The Home Stretch

Only a few more weeks before the Calumet Memorial Mini Marathon on September 27, 2009. I've been training for almost 6 weeks and feel confident I will do well. My goal is to complete this half marathon with an 8:15 minute/mile pace or better. I'm ready!

I've been talking to runners online and many of them are running marathons or half marathons this Fall. Most runners are also following a training plan too. The online tool I primarily use is the SmartCoach from RunnersWorld.com. This tool is simple, customizable for the beginning or experienced runner, and best of all its FREE! I used SmartCoach for my first half marathon in April 2009 and I plan to continue using it.

Week 35
I will log almost 28 miles by the end of this week: 4 miles on Monday; 3 miles Tuesday; 7.5 miles Wednesday; 3 miles Thursday; and a 10 mile Long Run Saturday. The first two runs went as expected: two Easy Runs at about 1-1.5 minutes/mile above my target half marathon pace.

I completed a Speed Workout today, Wednesday: 2 mile warm-up; 3x1600 meters at 8:05 minutes/mile with 2x800 meter jogs; 1.5 mile cool down. The workout went well except I forgot one thing: I didn't have any liquids prior to running! How could this have happened? Well if I had brought Isis along with me, I would have probably remembered to walk by the fridge and grab my bottle of G2 (life is complicated for me!). The important thing is that I finished the run.

I should point out that I ran up to the local high school and ran 4 times around the track too. This was something new for me. I usually avoid running on a track. But I had fun today!

Goals
I'm up to 87 miles for the month of August. I completed the form and mailed
it back to the Calumet City Park District, so I'm committed to run in the Cal City Mini Marathon next month!
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MO Hills Last Week = Easier Runs This Week

MO Hills
Last week I ran through the hills of Missouri.  The family and I vacationed right outside of St. Louis and visited all but one of my siblings.  My intention wasn't to tackle a lot of hills, but it's interesting that it worked out that way. 

I started out Saturday doing a 9 mile Long Run  that the toughest run I'd had in a long while, at least that's what I thought at the time.  The first 4 miles were not bad: a few up and down hills and then a big descent.  Just after the 4 mile mark, the sun was glaring and I had another ascent of about 100 feet which didn't seem like much.  But, when I got to the top of the hill, it was "stop city" for me!  I ran into the nearest gas station, bought a sports drink and waited a few minutes before returning to my brother's house.  When I finished the run, I was spent...big time!

The 4 Easy Runs that week all started easy, but were a test for me on the back half.  I'm just thankful I finished all of the runs last week.

On my last day in Missouri, I ran a 10.25 mile route.  This time I was better prepared for the hills and the heat that we don't usually get in northern IL.  There was one big ascent just before I hit the 5 mile mark.  But, I sucked it up and coasted home.

Week 34
With all of the fun runs last week, I have an easy week: 3 easy 5 mile runs and then a 9 mile Long Run this weekend.  I've already planned the location for the 9 mile Long Run a few miles south of my house. Ideally this will be a 10 mile run with some hills, so prayers are welcomed! 

When I finished this morning's 5 mile Easy Run, I noticed that my average heart rate was exceptionally lower as compared to comparable runs.  I guess the hill runs have really helped increase my endurance!

Goals
I'm up to 70 miles for the month of August.  It looks like 100 miles this month is very doable.  The entry form for my next planned half marathon arrived today.  Now I just need to find the time to complete the form and mail it back to the Calumet City Park District.

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Hump Day Tempo Run

Today's Tempo Run was just what the doctor ordered: a fast run to get me through "Hump Day"! We started out with a nice 1 mile warm-up (three times around the block). After that, I looked at Isis and said, "You ready to go?" She kind of looked at me like she knew what was next and had already begun to pick up her pace. We ran the next three miles at 8:05 minutes/mile although there was strong urge to run faster. Subduing my need for speed, we slowed to the cool-down pace until we reached the house.

I didn't see many exercisers out this morning which was a surprise. I usually see a half-dozen or so runners and walkers. Today I saw only 2. Oh well...
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The Beginning of A Challenging Week

Another busy weekend that was way too short is now history. The good news is I got in my long run. The bad news is I had to move the long run from Saturday to Sunday which means I'll do over thirty mile Sunday through Saturday. Well, I'm up for the challenge!

Sunday's Long Run
It was a late night Saturday with the neighbors (who would give up the opportunity to hang with adults when your kids are gone for the week!) Even with 6.5 hours of sleep, I was enthused to hit the road on a cool Sunday morning for my Long Run. My goal was to do 8 miles. About a mile into the run, I to change the route so I could see different scenery.

Well, the view was great and the run was going great too until I got the 7 mile mark and realized I had to be more than a mile from home. About 10 minutes later would discover that I was not 1, but 2 miles from home. No big deal. It wasn't hot and didn't have any strong biological urges. I finished the run strong with a 9:08 minute/mile pace.

Monday's Easy Run
Of course I'm thing that I'll not feel ready to do an Easy Run Monday morning. I slept in an extra thirty minutes to ensure I'd gotten enough rest. No soreness or stiffness meant I'd be able to finish my 15th mile in two days with no issues. After a slow 3 laps around the cove to allow Isis ample opportunity to potty, I was ready to run 2 miles out and 2 miles back. This was a thinking run. I thought about my vacation, outstanding to do's, household chores, and a little bit of work work. By the time I ran out of things to think about, I was almost home!

Summary
Last week @WillRunzForFun ran 15 miles and biked 3.4 miles in 2:25:50 while at a 9:08 minute/mile pace per run. I burned nearly 2100 Kcal too!

Total Time	Avg Time	Max BPM	Avg BPM	Avg BMI	Dist. (miles)	Avg Dist. (miles)
2:25:50	0:36:28	166.7	142.0	25.0	18.4	4.6
Total Kcal Burned	Avg Kcal Burned	Max Pace	Avg Pace	Max Speed (mph)	Avg Speed (mph)	Total Workouts
2091.2	522.8	6:30	7:30	10.4	10.8	4.0

Week 32 Runs

This is the second full week of training for the Calumet City Half Marathon. I'm starting to really enjoy these slower runs. This will be a heck of challenge week (33 total miles):

Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat
REST	Easy	REST	Tempo	Easy	REST	Long
9.0	5.0	-	5.0	5.0	-	9.0

Tuesday and Friday will be running rest days. Isis will accompany me on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday!


Monthly Goals
I finished July with 94.2 miles and I've run 14 miles this month. I "Will" make it to 100 miles in the month of August.
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