Turning the page

So as it turns out my 18 week training plan is set up in 4 different stages and takes 4 pages in the book. So turning a page represents a milestone on the journey. Page 1 (Stage 1) is building up endurance and takes 6 weeks. Page 2 (Stage 2) is continuing to build endurance and lactate threshold work. It takes 5 weeks. Page 3 is called Race Preparation and takes 4 weeks. Page 4 represents the taper is takes 3 weeks.
Today when I turned the page to Stage 3, the end really is in sight since now I'm looking at the two last pages.
Yesterday's 20 mile run actually turned into 21 and was a doozy.
One thing I've learned from running all over this town is where the bathrooms are. The first test is to push on the door and hope it opens. So far, I've been good on that score even when it's been before or after hours. I try not to get my hopes up but it's a relief (HA HA) when the door actually opens.
So there I am on Sunday at mile 4 of a 20 mile run and heading for the Cornwall Park bathroom needing desperately to find an open stall. First good sign, the bathroom door actually opened. Bad news - only one stall and someone's there. For all I know it's a homeless person sleeping as clothes are spread out on the floor. There's a womens bathroom right next door, it's 10:00 on an overcast cold Sunday morning with no one in sight. No, not yet, but I'm not going to stand around and wait either. The closest bathroom on my journey will be a mile and a half ahead. I ran between a quarter and half mile in the park and circle back. Still there. The woman's bathroom is too good to pass up. I peek my head in, two stalls and no waiting. Thanks ladies!
According to the book, Advanced Marathoning, the long runs and medium- long runs should be run at a certain pace to maximise benefits. The first part should be around 20% slower than marathon pace and the last half closer to 10% slower.
My hopeful pace is 8:20 per mile. 8 minutes and 20 seconds conveniently comes out to 500 seconds so 10% more is 550 or 9:10 per mile. The 20% is 600 seconds or 10:00. I'm here to tell you that 10:00 miles are hard to run for very long - too slow - at least some days.
My strategy has been to run somewhere between 9:40 and 10:00 for the first half of long runs and 9:10 for the last half.
After 10 miles, I reset my watch and noticed the first of the snow flakes falling on the South Bay Trail. By the time I got to Boulevard Park and the Taylor Street Dock it was full snowstorm mode with big fat flakes falling.
My pace before heading up Bill McDonald Parkway was 9:08 average. Right where I wanted it to be and I hoped I could hold it for the 1.5 mile uphill. When I crested the top, my average was 9:06, a good sign. I actually finished in the sunshine with an average for the last 10.5 miles of 8:59. It was just too hard to hold back.
It was a great confidence booster to go over 20 and to beat the pace I was aiming for.
After a cold bath and hot shower, I looked out the window and the sunshine had given way to snow again and this time it was sticking.
A deep, deep sleep and off to work on a Monday morning with only 1 month and 16 days until race day.
The 20 mile runs (of which there are 3) are the big events in this program. It's nice to have 2 of them under my belt.
The page is turned.

A wine tasting extravaganza

Thanks to Bill Pech, Cami Ostman, and Polly Favinger for hosting a wine tasting fundraiser last night. 46 people showed up and a good time was had by all. We sampled  drank wine from 7 continents, (Antarctica was actually water) had good food, enjoyed each other's company, and raised $1,300 to support cancer research.  According to many, the highlight of the evening was the 4 minute video where my dad got to say hi.  He was a rock star and that makes me smile, a lot.
A huge thank you to all who came and contributed.
Today was supposed to be a 5 mile recovery run in preparation for tomorrow's 20 miler but I think I'm going to pass, although I'm tempted to run a mile or two on the treadmill at the Y.  I'm going there to sit in the steam room and sweat out some of these grape juice cells.  If I don't run, it will be the first time in 11 weeks that I haven't run two days in a row. My legs are itching to go, but my head, and the rest of my body are not so sure.
Photographic evidence of last night's good times can be found here.

A grinder

Yesterday, before leaving California, I ran a 7 mile recovery run along with some strides in Ojai, California while we visited our good friends, Chris and Sandra. I've had to rearrange runs this week because of the wine tasting party on Friday.  Friday is supposed to be a 12 mile day and I know I can't do it on Friday.  The only way would be to get up at 4:30 am and that would leave me pretty flat by the 6 pm party start.
I've moved the runs up one day and will do the 12 miles on Thursday.
Monday was supposed to be a rest day with Tuesday being the 7 mile recovery run.  I figured that I would just have to bag the run but then I slept through the night on Sunday, woke up at 6am, snuck out while everyone else was asleep and had a wonderful run in the Ojai Valley.  For whatever reason, it was a sweet little run and one that I'll remember.
Today I ran the last of the lactate threshold runs.  11 miles with 7 at half marathon pace (7:30 per mile).
I did it, but it was a grind. One hard run, indeed.  I was feeling tired before I started and most runs lately have left me more energized at the end - not this time. As I was showering I realized that I've run 4 days straight and covered 40 miles.  You know, that just might have something to do with it.  Thankfully tomorrow is a rest day.  The good news was that, after raining hard all day long, the rain stopped just during the window I was running.  That was very welcome because I was even contemplating having to go to the Y and run on the treadmill.  I'm sure glad that didn't happen.  It's amazing what 4 days in the sun will do to a person and how spoiled you can get.
Now it's back to the real world - the bright side of that coin however is how long it is staying light now.  Finishing up at 6 o'clock was no problem.  Quite a difference from several weeks ago.  Bring on Spring!

Recovery Week - running on the beach

Week 10 is a recovery week.
Monday - Rest
Tuesday General Aerobic 8 miles
Wednesday 8 miles with 5 X 800 meters at 5k pace  (my first track workout in this plan)
Thursday Recovery 5 miles
Friday Rest
Saturday 8 miles with 8 x 100 meter strides
Sunday 14 miles

Check, check, and check.
Since we were in Los Angeles from Thursday to Monday, I ran early on Thursday morning and switched the Saturday and Sunday runs. On Saturday I ran on the paved trail from Venice Beach past Santa Monica and up to Will Rogers State Beach and then back.  That was OK, but the trail was pretty crowded with runners, walkers, bikers, and roller bladers.  Sunday was much better running on the beach itself.  Both days I also ran through the canals of Venice.  That was a real treat, especially with the two pelicans who eyed me warily with those prehistoric looking faces as I passed their home in a side canal. It's a pretty amazing concept to be: a) running in the warm sun and b) to be running on the sandy beach.  It was a very nice change and a nice recovery week. The next 5 weeks up until the taper will be challenging starting with next week which is a 55 mile week with 20 on Sunday. We'll see how up to the challenge I am, but feeling strong and ready to tackle it as best I can.

Week 9 - halfway there

There's something very satisfying about finishing week 9 of an 18 mile training plan. The first half is done and things are on track and the end, while not in sight, is over the horizon somewhere.  The runs have all gone as planned and I've completed the first half having not skipped any of the planned runs.  That's a milestone in this training plan, I'll tell ya. Week 10 is labeled as a discovery week.  Let's see how that goes.
Fundraising is going well and the wine tasting on the 24th is right around the corner with about 50 people saying that they are going to come.
Knocking on wood while saying that, so far, it's all good.

14 miles on a Wednesday - Really?

Boston training is going well.  I have to admit that today's run has stood out for me in my training program. Mentally it's had a big star marking it's importance. It's been on the radar for some time. A 14 mile run on a Wednesday - Really?.  This training program by Pete Pfitzinger is so much different from what I'm used to with the Hal Higdon plans.
I've been running 10 miles mid-week, and 11 miles and 12 miles.  Why does 14 seem like so many more?
Well, it's also true that I ran 20 miles only 3 days ago too.
OK, 14 miles.  Well, there was no question whether it would be a morning or afternoon run.  In order to get that many miles in before work, I'd need to be running by 4:30.  As it was I started running at 4:05 pm and created a route which took me around the neighborhood, down to the Whatcom Creek Trail and into town.  I reconnected with Whatcom Creek at Maritime Heritage Center and then headed over to the harbor. I ran both loops: the Bellwether Loop, and the Zuwanich Park Loop  (actually I ran that one twice, trying to build up miles, before heading up Squalicum Parkway, through Cornwall Park and back on Illinois Street.
This was one fantastic run, running the last half at a 9 minute pace felt really really good. Especially for coming up the hills I did.
These long miles have built up some strong legs I'm thinking.
Tomorrow is a 6 mile recovery run which might have to come early morning since I have a dentist appointment after work.
Friday - rest day.
Saturday is another 6 mile recovery run along with 6 strides and then Sunday is a 16 miler with 12 miles at marathon race pace.  8:20
This will leave me with 48 miles and next week is a "recovery week."  Gotta love those recovery weeks.  Even if they are 43 miles.

Week 8 - run, run, run

Seems like all I'm doing these days is working and running. This was equal to my longest week of the program, well short by only one mile.  54 miles is one hardy week and there will be 6 more weeks equal to or above 50 miles before the taper. But the running is going well and is fun. Tuesday I ran a 7 mile easy run and then threw in 6 hill sprints up the bottom of Alabama Hill.  The sprints are about 60 yards but are hard. Walking down between two sprints, I walked with the man who just pulled into his house and was going to check his mail.  He said, "well, you didn't get very far."  I said something like, "yeah but I get to do it again and again.  You're welcome to join me on the next one."  That got a good laugh.
With the great weather this week has brought, and with the days getting longer, especially on the evening end, there's been no need to get up at 5am to get a run in.  Might as well wait and enjoy the daylight and the sunshine.
Wednesday night was 12 miles and that was another spectacular sunset.  Looking back from the harbor on Mt. Baker and the Twin Sisters at one point found them glowing golden.  MMMM - MMMM.  Next week's Wednesday run will be 14 miles which seems a little ridiculous for a mid week run, but, if it goes anything like this one, will be just dandy.
Friday's Lactate Threshold run was a tough one and I didn't hold the pace I was hoping for over the last several miles.  Really, the first run of the training, except the first week, when I was coming off of the Cross Country Nationals, that didn't go as expected.
Saturday was a nice easy 5 miler first thing in the morning before doing a lot of yard work in the afternoon and Sunday's capping run was officially 20 miles.  20 miles will be my longest run of the training and there are 2 more to go.
Good fortune for me.  Having worked hard in the yard all day, I didn't check my email until 9:00 or so and there was an email from good friend, Mike Finger, asking if I wanted company on Sunday.  He didn't have to ask twice.
We had a wonderful 20 mile run circumnavigating Bellingham and got some great chatting in along the way.  It's so much nicer having someone to run with.  I do have to admit that I've enjoyed the podcasts which have kept me company on the long solo runs but there's no comparison.  AT  ALL.
Thank you Mike.
Off to Jim's for the Superbowl in the afternoon and into bed for peaceful and well deserved slumber.
A very successful and very fun week 8.