Half marathon training – Week 6 – Downhill skiing as cross training

This was an odd week of training. Sandwiched between two trips I squeezed in three days of running. It’s perhaps not ideal to do speedwork, an easy run and then a long run on back-to-back-to-back days but there it is. I’m not sure how effective downhill skiing is as cross training but it sure is a lot of fun!

Half marathon training – Week 5 – Easy week

Last week was an easy week and I couldn’t have been happier about it. We went on daylight savings time on the previous Sunday so when I woke up to run on Tuesday it was completely dark out, pouring rain and very windy. After looking out my window I made a 180 degree turn right back into bed. I did the run in the late afternoon sunshine instead. That was a good decision. Wednesday was my General Exam (which I passed!) so once again ran in the late afternoon. That was probably one of my most relaxed runs ever because I was just so thrilled to have my exam over and done with!

I was in Ottawa over the weekend so I did my runs there on the treadmill. I didn’t wear my heart rate monitor but they felt pretty comfortable. So all in all it was a nice and easy recovery week.

Half marathon training – Week 4 – General stress

I’m pretty disappointed with the way my runs went this weekend. I’m going to blame stress and fatigue and move on. But first I need to write this stuff down. It’s a bit of a vent and a bit an excuse but here it is.

Next Wednesday I am doing my “General Exam.” The exam is a one hour presentation on my research to date and plans for the rest of my dissertation then an hour or so of fielding questions from my committee. The goal is to convince my committee that eventual dissertation is sufficient to earn me a PhD. I’ve been preparing for this all quarter. It hasn’t been nearly as stressful as preparing for my qualifying exams and I haven’t been feeling the stress acutely but I have a feeling that operating at a constant low grade stress level isn’t good for me. On top of that I seem to have developed seasonal allergies and I’ve spent the past week sneezing and trying very hard to stop rubbing my eyes. I actually went to the doctor on Thursday because I was afraid there might have been something more serious going on with my eye. I’ve been taking Claritin for the past couple of days and that’s making things much better. Oh and I only got about 6 hours of sleep on Wednesday night (for no good reason other than I was watching Pride & Prejudice with my girlfriends) and with the running and the stress that’s just not sufficient. I was in bed by 9:30 pm for the next three nights but it’s hard to catch up on lost sleep. So all in all these aren’t exactly ideal training conditions.

Now on to Saturday’s long run. I got about 8.5 hours of sleep on Friday night, had a good pre-run breakfast and felt pretty good heading out the door. Unfortunately even during the first mile I was having trouble keeping my heart rate at under 155. That was pretty much the way it went for the first 10 miles. I was feeling OK but I could never get into a groove because I kept having he slow down to keep my heart rate under control. Oh and I got passed by a walker. Twice. OK they were speed walkers and they were really huffing it but that’s not great for one’s ego. My legs really starting feeling fatigued during the last two miles. They were just sore (no sharp pain) and tired but it wasn’t much fun. I suppose I shouldn’t think that a 12 miler would be easy but I’ll admit I was disappointed with how it went. Still I got the mileage in the bank and I suppose the only way my legs are going to get stronger is to challenge them (and then give them plenty of time to recover).

Sunday’s recovery run was slightly less disappointing because it was shorter and as a recovery run I feel it’s easier to accept a really slow pace. Still I didn’t feel great out there. Two back to back runs slower that 12 min/mile is kind of hard to take.

I know this sounds crazy but I think in some ways it’s harder to run slow than it is to run fast. I have to take more steps per mile and I’m on my feet for a longer time. Saturday’s run lasted almost 2.5 hours. Last year I would have done this run in about 2 hours (albeit at an average of 170+ bpm). That’s a lot of extra pounding. I also think my gait at 12 min/mile is not as smooth as it is at say 10 min/mile and I’m sure that could contribute to my problems too.

OK now that that’s off my chest I think I can move on.

Next week is a recovery week and it could not have come at a better time. Well I designed the program that way so it’s not like that’s an accident. I promise I’ll have a more chipper post after my General Exam. Unless I fail and they kick me out of the University. Seriously, there’s a check box for that on my exam warrant!

Half marathon training – Week 3 – A friendly impromptu running partner

I’m happy to report that my mileage is building up nicely. I did 107.3 miles during the month of February (last year I did 81.0) and just completed my first 30+ mile week of the year.

I had a great tempo run on Wednesday. I did the run early in the morning so the Green Lake path was pretty empty. During the first mile I caught up with another runner and we both happened to settle into the same pace. We got to chatting and paced each other through the next mile. I owe that friendly impromptu running partner thanks for the 8:15 and 8:16 miles I pulled off that morning.

Sunday’s long run was also pretty good. A pace of 11:21 is still slower than I’d like but I’m very happy with my heart rate so that’s what I’m focusing on. I’ve developed a new method of adjusting for cardiac drift on the road. During the first 5 miles I try to keep my heart rate at or below 155 and then for every mile after that I increase that limit by 1 bpm. So during the last mile I’m aiming to keep my heart rate at or below 161 bpm. This method has greatly decreased the amount of walking I used to have to do towards the end of my runs when my heart rate would spike into the 170′s. I guess I’m learning how to make this aerobic heart rate training work for me!

Finally, I officially registered for the Vancouver Half Marathon today.