I’ve been inspired by Anton Krupicka and his running blog. He is a top ultra marathoner and he posts all his training on his website. So my idea is that while I’m not an ultra elite and this isn’t strictly a running website, I will post my training once a week for those that may be interested.
Summary – This week was a great week back. It was so nice to have a routine again with good places to run after the week of driving and moving around. We had the beach and boardwalk in Ocean City, NJ almost the entire week and we had our former roommate Brian out to train with us for a couple days. I primarily ran with Julie except for two of my runs so our mileage is about the same. I think I got in around 55 miles total which is nowhere near my all time highs but is well on my way back to solid training.
Total running time: 371 minutes (6 hrs and 11 minutes); Walking: 422 minutes (7 hrs and 2 minutes); Core: 88 minutes; Stretching: 100 minutes
Saturday – 45 minutes of running in Waynesboro, VA. We left NJ around 9:30 in the morning and while Julie was cool with getting up and running at 6:30, I decided I wasn’t into the early morning, force myself out there type of running at this time. So instead, I figured I’d either take the day off, or figure something out once we got to Virginia.
So I went out at 9 pm during halftime of the Notre Dame game after dinner. It was nice out, clear dark skies and cool crisp air. I ran downtown and did a couple laps around the downtown area before heading back to our hotel. It felt good once I got going and to go my more natural easy pace (I’m guessing it’s anywhere between 7:15 and 7:45 pace right now).
I also walked for 65 minutes, did 30 minutes of core work, and 40 minutes of stretching, mainly while watching football in the evening.
Friday – 60 minutes with Julie on the beach. Windy with some serious cold in it; winter is on its way and it’s time for us to be heading south (we’re leaving tomorrow). We did 6×30 second strides. I tried to really work on my leg kick follow through. It was tiring but felt useful.
I did 18 minutes of core work and then 30 minutes of stretching along with 72 minutes of walking.
Thursday – 60 minutes of slow running with Julie on the beach. We were probably going 9 minute miles or slower but she was hurting and I was simply glad for the company. We did an out and back on the beach as we’ve done most days here.
Ran 35 minutes on my own in the afternoon on the boardwalk. Stayed on the wood surface and moved quite a bit faster than what I’ve been used to lately. Felt good to be moving. Was going 6:50 to 7:00 minute pace.
Did 30 minutes of stretching and then also walked 55 minutes on the boardwalk.
Wednesday – Completely off. Went fishing.
Tuesday – Ran for 2 hours with Brian on the beach in Ocean City around 10:15 this morning. It was another gorgeous weather day with lots of sunshine and T-shirt temperatures. I carried the handheld water bottle to start getting used to it for the 100 miler. I was actually a bit sore from yesterday’s double, the strides, and all the core work. Felt good on the run though and we threw in 4 strides in the last half hour of the run. Very sleepy this afternoon though as a result of the long run.
Walked for an hour along the boardwalk in the afternoon. Felt good to get the legs moving.
Monday – 45 minutes with Julie and Brian on the beach around 10 am. We did 6 x 30 second strides on the beach with 60 second recoveries. We then did another 45 minutes on the beach in the late afternoon finishing as it was getting dark with the moon coming out. A great day of running and I’m feeling good. The foot sporadically will be sore but very bearable.
We also did 20 minutes of core work and walked for 70 minutes.
Sunday – 61 minutes running in Ocean City, NJ. We ran from our new condo around 10am. The condo is 30 seconds from the boardwalk and the beach so we ran right down to the beach since it was at low tide. We had a nicely packed, fairly flat beach with comfortable weather, low 50’s, for an out-and-back run. It was cloudy when we started but started to clear and get sunny as we went along. Julie and I ran together today, probably in the mid 8-minute-mile pace range.
It felt good to be out there and it was a pretty morning. I’m optimistic for our week here in NJ because we have the beach right there to run on and we know we’ll be here for a week so it’ll be easier to get into somewhat of a rhythm with our training. We’re also looking forward to having Brian here to train with us for a couple days.
Today was also my second day in my new shoes. I’ve switched from the Nike Zoom Elites and Nike Structure because they have either discontinued or changed them enough that I was prompted to check out some other shoes. So while back in Cincinnati in August, we went to our old running shoe store, The Running Spot, where my old college roommate Chris, a really good runner himself, fitted me for new shoes. I tried many different brands and settled on the Adidas Adizero Tempo 4’s. I also came down half a size to 10’s. I’m hoping the new shoes may help with some of my persistent foot problems. However, I’m not as optimistic there because of how differently my right leg seems to work than my left in my natural running gait.
We also did a weigh in with our body fat scale today to get a starting point for this section of training (culminating with the 100 miler in February). My weight is a bit high, 139.6, relative to my racing weight, low 130’s, but it’s well below my highs, in the upper 140’s. I feel fit, strong, and fresh and with the increased running, my current eating plan, and the focus on body fat and weight, I am eager to be working on this project again.
Good start to the training and to our week in NJ.
20 minutes of core and 100 minutes of walking around too.