Boston: 4 down, 12 to go! Checking in.

This one's for the numbers geeks =D.

After four weeks of running this crazy training plan (Who wrote this thing anyway?!). I had my first scheduled cutback week. Now I have some numbers and a few conclusions.

At this point, I am feeling pretty optimistic about how things are going. I am 1/4 of the way through this training cycle and am happy to say :

1. My body seems to be adapting to the weight training very well. Special thanks for the comments on my last post, (especially Jill, who weighed in with some encouraging personal experience as well as some coaching research). My "easy" run Friday (following Thursday afternoon's heavier-than-usual weight session) felt incredible! It was all I could do to restrain myself to an easy pace.  I can finally say that DOMS really isn't an issue in my legs now, as there was still no soreness Saturday morning (today).
2. There are NO injury issues going on right now. It probably helps that I am not trying to introduce a new day of speed work during this cycle, and that I have covered this amount of mileage recently. We shall see how things go as I continue to build in the miles...In contrast, while training for Eugene a year ago, I had issues with achilles tendinitis, and some sort of tendinitis in the front of the foot/ankle, so I was always wondering if it would spell my death for the marathon. I don't feel that way in training at all right now.
3. I seem to be hitting my goal training paces for most runs. But then again, it can be kind of hard to be certain sometimes with my complicated system. The graphs below show my paces as a cumulative pace for each run including warm-up, cool-down and whatever I did for speed that day. For instance, I just plug in the total time spent running and the total distance and the computer calculates the overall pace. I keep the interval/tempo times in my notes separately.  Again...we shall see how this continues with added mileage. I hope to pick it up a bit in the next few weeks. I am also conscious of the fact that I could be topped out speed-wise and that this might be as fast as it gets.

Today's cutback long run was 16 miles. My goal was to keep it easy: no progression, just easy on the body. It felt like that's what I did.

Ironically, I was listening to a podcast from http://www.marathontalk.com/ and the guest was mentioning that you should not be trying to "smash out" your long runs at this point in training (12 weeks out); and, that you'd be better to back it off a bit even if you feel like you could hammer it. The point being that you might bring yourself to peak at the wrong time in your cycle. Just what I needed to hear. Despite that, I finished faster than the last 16 miler, felt rested and all on 4 hours of sleep (I did feel sleepy- and I need to get better rest, but the legs were good to go.) 

                Longer tempo runs mean longer warm up/cool down.. 

Last year's stats... just because I can't help trying to draw comparisons with the only other marathon I have prepared for. (note the 4 day week makes for a few less runs on the chart).

And so..I am happy to report that there is not much to report with running.

My main goal for the next 4 weeks is to continue following the original plan and avoid accidents, such as :

• tripping over rocks or toys
• falling into potholes
• running into stationary objects
• twisting an ankle
• breaking a toe
• suffering a stress fracture
• getting mono

  ***

On the home front. I am also excited to say that I have stuck with my meal menu for three weeks! In that time frame, I have reduced my shopping time, prep time, stress and had dinner on the table at a much better time most evenings. HOORAY!!

I did make a change in plans twice, once when I knew I didn't want to cook omelets  and we had left-overs, and another time when I had less ham left than I hoped, so I made ham and pintos. Please note. Beans are not an ideal dinner suggestion for the night before a long run, at least in our home :D

Strength Training-- P.O.W. Style!

P.O.W. stands for "Pushed Out of the Weight room" in this case. Up until about a month ago, I was able to use the local high school's (very small) weight room. And trust me, I was glad to have those free weights (and whatever machines worked) available. When I say small, that doesn't completely describe it. It has a 7' ceiling and no windows. 

The 8-man football team gave it most of its use in the last decade. I was driving, running or riding my bike there at least twice a week over the 20 weeks before Eugene. After the marathon, I eased back into it. But on the third visit, I was met with a lock that wouldn't turn. The school had re-keyed the weight room. groan (Yes. I had my own key.)...[That's a lot of emoticons for one paragraph]

What had been a community weight room was now closed and the secretary courteously informed me that the school could no longer keep the doors open to everyone 21 and over (insurance problems). What was I to do? (I live 30 miles from a real gym) I did the only thing I knew I could do. I decided to work out at home.

My hope is really to get a weight set at home (and a treadmill), but for now I will stick to the POW style workout system to try to stay in the best shape I can under the circumstances.

The POW system breaks down to some basic exercises that hit all major muscle groups. You can do them with or without added weight or resistance. I usually do them right after running and stretching so I don't get busy and forget to later.

Push-ups. I had been doing girl-style push-ups, but just recently switched to regular and try to crank out 20 in a row. These work out pectorals, lats, triceps and shoulders.

Lunges. I do these walking. I always feel it afterwards, more so if I put one of my kids on my shoulders. I do 20; if I put a kid on my shoulders I only do one set. If I do it with no weight, I do 2 sets. Guaranteed to create buns/hips of steel. Works glutes, quads

Squats. Same as lunges, except not walking.

Calf raisers. standing on a step with your heels off the edge, (or even on the floor), lift and lower your whole body up and down staying on your toes. Hold weight or put a kid on your shoulders for more weight. (notice a kid theme yet?)

Ab work. Sometimes I just do crunches/cross crunches lying on the floor. Sometimes I lay on the coffee table (use a towel under your back/buns) and hang my legs off the table. Then I hold the sides of the table (above my head) and lift my legs up and down slowly. Or I may twist while doing this and bend my knees to my chest.

Chair dips. Putting my hands on the seat of a chair to my sides, while sitting, 1 I lift myself off the chair and to the front. 2 I then lift below the chair and up again to seat level (repeat step 2 several times). I usually put my feet on another chair across from me while doing this, and keep my legs straight. Good for triceps, lats

Arm curls. For these, I use elastic bands made of surgical tubing. You can buy a cheap set at any fitness store, though. I much prefer free weights for these, but the tubing works pretty well. I fasten it to a heavy chair, hold on with each hand and curl my arms up. I do a few sets of 15-20. This is pretty much just for biceps, a little shoulder.

Shoulder/military press. Similar to arm curls, except that I hold the tubing in each hand and push up, over my head.  This works the shoulders, as the name implies.

This all takes about 10-15 minutes total, and (not including the abs and push ups) I do them after my more strenuous run days so I have time to recover for the next hard run.