Alright, It's Resolution Time

As I read my post from August 5th, I realized that I hadn't followed through on my own advice. So...this year I intend to do just that. I still dream of completing another marathon...but I'm not sure how realistic it is at this point. I know that there are somethings that I need to change...and so I will set about changing them.

Ideally, I'd like to run a fall marathon. I recognize now that might be too ambitious a goal. I'm not sure that my body can hack it. Instead, I want to finish a "major" race. Perhaps it will be a 1/2 marathon...or a 10k. To get there, I need to do the following:

1. Lose 10 pounds. At 2 pounds a week, this should be done by mid-February.
2. Lift weights 3 times per week.
3. Cardio workouts. 4-5 times per week using the heart rate monitor. These can include intense walking as well as running. The goal being fitness and avoiding the stresses of long runs while I lose the 10 pounds and strengthen my legs.
4. Have fun.

Well that's it. Those are my goals for the next month. We'll see how it goes!

Running Goals After Injury

Injuries are frustrating things, but if there is one benefit to them they cause me to do some thinking about what my goals are when it comes to running.

1. Physical Fitness. Aerobic fitness is important. It feels better to be in shape that out of shape.
2. Thinking Time. It is good to have some time alone outside to think or simply let the mind wander.
   
3. Personal Challenge. Big goals motivate me. Having never been particularly fleet of foot, running goals have generally been about distance rather than time.
4. Lifetime Sport. I want my running to be a lifetime thing. I want to be that old guy you see running.

The frustrating thing for me is that I seem to keep breaking down physically when I get up to a certain mileage...somewhere in the 10 mile long run range with a 25 mile week.

I'm not quite sure what to think about it. I completed three marathons in my late twenties and would like to do another one, but I'm not sure if this mid-forties body can handle it. This last injury I can attribute in part to not changing shoes quickly enough which can lead to shin splints, but I don't think that shoes were the lone culprit.

I need to do is think about what has changed over the years. Is there something missing?

I can think several things other than the simple fact that I am older:

1. When I was marathoning, I also went to the health club 2-3 times a week and worked out on the weight machines.
2. I was about 15-20 pounds lighter.
3. I was more flexible.
   
4. Many of my miles back then were run on a converted railroad line...which means that there was very little crown to the surface. My current routes are on the shoulders of country roads. There isn't much crown, but there is some.

So what to do? I guess part of it is reorient my thinking when it comes to running and come up with a plan that takes these things into consideration.

• Lift weights regularly. Dust off the weight bench in the basement.
• Lose weight. It's really not hard if you put your mind to it.
• Stretch. Get some information on the best ways to do this.
• Cross-train/rest more regularly. The problem is I really prefer running.
  

I also have scratched my marathon plans for this year. Instead, I'm going to try to incorporate these changes into my plans and get ready for a fall half-marathon.

Goals for June 2008

I ended May with a couple of weeks doing 26 miles. I'll be maintaining that for the first two weeks of June. I've been increasing mileage pretty steadily since February and I see this as a bit of a plateau. Starting the middle of the month I'll ramp the mileage up slowly and will keep increasing farily steadily until my marathon taper in September. I'll be doing 29 miles a week by the end of the month with long runs up to 12 miles.

I also want to do some weight training. It's funny, but even though I know my fitness level has gone up, I don't "feel" fit. I think that adding another form of exercise like weight training would not only be healthy, but would help me feel more physically fit.

Goals for May 2008

Looking back at April I see that I did about 95% of my training runs, and didn't miss any of the long runs. One of the goals I had was to get some weight training in, but I think I lifted once all month. I suppose my excuse was the fact that we had three major snowstorms in April (over 4 feet of snow) and I needed to do some heavy shoveling. That counts, doesn't it?

Over the last several months I have been adding distance to my long runs every week and have increased my total weekly mileage from 15 in February to about 24 at the end of April. The next six weeks or so are a little bit of a plateau in my training. I'm planning on keeping my mileage at about 25 miles per week through May. Once mid-June hits I'll start ramping up again with the October marathon in mind.

Here are my plans for this month:

• Alternate long runs of 10 miles and 7.5 miles starting the second Saturday in May.
• Increase the distance of midweek runs slightly, so that on my 7.5 mile weeks I run 10ks on 2 midweek runs.
• Weight train 2x per week.
• Do some bike riding if the weather finally permits. This may replace one short run during the week.
• Total weekly mileage peaks at 26.

Goals for April

This month I've got four goals (in addition to finishing the taxes):

• My long runs will increase from 6.2 to 9 miles. My 10% rule which adds so little in the beginning starts to add up pretty quickly now.
• My weekly mileage will increase from 20 to about 24.
• After all of the articles I've read about avoiding injury, I've been shamed into adding some weight training into my routine. We'll try twice a week. I guess its supposed to be good for you.
• Run a 10k race on April 12. This will be the first race of the year. I'll be happy with any time under an hour. Last year I ran one in 56 minutes, but that was in August when my mileage was higher.

Goals for March

So far, so good as far as the running goes this year. I've only missed a couple of runs. Here's the plan for March:

• Run 5 times a week. My Friday run is "optional" depending on how my legs feel.
• Increase my long runs from 4.4 miles on the 1st to 6.2 miles by the end of the month.
• Increase my total distance each week from 17 to 20.2 miles.
• Continue stretching most days.

The incremental changes seem small, but I'm really content to work on my base mileage this month. It's the snowiest month of the year, so hopefully things will go right and we'll bump things up more in April. Maybe we'll even do a 10k.

Goals for 2008

It always helps to be running for a purpose. If there are races that you can shoot for, it gives an added reason to get out of bed and lace up the shoes. Living in the toolies there aren't a ton of races to choose from, so some of these have become an annual event.

Here's my plan of races for 2008.

The Two Town Ten Trillion Nanometer Race July 4th weekend in Nashwauk. It's a run between Keewatin and Nashwauk put on by the football team. That explains why this 10k isn't a full 10k, but it's always a fun run.

The Tall Timber Days 5k/10k race in Grand Rapids on August 2nd . I'll probably do the 10k, but the 5k is much more popular.

The Mora 1/2 Marathon on August 16th. This race will let me know if the marathon in October is doable.

The Whistlestop Marathon in Ashland Wisconsin on October 11. This race allows you to drop to a 1/2 marathon up until about a month before the race, which is great if I'm biting off more than I can chew.