As I recover and get ready for my Boston cycle, I looked back on my training for Philly to see what I did differently in training during that cycle that I had not done in previous cycles. First, I ran less miles per week on average than in my previous 3 plans (I've only raced 6 marathons including Philly). Second, I trained for 24 total weeks, in which I ran 22 runs of 20 miles or more, including the marathon. Third, I ran long runs in a repeating 3 week pattern: week 1...steady paced long run; week 2...progression long run; week 3...marathon paced long runs. Fourth, I ran longer tempo runs with faster cool downs. For example, I ran many 7 - 9 mile tempo runs with 2 - 3 mile cool downs at only 30 - 45 s per mile slower than tempo pace. I'd end up running routine 10 milers sub-60 minutes. Fifth, I ran longer marathon pace runs, including runs of 15, 16, and 18 miles. Finally, I ran three 26.2 mile time trials during my cycle. I ran 2:58, 2:55, and 2:49 repectively.
Training elements I had intended to include but failed to use were core strength, light weight training, stretching and hill work. I did next to nothing in these areas. In fact, I did approximately 50% of my runs on the treadmill and rarely had time for anything other than the run itself. So when I look at the PR 2:36:52 at Philly, I wonder if it could have been faster because of the lack of strength I could have had from hills/weights, or if the addition of strength training would have taken away from my ability to maximize the training I wanted to do, tus yielding a slower time. Points for me to ponder as I plan for Boston.
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Philadelphia Marathon - Training...Part 1
Coming off of Cleveland, I had just set a 7 minute PR of 2:37:46 and a 5th place finish. In my wildest dreams, I never imagined running that kind of time. 5 years ago, I was 185 pounds and had a 5K PR of 21:09. I had read Brad Hudson's book on self-coaching back in the spring and used some of the elements of his philosophy over the last month of my Cleveland plan, which was still largely based on two training programs set up for my by Matt Woods of Malone. One of Brad Hudson's philosophies is that training must be adaptive. In other words, you can't use the same old tricks and expect to continue to improve. Because I wouldn't have time to implement a 5K or 10K training cycle, my challenge was to figure out how to modify my older plans to yield improvement rather than burnout from over training. Another problem I had was time and energy. I simply could no longer get up at 4:00 am and knock out workouts. I was mentally exhausted from working calculus/physics problems during the day (and in my dreams at night...no lie) and rest was at a premium. In addition, I was unable to run with the Wednesday a.m. group. Those guys (Jim, Damon, Rich, Nilesh) have had more to do with my improvements than I can express. There is definitely a learning curve to marathoning, and my curve was paved with ice before I met those guys. Regardless, everyone has obstacles so I lived by the saying, "build a bridge and get over it." Training began.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
In the last 6 months....
Way back in June, I fully intended to become a blogger. I wanted to detail my running on a weekly/daily basis. Unfortunately, life got in the way and I either didn't have time or was not motivated to do so. The summer began with the death of a good friend, Stuart Tolle. That was tough more me to take. At the same time, I got strep and my motivation for running fell apart for some odd reason. I had just come off of a PR in the Cleveland Marathon and should have been ready to train again. Yet, my energy was at a very low point and I struggled for a good month to get going again. In the mean time, I had been assigned to teach AP Physics...a calculus based course. I had only taught general physics four times in 14 years and hadn't done calculus in 15 years. I had never applied calculus to physics. After all, my main concentration was in chemistry. I spent most on June and July relearning Calc and doing problems - no lie - a minimum of 6 hours a day, 7 days a week. I thought Denise was going to kick me out.
In late July, I shipped off to Arkansas and spend a week at the University of Arkansas for training. About that time, Denise, who was running really well at shorter distances, decided that her intention of running the Philadelphia Marathon would be detrimental to her current training. She suggested that I go to Philly and run the marathon as a way to get me back to focused running. I agreed and signed up. Soon, school started and training was placed even farther on the back burner. I was trying to run 90 mile weeks, but had no time, energy, or motivation to run doubles. Consequently, I only ran single daily runs, but failed to cut mileage. 90 -100 miles on 7 single runs is a bear, but I'm stubborn and managed to do it (in the future, this now 38 year old body can't take that kind of training). I did happen to run a couple of races (perfect 10 miler and Columbus 1/2 marathon) along the way, but didn't run up to par in either race.
By late October, I started running with the Wednesday morning group again and my motivation and focus improved. Those guys are good for me in more ways than I can state here. Then, in early November, my grandfather, who is the unprecedented role model of my like passed away at age 87. He lived a good life, but losing him was really hard. Because my parent divorced when I was 5 and because he lived next door on the farm, he was a true father figure. I decided to dedicate my efforts in the Philadelphia marathon to him, regardless of place or time. He was the toughest man I ever knew and I wanted to live up to his standard. The day of his funeral, I developed a cough that is still with me 2 weeks later. Ultimately, it would play no role in my marathon, but it did make for some interesting training days as the marathon approached.
I find it ironic that my most recent training cycle began with the death of a friend and ended with the death of my mentor. If anything, I have realized the importance of relationships, of carrying on the personal legacy of influences of the past, and of appreciating each day for the life experiences we are given. That is how I now approach each day, embracing the gifts of family, friends, and running.
In late July, I shipped off to Arkansas and spend a week at the University of Arkansas for training. About that time, Denise, who was running really well at shorter distances, decided that her intention of running the Philadelphia Marathon would be detrimental to her current training. She suggested that I go to Philly and run the marathon as a way to get me back to focused running. I agreed and signed up. Soon, school started and training was placed even farther on the back burner. I was trying to run 90 mile weeks, but had no time, energy, or motivation to run doubles. Consequently, I only ran single daily runs, but failed to cut mileage. 90 -100 miles on 7 single runs is a bear, but I'm stubborn and managed to do it (in the future, this now 38 year old body can't take that kind of training). I did happen to run a couple of races (perfect 10 miler and Columbus 1/2 marathon) along the way, but didn't run up to par in either race.
By late October, I started running with the Wednesday morning group again and my motivation and focus improved. Those guys are good for me in more ways than I can state here. Then, in early November, my grandfather, who is the unprecedented role model of my like passed away at age 87. He lived a good life, but losing him was really hard. Because my parent divorced when I was 5 and because he lived next door on the farm, he was a true father figure. I decided to dedicate my efforts in the Philadelphia marathon to him, regardless of place or time. He was the toughest man I ever knew and I wanted to live up to his standard. The day of his funeral, I developed a cough that is still with me 2 weeks later. Ultimately, it would play no role in my marathon, but it did make for some interesting training days as the marathon approached.
I find it ironic that my most recent training cycle began with the death of a friend and ended with the death of my mentor. If anything, I have realized the importance of relationships, of carrying on the personal legacy of influences of the past, and of appreciating each day for the life experiences we are given. That is how I now approach each day, embracing the gifts of family, friends, and running.
Sunday, June 7, 2009
A Long Two Weeks
Since my attempt at starting this blog, I've hit a couple of bumps in the road. In addition to the usual chaos that accompanies the end of a school year, I've been dealing with some things that have diverted me from my intended path.
First, last Sunday I lost a very good friend of mine, Stuart Tolle. Stu and I taught at Copley together for the past 9 years. He was an excellent educator, especially at teaching the unwritten curriculum that deals with life lessons. He was also my assistant track coach for 5 years. We won five straight league titles and 3 district titles with the boys. While his track knowledge was minimal, his passion for winning, motivating and getting the most of the the athletes was undeniable. He believed that through athletics, the person learned how to deal with adversity, how to coexist with others in a unified way, and what he/she was made of inside. He loved to compete. Stu was only 47, but he had a tremendous influence on so many people. His was a life well lived.
Second, I got hit Monday with strep, although I didn't find out until Wednesday. Needless to say, I've been wiped out and left with little in the tank to give to training. I missed two days completely (can't remember the last time I took 2 straight days off) and have survived my workouts up to this point. In addition, the medication has some undesirable side-effects that have left me dehydrated. I'm trying hard to get refocused, but I'm struggling to gain confidence and motivation. I now this will pass, but I hate losing momentum.
Next, I recently found out that I'll be teaching an AP Physics course next year in addition to the AP Chemistry course I have been teaching for 13 years. AP Physics has calculus, and I haven't done calculus in 15 years. I compare it to not riding a bicycle for 15 years, and then trying to ride a unicycle. It's a use it or lose it thing. I've spent the last two weeks trying to cram in as much calc as I could with the help of our calc teacher. My brain hurts. I also get to travel to Arkansas in late July to be trained to teach the class. Yee Haw!
Finally, this weekend completed my first full year away from coaching. This was the hardest weekend for me. I have been to every state track meet since 1987...until this year. Having started my high school track team with a hs friend, track has always been special to me. I ran 4 years in hs, 4 more in college, and coached for 14 years after that. I followed results all weekend on my i-phone, hitting refresh every 5 minutes or so. I don't regret giving up the coaching - I've cherished the valuable with family. The state meet was a hard habit to break.
Over the next few days, I hope to get my Cleveland race experience/report up and start detailing my summer running. Until then, run young!
First, last Sunday I lost a very good friend of mine, Stuart Tolle. Stu and I taught at Copley together for the past 9 years. He was an excellent educator, especially at teaching the unwritten curriculum that deals with life lessons. He was also my assistant track coach for 5 years. We won five straight league titles and 3 district titles with the boys. While his track knowledge was minimal, his passion for winning, motivating and getting the most of the the athletes was undeniable. He believed that through athletics, the person learned how to deal with adversity, how to coexist with others in a unified way, and what he/she was made of inside. He loved to compete. Stu was only 47, but he had a tremendous influence on so many people. His was a life well lived.
Second, I got hit Monday with strep, although I didn't find out until Wednesday. Needless to say, I've been wiped out and left with little in the tank to give to training. I missed two days completely (can't remember the last time I took 2 straight days off) and have survived my workouts up to this point. In addition, the medication has some undesirable side-effects that have left me dehydrated. I'm trying hard to get refocused, but I'm struggling to gain confidence and motivation. I now this will pass, but I hate losing momentum.
Next, I recently found out that I'll be teaching an AP Physics course next year in addition to the AP Chemistry course I have been teaching for 13 years. AP Physics has calculus, and I haven't done calculus in 15 years. I compare it to not riding a bicycle for 15 years, and then trying to ride a unicycle. It's a use it or lose it thing. I've spent the last two weeks trying to cram in as much calc as I could with the help of our calc teacher. My brain hurts. I also get to travel to Arkansas in late July to be trained to teach the class. Yee Haw!
Finally, this weekend completed my first full year away from coaching. This was the hardest weekend for me. I have been to every state track meet since 1987...until this year. Having started my high school track team with a hs friend, track has always been special to me. I ran 4 years in hs, 4 more in college, and coached for 14 years after that. I followed results all weekend on my i-phone, hitting refresh every 5 minutes or so. I don't regret giving up the coaching - I've cherished the valuable with family. The state meet was a hard habit to break.
Over the next few days, I hope to get my Cleveland race experience/report up and start detailing my summer running. Until then, run young!
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Closing down another school year
The end of the school year is always hectic with the seniors going through the last phases of their high school careers (prom, graduation, parties, etc.) . Final grades and exams are due for the underclassmen and students/parents are eager to see how the GPA is going to turnout after a long school year. I am finishing my 14th year at Copley and can't believe how fast time has gone. Each year, I cherish the summer breaks more and more as our two boys are getting older and the day is coming when hanging out and playing with Mom and Dad is as cool as it used to be. Summer also allows Denise and I to train more freely without fewer commitments in the summer. Beginning next week, I hope to be active in blogging our training.
Sunday, May 24, 2009
RunYoung4ever - Day 1
They say the first time ain't the greatest...
This is our first attempt at a blog. I (Matt) am coming off of the Cleveland Marathon and my wife (Denise) finished Boston in April and has her eyes set on the Philadelphia Marathon in November. In between raising our two sons and a adhering to a hectic work schedule, we hope to not only find time to train (and we will), but also to give a glimpse into our lives through the very rewarding sport of running. To steal a phrase from one of my extremely talented training partners/role-models...Game on!
This is our first attempt at a blog. I (Matt) am coming off of the Cleveland Marathon and my wife (Denise) finished Boston in April and has her eyes set on the Philadelphia Marathon in November. In between raising our two sons and a adhering to a hectic work schedule, we hope to not only find time to train (and we will), but also to give a glimpse into our lives through the very rewarding sport of running. To steal a phrase from one of my extremely talented training partners/role-models...Game on!
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