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Thanks,
Sean
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Monday, January 14, 2008
2 more weeks down
Wow, I can't believe it's been two weeks since I updated the blog. In those two weeks, I've come to some conclusions and made some adjustments. First of all, I can't run 3 days per week. It's just not enough. Mentally I'm not happy with 4 days without running per week. It doesn't work for me. So I've added a Sunday run to the schedule. Something between 5 and 7 miles per week at a nice conversational pace. A true recovery run. Mentally I needed to run more. I believe that physically I needed to run more too. Running hard three times per week was not agreeing with my legs. I was having a fair amount of ITB and Achilles tenderness. I really think the lack of recovery runs was causing these problems. So I'm altering the FIRST plan but I think it's for the best.
Speed work has been improving since I realized that the goal paces were too aggressive for me especially in the winter. I have increased the goal time by a few seconds per mile and it's still hard but it allows me to run consistent splits.
If you've never done speedwork early on New Year's DAy - give it a try next year. I headed to MGHS around 7AM - didn't see a single car from Twin Hickory to the school. It was cool but not cold and the sun was bright. It was a nice change from the pitch black of 4:45AM. the schedule called for a 20 miler on January 5. I had to get to work, so it was a 5AM start. That Saturday was about 19 degrees at 5AM. I finally warmed up around 5 miles into the run around short pump. I covered Wyndham, Pouncey Tract, Short Pump, Wellesley, Wilde Lake, Bremerton, etc. Thankfully, ran into Hugh Hornsby at 14 miles and he was a huge help for the final 6. Goal pace was 8 minutes per mile and it ended up being 7:58. The only issue was a very sore right toe over the last two miles. Figured it was just a shoe rub and tried to forget about it. The toe hurt most of the day following the run. I decided to not run Sunday morning. By that afternoon the temps were close to 70 and it didn't feel too bad, so I decided to run on it. Got about 6 miles in and the pain wasn' unbearable.
Did some cycling on monday without pain. Speedwork was 6x800 meters. 800 meters is a whole more comfortable than 1200 or 1600. Toe hurt a bit but not a big deal. The rest of the week was uneventful. I have the toe problem narrowed down to a pair of shoes that were nearing their mileage limit. So they have been banished to the garage.
So tomorrow morning is 2 sets of 6x400. This should be fun, I'm expecting temps below 25, hopefully the wind won't be blowing...
I still believe in the FIRST program. Like all training programs, one size rarely fits all. I need to run a bit more. So I'm still following the running schedule, I just substitute a relatively short, easy run for a x-train workout.
Wishing last week's weather would come back....
Hope you're running well...
Speed work has been improving since I realized that the goal paces were too aggressive for me especially in the winter. I have increased the goal time by a few seconds per mile and it's still hard but it allows me to run consistent splits.
If you've never done speedwork early on New Year's DAy - give it a try next year. I headed to MGHS around 7AM - didn't see a single car from Twin Hickory to the school. It was cool but not cold and the sun was bright. It was a nice change from the pitch black of 4:45AM. the schedule called for a 20 miler on January 5. I had to get to work, so it was a 5AM start. That Saturday was about 19 degrees at 5AM. I finally warmed up around 5 miles into the run around short pump. I covered Wyndham, Pouncey Tract, Short Pump, Wellesley, Wilde Lake, Bremerton, etc. Thankfully, ran into Hugh Hornsby at 14 miles and he was a huge help for the final 6. Goal pace was 8 minutes per mile and it ended up being 7:58. The only issue was a very sore right toe over the last two miles. Figured it was just a shoe rub and tried to forget about it. The toe hurt most of the day following the run. I decided to not run Sunday morning. By that afternoon the temps were close to 70 and it didn't feel too bad, so I decided to run on it. Got about 6 miles in and the pain wasn' unbearable.
Did some cycling on monday without pain. Speedwork was 6x800 meters. 800 meters is a whole more comfortable than 1200 or 1600. Toe hurt a bit but not a big deal. The rest of the week was uneventful. I have the toe problem narrowed down to a pair of shoes that were nearing their mileage limit. So they have been banished to the garage.
So tomorrow morning is 2 sets of 6x400. This should be fun, I'm expecting temps below 25, hopefully the wind won't be blowing...
I still believe in the FIRST program. Like all training programs, one size rarely fits all. I need to run a bit more. So I'm still following the running schedule, I just substitute a relatively short, easy run for a x-train workout.
Wishing last week's weather would come back....
Hope you're running well...
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Christmas Week
Christmas week and on top of that, the 27th was our 20th Wedding Anniversary. So this week wasn't probably going to be the best training week on record. Last Saturday (12/22) was a 20 miler. The weather was great. A fast group met at the Y, everyone had some different distances to run, but it was great to have company for the first 13. I realized on mile 15 that this was the first 20 miler I had run without "Coaching" in about 3 years. It was kind of interesting. Goal was to average between 7:45 and 8:00 minute miles. Overall average was 7:48 with only one mile over 8:00. Course had some decent hills (Started with Kane Road). Pleased with the effort and the ice bath felt great.
The plan was to do the speed work (3x1600 with 1 minute rest intervals) on Monday in F'burg and do Tempo on either Wednesday or Thursday in either DC or Richmond. No rush to get started on Monday so I slept a bit later and set out to find a track. I drove around for an hour trying 2 high schools, 2 middle schools and a community college without any success. The high school tracks were locked up tight. This is very sad. Public facilities are not accessible to the public due to the fear of vandalism and damage. A very poor commentary on our society (same holds true in the Richmond area). So I found a country road and decided to do some tempo work and then do the track work on Thursday back in Richmond. This country road was pretty hilly but the weather was nice and I had a good run. Hit my tempo goals and felt pretty good even on the hills.
Did a bit of indoor rowing on Wednesday afternoon after a three hour drive from Alexandria to Richmond. Rain and holiday traffic make a lousy combination. I felt a bit tight that evening but nothing too interesting. Got up early on Thursday to hit Godwin for track work. Felt good getting out of bed (my 44th year has made this more interesting), warm-up was good. Did a couple of striders to get the legs ready and started the first 1600M repeat. At about 900 meters my right hamstring felt like it was burning. Not a cramp, more like a generalized pain. I pulled up after about 950 meters and walked a bit. The pain was still there but greatly reduced. I stretched it and jogged a bit without pain so I figured I would do a 400M repeat and see if it held up. It held up for about 20 meters. I couldn't push off without a bunch of pain. I went back to the car dejected and starting to wonder if I would ever get through a track workout without issue. I applied ice as soon as I got home and wore a compression sleeve all day Thursday and Friday. Lots of ice and tiger balm allowed me to run on Saturday.
Saturday called for 18 miles at 7:45 to 8 minutes per mile. At 6:15 it was raining pretty good. I waited until 6:30 and started. After about a mile it started raining. Not too hard and thankfully it wasn't too cold. Met up with some of the usual group at the Y at 7. It was a small group and raining pretty good. The rain was off and on. It was at it's hardest when I was running up the hills of FoxHall (of course). 18 was right at 7:59 per mile in less than great conditions and in very heavy (wet) shoes. Even with all the hills, hamstring never signalled a problem. So I am happy with that, an hour of indoor cycling on Sunday morning.
The week was not what I had hoped. My expectations were low and I failed to meet them for the second week in a row. I'm starting to wonder if the speed work pacing is a bit aggressive for my current ability/fitness. The long runs are no problem. The tempo runs are hard but not killer. The track work is almost out of the question. I am trying to stay on the FIRST program as close as possible but I haven't run very well in the winter in years past. Cold weather negatively impacts my breathing. The time goals are based on a recent 5K effort, so they should be achievable, however it's not going well. I am going to try to meet the time goals for the trackwork this week, however, if it results in another hamstring or achilles issue, I will be reworking the time goals to reduce the chance of injury.
Watched "Marathon Challenge" by NOVA this morning, very inspirational to watch these 12 folks finish a marathon based on where they started...
The plan was to do the speed work (3x1600 with 1 minute rest intervals) on Monday in F'burg and do Tempo on either Wednesday or Thursday in either DC or Richmond. No rush to get started on Monday so I slept a bit later and set out to find a track. I drove around for an hour trying 2 high schools, 2 middle schools and a community college without any success. The high school tracks were locked up tight. This is very sad. Public facilities are not accessible to the public due to the fear of vandalism and damage. A very poor commentary on our society (same holds true in the Richmond area). So I found a country road and decided to do some tempo work and then do the track work on Thursday back in Richmond. This country road was pretty hilly but the weather was nice and I had a good run. Hit my tempo goals and felt pretty good even on the hills.
Did a bit of indoor rowing on Wednesday afternoon after a three hour drive from Alexandria to Richmond. Rain and holiday traffic make a lousy combination. I felt a bit tight that evening but nothing too interesting. Got up early on Thursday to hit Godwin for track work. Felt good getting out of bed (my 44th year has made this more interesting), warm-up was good. Did a couple of striders to get the legs ready and started the first 1600M repeat. At about 900 meters my right hamstring felt like it was burning. Not a cramp, more like a generalized pain. I pulled up after about 950 meters and walked a bit. The pain was still there but greatly reduced. I stretched it and jogged a bit without pain so I figured I would do a 400M repeat and see if it held up. It held up for about 20 meters. I couldn't push off without a bunch of pain. I went back to the car dejected and starting to wonder if I would ever get through a track workout without issue. I applied ice as soon as I got home and wore a compression sleeve all day Thursday and Friday. Lots of ice and tiger balm allowed me to run on Saturday.
Saturday called for 18 miles at 7:45 to 8 minutes per mile. At 6:15 it was raining pretty good. I waited until 6:30 and started. After about a mile it started raining. Not too hard and thankfully it wasn't too cold. Met up with some of the usual group at the Y at 7. It was a small group and raining pretty good. The rain was off and on. It was at it's hardest when I was running up the hills of FoxHall (of course). 18 was right at 7:59 per mile in less than great conditions and in very heavy (wet) shoes. Even with all the hills, hamstring never signalled a problem. So I am happy with that, an hour of indoor cycling on Sunday morning.
The week was not what I had hoped. My expectations were low and I failed to meet them for the second week in a row. I'm starting to wonder if the speed work pacing is a bit aggressive for my current ability/fitness. The long runs are no problem. The tempo runs are hard but not killer. The track work is almost out of the question. I am trying to stay on the FIRST program as close as possible but I haven't run very well in the winter in years past. Cold weather negatively impacts my breathing. The time goals are based on a recent 5K effort, so they should be achievable, however it's not going well. I am going to try to meet the time goals for the trackwork this week, however, if it results in another hamstring or achilles issue, I will be reworking the time goals to reduce the chance of injury.
Watched "Marathon Challenge" by NOVA this morning, very inspirational to watch these 12 folks finish a marathon based on where they started...
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Too many variables
So this week was scheduled for 5x1000M with 400M rest intervals on Tuesday and a 4 mile tempo run at 6:55 per mile on Thursday. Monday and Wednesday would be x-training.
The track work on Tuesday was going to be a real test. 1000M repeats are painful and when doing them in 3:41 (5:53/mile pace), it's really painful for me. Remember this training program calls for only 3 days of running per week. I was pumped for these workouts and convinced I would feel great.
Tuesday morning was 22 degrees at 4:15AM, that is not exactly perfect weather for track work. Tuesday afternoon is supposed to be in the 40's so I'll sleep an extra hour or so and do the workout on Tuesday afternoon. Well, suffice it to say, this workout sucked. I didn't get to Godwin High School until almost 6:30. The warm-up wasn't too bad. The first repeat was on pace but the effort was too hard. The second was right on pace until the last 50M when I started hyperventilating. Coasted in for a 3:45. Did the rest interval and started the third interval, the left achilles started getting very painful, time to stop. Stretch it out, walk around, try again, no good. I was wearing the Newtons I received for my b-day. I wear them occasionally for speed work. I won't be wearing them anymore. Changed shoes and tried to do the third interval, no go. Time to go home and get the Saucony Sinisters and finish this pig on the treadmill.
Walk in the house grumble at the family, change shoes, hit the treadmill. Well this sucks too. I get through 2 repeats on pace and decide I can't handle another one on the treadmill. I'll go out and run it on the road. Throw on another shirt, some gloves and I'm off. Quick mile warm-up and then the last repeat. I picked a pretty flat stretch and came in within 2 or 3 seconds of goal.
So in the end it took almost 2 hours to complete a 6 mile workout and I never felt good running that pace. I could not figure it out. Nothing felt right. My legs were tired, my breathing sucked, I kept gagging from phlegm while doing the hard running. I was just pissed and frustrated.
This morning (Thursday) wasn't much better. A 6:55 pace should be tough but it's still a full :40 per mile slower than my current 5K pace and it was only 4 miles. The first mile wasn't too bad, the second mile started feeling a bit better but the third mile and fourth mile were pitiful again. I had to stop every .6 miles to clear my throat. I was like drowning in my own spit but I couldn't get rid of it. It was in my throat and I would start hyperventilating.
So I'm on the way home during the cool down and start thinking about why the running was so pitiful this week. My first thought- I cheated. I ran 5 miles on Sunday rather than cross-training. It was not done at recovery pace either. My second thought - I gave blood on Monday afternoon. That usually screws up my running for a day or two. My third thought - it's bloody cold outside. I have the cool CW-X tights and all but I still feel like it's hard to run fast when I've got 2 or 3 layers on top and tights on the bottom. My fourth thought - all my shoes are getting up there in mileage at the same time.
So I've got the usual laundry list of excuses for the less than stellar performances this week. I still have a 20 miler to get through on Saturday, I'm hoping it's better than the other runs this week. I doubt the extra 5 miles had any real impact but I won't be doing it again, no more cheating. The blood donation definitely didn't help. Overall, as I always tell people, some days are better than others. So I had a few bad days in a row, I'll get over it. Next week will be better, how can it not be - 3x1600M on Christmas Eve - sounds like fun?
Happy Holidays to everyone!
The track work on Tuesday was going to be a real test. 1000M repeats are painful and when doing them in 3:41 (5:53/mile pace), it's really painful for me. Remember this training program calls for only 3 days of running per week. I was pumped for these workouts and convinced I would feel great.
Tuesday morning was 22 degrees at 4:15AM, that is not exactly perfect weather for track work. Tuesday afternoon is supposed to be in the 40's so I'll sleep an extra hour or so and do the workout on Tuesday afternoon. Well, suffice it to say, this workout sucked. I didn't get to Godwin High School until almost 6:30. The warm-up wasn't too bad. The first repeat was on pace but the effort was too hard. The second was right on pace until the last 50M when I started hyperventilating. Coasted in for a 3:45. Did the rest interval and started the third interval, the left achilles started getting very painful, time to stop. Stretch it out, walk around, try again, no good. I was wearing the Newtons I received for my b-day. I wear them occasionally for speed work. I won't be wearing them anymore. Changed shoes and tried to do the third interval, no go. Time to go home and get the Saucony Sinisters and finish this pig on the treadmill.
Walk in the house grumble at the family, change shoes, hit the treadmill. Well this sucks too. I get through 2 repeats on pace and decide I can't handle another one on the treadmill. I'll go out and run it on the road. Throw on another shirt, some gloves and I'm off. Quick mile warm-up and then the last repeat. I picked a pretty flat stretch and came in within 2 or 3 seconds of goal.
So in the end it took almost 2 hours to complete a 6 mile workout and I never felt good running that pace. I could not figure it out. Nothing felt right. My legs were tired, my breathing sucked, I kept gagging from phlegm while doing the hard running. I was just pissed and frustrated.
This morning (Thursday) wasn't much better. A 6:55 pace should be tough but it's still a full :40 per mile slower than my current 5K pace and it was only 4 miles. The first mile wasn't too bad, the second mile started feeling a bit better but the third mile and fourth mile were pitiful again. I had to stop every .6 miles to clear my throat. I was like drowning in my own spit but I couldn't get rid of it. It was in my throat and I would start hyperventilating.
So I'm on the way home during the cool down and start thinking about why the running was so pitiful this week. My first thought- I cheated. I ran 5 miles on Sunday rather than cross-training. It was not done at recovery pace either. My second thought - I gave blood on Monday afternoon. That usually screws up my running for a day or two. My third thought - it's bloody cold outside. I have the cool CW-X tights and all but I still feel like it's hard to run fast when I've got 2 or 3 layers on top and tights on the bottom. My fourth thought - all my shoes are getting up there in mileage at the same time.
So I've got the usual laundry list of excuses for the less than stellar performances this week. I still have a 20 miler to get through on Saturday, I'm hoping it's better than the other runs this week. I doubt the extra 5 miles had any real impact but I won't be doing it again, no more cheating. The blood donation definitely didn't help. Overall, as I always tell people, some days are better than others. So I had a few bad days in a row, I'll get over it. Next week will be better, how can it not be - 3x1600M on Christmas Eve - sounds like fun?
Happy Holidays to everyone!
Sunday, December 16, 2007
What's it all about?
What is this blog all about? This blog will document one person's experience with the First to the Finish Marathon training program developed by the Furman Insitute of Running and Scientific Training. This program is not new. It has been the subject of an article in Runner's World and a book by Bill Pierce, Scott Murr and Ray Moss. The book is titled, Run Less, Run Faster. This should tell you the basis of the program if you are not familiar with it. The concept is to reduce the number of miles run while training for a marathon but to run more quality miles. It is an interesting concept, let's see if it works.
My name is Sean Cusack. I am 44 years old and live in Glen Allen, Virginia (Richmond Metro Area). I started running in 2002 and have been running steady since then. For more information about my running experience prior to this program, check out www.runrichmond.com. I have run 5 marathons for time. My first was Richmond in 2003, I ran a 3:39 and was almost incoherent at the end. I followed that with a 3:32 at Shamrock in March 2004 and a 3:25 in Richmond in November 2004. I have since run Detroit in 2005 and 2006. I ran 3:22 in 2005 and 3:18 in 2006 (Boston Qualifying time). I did not run a marathon in 2007, I was kind of burned out on training and decided to run for fun and ride more. I have coached with the Sportsbackers Marathon Training Team for the past three years.
I plan to run 3 marathons in 2008. I will run Shamrock in March, Boston in April and then either Marine Corp in October or New York in November. The fall marathon will be determined by my experience at Shamrock. If I meet my goal of 3:10 at Shamrock, I will be qualified for New York. Otherwise, I will run Marine Corp (I grew up in the DC area and was born in New York so either race will be a phenominal experience).
The First to the Finish program is a 16 week program designed to run a fast marathon. It is not intended for first-timers. The program calls for 3 runs per week and 2 or 3 cross-training sessions. Each week includes a track workout, a tempo run and a long run. Paces for all three workouts are determined based on a current 5K time and the planned marathon pace. There is also 2 or 3 cross-training workouts.
I am currently three weeks into the program. I started the program without any injuries and a solid base of 35 to 45 miles per week with some tempo work. The first week's speed work was 3x1600 meters with 1 minute rest intervals. Week 2 was 4x800 meters with 2:00 rest and last week was a 1200, 1000, 800, 600, 400, 200 set with 200M rest intervals. That workout was the easiest so far. The tempo runs have been 2 to 5 miles at moderates paces so far. The long runs in this program are long. They start at 13 miles and get to 20 in 4 weeks. There are 5 twenty mile runs in the 16 week program. The long runs are done at paces between 10 and 45 seconds slower than planned marathon pace. This week was 17 miles, it went very well.
So this is the beginning. I hope to add to this blog a couple of times per week. When I was trying to make a decision about using this program, I couldn't find much information from people that had used it. I thought that by blogging during the training, others might benefit.
This week's workouts - 5x1000M (3:41 each) with 400M rest intervals and 4 miles at 6:55 per mile, then 20 miles at 8 minutes per mile on Saturday. Sounds like fun...
The website for the program is http://www.furman.edu/first/fmtp.htm
Thanks for stopping by-
Q
My name is Sean Cusack. I am 44 years old and live in Glen Allen, Virginia (Richmond Metro Area). I started running in 2002 and have been running steady since then. For more information about my running experience prior to this program, check out www.runrichmond.com. I have run 5 marathons for time. My first was Richmond in 2003, I ran a 3:39 and was almost incoherent at the end. I followed that with a 3:32 at Shamrock in March 2004 and a 3:25 in Richmond in November 2004. I have since run Detroit in 2005 and 2006. I ran 3:22 in 2005 and 3:18 in 2006 (Boston Qualifying time). I did not run a marathon in 2007, I was kind of burned out on training and decided to run for fun and ride more. I have coached with the Sportsbackers Marathon Training Team for the past three years.
I plan to run 3 marathons in 2008. I will run Shamrock in March, Boston in April and then either Marine Corp in October or New York in November. The fall marathon will be determined by my experience at Shamrock. If I meet my goal of 3:10 at Shamrock, I will be qualified for New York. Otherwise, I will run Marine Corp (I grew up in the DC area and was born in New York so either race will be a phenominal experience).
The First to the Finish program is a 16 week program designed to run a fast marathon. It is not intended for first-timers. The program calls for 3 runs per week and 2 or 3 cross-training sessions. Each week includes a track workout, a tempo run and a long run. Paces for all three workouts are determined based on a current 5K time and the planned marathon pace. There is also 2 or 3 cross-training workouts.
I am currently three weeks into the program. I started the program without any injuries and a solid base of 35 to 45 miles per week with some tempo work. The first week's speed work was 3x1600 meters with 1 minute rest intervals. Week 2 was 4x800 meters with 2:00 rest and last week was a 1200, 1000, 800, 600, 400, 200 set with 200M rest intervals. That workout was the easiest so far. The tempo runs have been 2 to 5 miles at moderates paces so far. The long runs in this program are long. They start at 13 miles and get to 20 in 4 weeks. There are 5 twenty mile runs in the 16 week program. The long runs are done at paces between 10 and 45 seconds slower than planned marathon pace. This week was 17 miles, it went very well.
So this is the beginning. I hope to add to this blog a couple of times per week. When I was trying to make a decision about using this program, I couldn't find much information from people that had used it. I thought that by blogging during the training, others might benefit.
This week's workouts - 5x1000M (3:41 each) with 400M rest intervals and 4 miles at 6:55 per mile, then 20 miles at 8 minutes per mile on Saturday. Sounds like fun...
The website for the program is http://www.furman.edu/first/fmtp.htm
Thanks for stopping by-
Q
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