distance, speed, and elevation.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/145322648#.TyRxBVMyR40.email

What this means is that all the training we've been going through is paying off, and we are right on target to be ready for the marathon.  Now, if for any multitude of reasons you missed our 18 miler, and even Sat. run, you are not totally out of the game.  We all have to really hunker down these next few weeks and keep up with our week day training runs.  We can't lose sight of our goal.  Minimum is to go out two days a week, ideally by now you should be able to handle three days of training, of which I know that one of those will be a slightly easier day, and remember not to workout on Friday.  We have to maintain the level of performance, but not to the point of burning ourselves out.  Listen to your body, and if you need to recover, please do, but don't get lazy either.  You have to do the work to deserve the recovery.

I've been meaning to include this link, which was sent to me from Claudia, one of our veteran runners, and it's a great motivational talk and part of the TED talks.  TED started as an annual conference consisting of a series of presentations and talks by people from Technology, Entertainment, and Design.  It has grown to a global series of conferences and I've been fortunate to attend several of these in the past years.  If this one intrigues you, please check out the rest of the talks...most of very interesting and provocative.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Lp7E973zozc

Next week, we'll be doing the first of two Dodger Stadium sessions.  This means we'll all meet at Dodger stadium and do two laps of the 5k (3.1mile) course.  This will take us into the hills around the stadium and Elysian park.  It's very scenic and hilly, but I am confident our group is ready to meet this challenge also.  So, keep up the great work this week, and I'll be sending details in the next email this coming week.

Walt

An Easy Half

On Sat. we will be going for 13 miles, essentially a half marathon.  Now it may be a bit much to call this an easy 13..but after the 18 in the rain and wind, l would assume this is definitely an easier task.  We have been told to go for our marathon pace, which is a 15min/mile pace, which we've essentially have been doing, give or take 10 - 15 seconds, so figure we'll be pushing it a bit on this run.   I believe we are all good for it.

We will meet our usual 6:45am, and at 7am, we will head South for .7 mile, which is about two blocks past Washington in the alley, we come back and then head North all the way up to San Vicente and 26th, turn around there and head on home.  Nice and easy.  Again, be sure to get there early and use the restrooms, as we will not slow down or wait for any bathroom breaks.  This distance would be a good one to see if you can do it without using the restrooms, which will be great training for the marathon.  Generally there are long lines at the portapotties all the way till about 15-18 miles.

The following weekend we'll all be meeting at Dodger Stadium, and not in Venice for the Sat. run.  This will be primarily for our hill work, so running up to 26th will be good training for the Stadium workout.  I will have more details about this next week, but the big news is our traditional coffee and bagels brunch at my studio after the Stadium run.  I have a studio in Atwater village on Glendale blvd. and this is only about 10 minutes from Dodger Stadium, so more info on that to come also.

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This past week I have found myself going to a variety of meetings, mostly related to my upcoming teaching position and my regular stuff, but the interesting dynamic is deciding when to speak up and when it's better to just listen.  I'm like the new kid at school, and I'm just trying to figure out the pecking order and who's who, and what the different camps are.  Of course everyone is all very nice, and all seem to get along, but it's trying to read between the lines, and figuring out where the real power plays are, and then trying to decide where I fit in all of this.

I know this will all work out and it's going to be great, but every now and then, it's a bit scary to start something new, and slightly unfamiliar, and even though I know how to put up a strong front and a show of confidence, I still have those moments of doubt. Deep down inside I know I've been through this so many times before, and I have the experience to get through it again, but I can't help those empty gut feelings of.....here we go again.

Gee...it's almost like running a marathon...the anticipation, the fears, the doubts, the waiting at the start line and looking at all these other people who look so athletic and in shape, and wondering if I'll be able to finish.   Yes, i go through this each time, and if anything, having the experience of doing a few of these before is that the only comfort I have is that yes, this is normal.  It doesn't excuse me from going through the nervousness, it just means that I know this is how I'm supposed to feel, and that everyone else is feeling it too.

Life is just a bunch of cycles, and we enter new arenas, and new experiences all the time, new challenges, new hardships, new victories, but that's the best part, we keep getting new chances to do it over again, whether we win or lose, do well or not so well, we get to learn and grow, and hopefully do better each time.

Let's do a great 13 this Sat, it'll be worth it.  Now only if I can figure when recess is.......

Walt

Splendor in the Rain

Cold and wet start

It was cold, raining, windy, miserable conditions....what a great run. We had 22 runners and we went a total of 17.4 miles, kept a great pace 15:10, and finished under 4:30. 

Because of the rain, they reversed the course and everything was reset to go South.  This is mainly due to the fact that when it gets wet, it gets too muddy heading north and just too dangerous to go up San Vicente.  Since most folks were only doing 15, going south all the way to Dockweiller would only be a 14 mile loop, so we decided to head north to the ramp, turn back, which gave us essentially 4 miles, and so all we had to do was go 7 south past the flagpoles, and come back.

As we started off, it was very wet and windy, which made it pretty tough going, plus there was a lot of deep puddles and running water across the path.  So it didn't take long to get totally soaked including our shoes and socks.  At times the headwind was so strong that the rain really hurt against our faces...much more difficult than going uphill.  These conditions pretty much continued for the first 6 -7 miles, and it wasn't until we got all the way out to the marina that things started to get better.

My phone cam fogged up with the sun out

What is always amazing during these rainy day runs is how great it gets when it stops raining, and this was no exception.  We kept the group together and headed all the way down past the canal and the bridge. And even if we were about a half mile short of the full 18 when we got back, I felt we more than accomplished what we set out to do, and given the rain/wind factor...we probably burned enough energy to have finished 20 miles..

I was concerned when I was heading out in the morning, knowing it was raining, and I knew it was going to be a tough run, and it was worse than I imagined, but the best part was finishing with the group and knowing how ready the group is....way cool.

Bridge break before heading back

thanks everyone, we did good,

Walt

RW5 - Blazingly fast

This Sat. we had an amazing run of 12 miles.  We had about 24 runners, and we went north all the way up San Vicente, took a short loop going left at 26 went around the neighborhood for a few blocks and came back out to San Vicente and headed back down for a full 12.2 miles, good pace of 15:10 for a duration of 3hr 4min.

The best part was that the entire group stayed pretty tight all the way up 26th, and though there were a few issues with hips, and knees, even a hamstring, the majority of the group made it back together. The weather was perfect, cool, slightly overcast the entire run, and I can say that we nailed this twelve with strength and confidence.
This is very important as we move into this final stages of training. Let's keep this momentum up and really stay focused in these next few weeks.  Keep up with the weekly training and the schedule calls for increased effort on the workouts.

RW5 - Doing the wave

RW5 - Do not try this at home - only certified Roadrunners dare attempt.

Basically, most of the training we've been doing is going at the same pace, but going for longer distance and duration.  We have been building a very good foundation and this will serve us well during the marathon.  But what we should start introducing now is building a bit more strength.  We have the long slow runs which is great, but now we should introduce a few speed workouts. What this will do is to increase our strength in our leg muscles and heart muscle to be able to call on these reserves when we need them for the latter parts of the marathon.  So during the week, when you are doing your normal intervals, try running just a bit faster for a few of the intervals.  I am not suggesting an all out sprint, but pick up the pace just a bit, or as fast as you can go, but yet keep the same duration.  So if you are training the same intervals of 2 run/1 walk...then sustain a quicker run pace for the 2 min.  Don't run like a fool and have to gasp to a stop after only 30 sec., do a quicker jog, but one you can sustain for the full 2 min.  I would start doing these only after you've warmed up a bit.  Each time you workout, try to do a few more of these speed intervals.  This will help build strength and endurance for the back half of the marathon. I've attached a description of some of this speed work. 

I'm also going to make an adjustment to our schedule.  Originally, the schedule calls for us to do 15 miles next week, followed by a 13mile, Dodger Stadium, and then a 20 miler.  What Dodger Stadium means is that we will meet at Dodger stadium instead of the Venice school, and the entire training run will be in the hills and parking lots of Dodger Stadium.  This is good hill work, and the distance will not be extensive....apx 8-10 miles, but it will be hilly.

Now, my big concern is that we would be asked to jump up to 20miles, when the longest distance prior would only be the 16 miles, which we did last week.  So discussing this with our PLs, we have all agreed that the better solution is to go for 18 miles this coming weekend (Jan. 21), and then do the rest of the schedule as written.  This way we will have a better prep for the 20.  Now, as it is, all the other faster run groups, will be doing their first 20 next week, and will do 22 when we do our first 20.
So what I am suggesting is not too off schedule. 

I will also suggest that for our 18 next week. We meet early as usual at 6:45am, and definitely running by 7am if not a few seconds earlier, and we head SOUTH through the alley first, go 1 mile to Lighthouse Street, like we've done before, come on back, and then do our usual 16 mile package up San Vicente > Golf course loop > side loop off 26th, come on back down and have a nifty 18mile finish at the flag poles.

I don't want to freak folks out by discussing these long runs, and talk about 20 milers already, but it's a reality which we all will have to acknowledge, so now is the time to start embracing the idea.  I know a few folks are still hurting from nagging injuries, and other issues, and there is only so much one can do.  There is still two months left, so let me know if you need help to rework a schedule for your needs. It's hard to guess if that slight pain is getting worse or better, or whether to back off now and try and get strong first and then see if there is still time to catch back up a bit.  The key is to not rush an injury, you need the recovery time, but try and figure if there is another way to keep up the aerobic workout without jeopardizing the specific injury or joint.

This is a big deal, and it deserves our attention, so let's get busy,

Walt

Great Start

Great day in the neighborhood

This weekend we had a great run to start the New Year, and we definitely got back on track. We had 24 runners join us and we completed the tough 16.3 miles, kept a solid pace, 15:18 avg., and finished in about 4:10.  The weather was near perfect, a cool overcast stayed with us most of the way, and it never got too warm.  As expected we had a few folks join us for a partial run, which was great just to have them come out, and we even had a surprise visit from our illustrious former pace leader Colleen.  Colleen and Olga will both be doing the Napa Marathon in Feb. and they joined us to liven things up.  Colleen joined us for a partial, and Olga stayed on for the distance....sharing some great recipes along the way.
Once you run with RW5, you're always welcome back....no matter how far or fast you travel.

Now I didn't say it was an easy run, because for sure we worked hard on this one.  I was still a bit sore all day yesterday, especially walking down stairs, and thank goodness for football playoff games to fall asleep to on the couch.  The good news is that I felt everyone stayed strong all the way up San Vicente to 26th.  The fact that we have done that hill so many times now, it's become part of our regular routine, and this is very important to have that down.  Now as we continued up all the way to Bundy, which thankfully is essentially a downhill grade, we all stayed pretty tight, it's the return on the golf course loop where it gets tough.  We alternated on dropping back to 1/1 intervals on some of those long uphill grades and mixing back 2/1s on the flatter sections.  I wanted to keep as much of the group together during these sections and I believed it worked.  I didn't mind if we had a few folks drop back in the last two miles or so, but I wanted to see if we could keep as much of the group together during those tough hill sections, and that's exactly what happened.

So I really want folks to know they all did great on this long run, and I believe within about 5-8 min. after we got to the flagpoles, the rest of the group pulled in. and this was mainly due to bathroom delays more than anything else. 

On the subject of bathroom breaks, we've been actually stopping at the bathroom near the totem pole to allow folks to use it since there are essentially no bathrooms after we head up the hill, and I don't have too much problem with that.  Now just so you know, there are two gas stations up on San Vicente if there ever was a problem.  But during the actual marathon, we would never stop the entire group for a bathroom break, and even though there are portapotties throughout the course, the lines are very long.  So now is the time to start training yourself to have a good poop every morning. This is just a matter of being regular and getting your body to develop a normal cycle which you can repeat every morning.  I'm sure those with dogs expect this from their pet when you take them for a walk every morning, so do the same for yourself.  During the marathon, the portapotty lines remain long till somewhere around 15-18 miles, so try to train yourself on our runs to see how long you can control yourself.  I am not suggesting you run with discomfort, since that probably isn't healthy, but with a bit of training in this regard, it's amazing what you can accomplish.

The other problem which many of us experienced is the swelling of our fingers and hands.  This is nothing too serious, but again can be uncomfortable.  I did a bit of research and check this link: http://running.about.com/od/illnessesandrunning/f/Why-Are-My-Fingers-And-Toes-Swollen-After-Running.htm
It pretty much summarizes that it could be a lack of sodium, bad circulation, and possibly low electrolytes.  We sweat a lot of sodium when we run, and that's why on hot days, you can end up with this white crusty stuff on your clothes and body, so hydrating with just water and leach out even more sodium.  This is why we take GU breaks, and they offered us pretzels during our long run.  So if you personally do not like the gel supplement, try other products which you can find at the running stores, and as long as sodium is part of the ingredient, it will be helpful.  I always carry gatorade for the electrolyte replacement, and there are many other such drinks available, so as we get into these long runs, please bring something....4-5 hours is a long time to not take some kind of nutrient.

Now as a special request here are the words to the little chant we do, Erika requested it, and just in case anyone else asks here it is.
There are different ways to introduce this little ditty, but the basic run is this:

We are Roadrunners....marathon Roadrunners.....

Mile 1 - Just for fun
Mile 2 - good for you
Mile 3 - good for me
Mile 4 - give me some more
Mile 5 - feel alive
Mile 6 - make it quick
Mile 7 - like running in heaven
Mile 8 - feeling great
Mile 9 - looking fine
Mile 10 - do it again....

Keep up the great work....and see you next week,

Walt

Happy New Year

We had a good group of 18 runners show up on New Year's Eve for a 10 miler.  It was chilly and very foggy, visibility was barely half a block.  We started down the alley, and by the time we turned around after a mile, it started to lift.  The day ended up very nice and sunny but crisp and cool which made for a great run. We had a few runners join back with us after recovering from injury, and it was great to see them back.

We pretty much had a good strong run up to the Totem pole, and it felt good coming back down.  There were many runners and groups out on the course and it felt good to be out there, finishing out the year, and getting a good start on the next one.

Next week, we should be back on track, and we'll be heading up the hills again, so be sure to get some runs in between now and then.  From now on we'll be meeting at the flagpoles at 6:45am, and ready to run by 7am.

I'll be breaking in a new pair of shoes to finish off this season.  My current pair are pretty shot and worn down, not that you could tell from just looking at them, but I know that internally the support, cushioning and stability have broken down.  I can really feel it after the long runs, and from experience, I know that it's time for a fresh pair.

Enjoy this weekend, because after this, we have to really keep focused on our training as we build up to the final long distance runs.  We have essentially two months left of the full training before we taper back in preparation for the marathon.  So have a great New Years weekend, and see you next week ready for those hills.

Walt