Half Marathoning

Once again it has been a little while since I posted an update, but my training is still going well. I’ve been getting more and more comfortable at the 10 miles distance and even managed a 4:52/km average pace a couple weeks ago.

On Sunday I went running with my wife and she surprised both me and herself by obliterating her previous half marathon PB. We originally planned on only running 16K (her longest run in over 6 months) but she felt so strong in the early stages that she insisted on finishing a half. She brought her PB down to 2:13 and gave me a chance to put some extra miles on my legs.

Since Sunday I’ve been thinking about my own half marathon PB. Actually, I’ve been thinking about it since that strong 10 mile run I did on the 18th. Since then I’ve felt like I could bring my own 21.1K time down significantly. With that in mind, I set out today to see what I was capable of. My goal was to average 5:00/km for the entire run and to hold a strong and steady pace for the duration.

I am happy to say that things went well. I have some sore feet but also a new half marathon PB. I completed the run in 1:44:28 with an average pace of 4:57/km. Pretty spot on, if I do say so myself. I was slightly disappointed when I realized that my math was wrong in the last few kilometers of the run. I had expected to finish in 1:40 or less, because apparently I can’t multiply while in motion. Even still, I am very happy with the pace and the time and the fact that my first and last kilometer were within 1 second of each other. Overall feeling great.

Link to the run stats.

Cheers,

Steve

Low Hanging PB’s

I honestly never would have guessed that I would love speed training as much as I do. Today was my second Friday in a row running mile repeats at a local track and I am feeling incredibly good right now. Don’t get me wrong, the running is seriously tough. I basically run at the fastest pace I can sustain for 3 laps of the track and then run as fast as my body will let me for the last lap. I do that 5 times with a walking lap in between and by the time I get to the 5th set I am ready for the sweet release of death, until the final 200 meter sprint.

When I run that final burst and completely empty the fuel tank it feels amazing. And the amazing feeling just keeps going. It gives me energy and a positive outlook for the rest of the day. It’s just a really great experience. Even if you hate running, I would recommend interval training just for the drug-like high that follows. Some research has even shown that you can get most of the benefits of longer exercise sessions from regular high-intensity training, so there is that too. I wrote about it more in-depth here: http://healthtoday.com/can-you-get-fit-in-7-minutes-per-week/

Anyway, I’ll keep this one short. Just wanted to share the new PB’s (low-hanging fruit for my second speed day, I know, but still fun) and share my surprise at my running-induced euphoria.

Cheers,

Steve

Pulling the Trigger

Well, I finally did it. After 3 years of mostly hobby running at varying degrees of seriousness I have taken the plunge and registered for the BMO Vancouver Marathon on May 3, 2015. For the past year and a bit I have been talking about running a marathon but I’ve always managed to convince myself to wuss out when it comes to actually registering. Now my money is paid and that is enough motivation to get me moving.

I won’t be alone. My wife is running the half marathon on the same day so with any luck we can meet at the finish line and join what, I have no doubt, will be a wild party populated by insanely fit people in the downtown core. It’s really exciting and I don’t know if I’ve ever felt more motivated to train.

That will be the challenge for the next couple weeks. Now that I know I am running the race my instinct will be to push myself to the limit while my brain knows full-well that that is a terrible idea. I have to be careful to stick to my plan and not hurt myself. I’ve never be able to cover all those miles if I can’t stand up on race day. I just have to keep myself calm and remind myself that the race is a long way off.

My ultimate goal is a common one for most middle-of-the-pack, first-time runners: I want to break 4 hours. According to the crazily over-optimistic race predictor in my Garmin that shouldn’t be a problem… In reality it will be a serious challenge. A good friend of mine who trains much harder and is in way better shape than me ran his first marathon earlier this year in just over 4 hours. I have the time to train sensibly though so right now I’m staying confident.

I still have my eye on the Squamish 50 mile ultramarathon that takes place next August as well. Registration opens at the end of this month so hopefully I will have a better idea of how things are going by then. Right now I feel like I could run any distance, though. It’s amazing how big your head can get when you’re in a comfy bed, months from any start line.

Anyway, we’ll see how it goes and I’ll keep any of you who read this thing posted along the way.

Cheers,

Steve

Upping My Miles

The toughest part of the quest to be able to run ever increasing distances is that at pretty regular intervals you have you actually start running increasing distances. One thing I’ve noticed as a runner is that as you improve, runs of certain distances become comfortable and familiar. Like home, but more exhausting. You set PB’s, you know the distance even without landmarks or checking your watch, it’s just easy.

Then comes the day when you decide you need to push it. For me that happened last week. For a while now, 10K’s have been my jam. I can head out the door hit a strong pace (for me) and know I’ll be able to hold it until I get home. However, running 10K isn’t my ultimate goal. I want to be able to run marathons and beyond. I’ve covered half marathon distances a handful of times but it isn’t a regular part of my running life. With that in mind I’ve taken the next step closer. I’ve jumped from 10K to 10 milers.

Base stats for my last 10 mile adventure.

Fortunately for me there is a convenient route that is just an extension of my usual 10K run. I leave my house and instead of turning around when my watch beeps off my fifth km (at a bend in the trail at Burnaby Lake that I have come to love like a brother) I run a full lap around the lake before heading home. I’ve done it 3 times in the past week and a half and it is definitely doable. It actually feels like what running 10K felt when I initially made that jump. I plan to stick to the 10 milers as my longer runs for the next month or so before pushing on to 20K territory. I can also already feel my confidence building over the 10 mile course. Each time I run it I’m a little quicker and a little faster to recover.

I’m not abandoning 10K’s entirely. I’ve noticed that fatigue starts to set in once I’ve run the 10 mile course twice in a week so yesterday I ran 10K as a lighter recovery run. I’m happy I did. I feel much loser and more relaxed today than I would have if I did nothing or too much yesterday.

The quest to keep my cadence up is also going well. For longer runs I’m sitting just below my target of 180 spm but I’ve got another speed day set for tomorrow and that definitely helps. The heel that prevented me from pushing too hard over the summer is also feeling better and better.

Heart rate and cadence for my most recent 10 mile run.

Things are looking up and I’m optimistic about my training. My eyes are on the BMO Vancouver Marathon and the Squamish 50 for next summer. Just have to keep inching my way closer.