A 62 year old's journey to qualify for the Boston Marathon
Nice, easy, short, and somewhat speedy early morning run. Mix in these shorter runs with the longer stuff. Weather was ideal — clear and temperatures in the 40’s.
Today’s run was a mostly flat 2.18 mile route. Pace was 9:24. Total climb was only about 90 feet.
A much more cooperative environment for a run. Temperature around 35 and clear skies. A stiff wind (16 gusting to 30) but that’s not a big deal. About the only time that wind is annoying is if it’s bitter cold or if the wind is kicking up dirt. I’ve run through dust storms. Eating dust.
Today’s run was a 11.2 mile rolling hills route. Pace was 9:46. Weight was 146.8. Total climb was about 595 feet.
Interesting weather we’re having. 30 degrees, rain and winds gusting to 30 mph. I’ve seen a flake or two at times. I think I’ll switch the schedule around a bit and do some work on the indoor trainer. Twisting an ankle six miles away because you can’t see the potholes, and then having to limp home in these conditions, isn’t worth the risk. Race? Who cares about the weather. Training day? It’s flexible.
Today was a 30-minute stiff ride on the indoor trainer. Weight was 146.8.
One more cool, somewhat windy early morning. Temperature around 28 degrees and winds around 8 gusting 20. Whatever. A good, heads-down run. Just relax and focus on where you are and forget about distance. That’s what you need to do in a marathon.
Today’s run was a 11.21 mile rolling hills route. Pace was 9:42. Weight was 147.4. Total climb was about 595 feet.
I’ve taken a page from pro cycling and patterned what I do on what I see all the teams in the peloton do. They spent big buck on all this. One of the benefits to watching/listening to four to five hours of coverage is that the commentators talk about all kinds of things to fill the time. Occasionally they’ll talk about things like fueling, hydration, recovery, energy management, etc. These are retired pro riders who cover the teams, so they know what they’re talking about.
It’s also a good place to look for what products to use. There are so many gels, energy bars, gummies, etc., on the market. Again, go with what the pros use and see how it works.
Riders in the peloton take in bars and things like that (solid fuel) in the early parts of stages, and gels later in the stage. Here’s what I do:
I wear a CamelBak and load up with about 20 to 30+ fluid ounces of SIS Electrolyte mix. How much depends on the race-day conditions. I’d rather have it with me than to stop for a small cup of something. I make sure I’m drinking every other mile or so. I also take a drink when I run by a water station — they’re a good reminder.
BTW, the CamelBak also has pouches in the straps for bars and gels. Makes it easy.
Testing is critical. I use long runs to test out the what and when. I also try variations to see how I respond late in the runs. Long runs are pretty much every Sunday, so the opportunities are plenty. I figure that a general plan/schedule is quite sufficient. Trying to do some sort of precise planning would be nuts, since every run is different. Close enough is good enough here.
Here’s what I train and race in.
Waited until the current shoes were about to be replaced. Usually I get them early, just in case there’s an availability issue.
I switched to train in two different shoes. Why?
Hoka Carbon X2
Day two for the indoor bike trainer. I am feeling it even after several hours. Head down and maintain that push on the pedals. We’ll see how everything feels with the upcoming week being pretty long on the road (on the order of 70 miles).
Today’s ride was an intense 30 minutes on the indoor trainer. Of course, I totally forget to check the weight. I do that all the time.
Read a short article about speed work and how cross training on a bike complements road work. Maybe. I’m not so sure that I agree, although I do remember a while ago when I couldn’t run and bike work on the roads was a good stand-in. The weather for today and tomorrow are perfect to give some stiff work on the indoor trainer a short test.
Today’s ride was a 30-minute workout on the indoor trainer.
A colder, blustery early morning. Temperature around 23 degrees and winds gusting over 30 mph. Perfect for some road work. As it turns out, the wind was blowing right down the road I use for speed work. You do notice it when you’re trying to push and a stiff wind is pushing back. Makes it more work.
Today’s run was about a one mile easy warm up, two speed runs of 0.77 miles, and a warm down of about a mile. Total distance 3.72 miles. Overall pace was 8:59 and the speed pace was 7:51. Weight was 147.0. Total climb was about 130 feet.
A cool and clear early morning for a run. Temperature was around 28 degrees and a mild breeze. It’s a bit cold but not that biting cold.
Didn’t feel too bad today. The left shin still felt a bit sore. For some reason, after the longer run on Sunday, my left shin started to complain late in the day. Not right away, but late. Bizarre. Anyway, this morning wasn’t painful, just noticeable. Whatever. Training isn’t a cakewalk.
Today’s run was a 9.04 mile rolling hills route. Pace was 9:45. Weight was 147.0. Total climb was about 460 feet.