Marathon Training – Week 11 – Autumn Running
I love running this time of year. The weather is cool and crisp and the trees are at the peak of their autumn colours. The set of trees in the photo above are along the Green Lake path where I do all of my weekday runs. Pretty nice!
I can’t recall the last time I had a training week where every run was a complete success. I really couldn’t have asked for anything more out of this week. Tuesday’s tempo run felt the way I imagine tempo runs are supposed to feel. Check out the splits in the table below. Can you guess when the sun came up? That’s right, just after I finished my second tempo mile. Sometime during the third mile I felt like I found a groove and I did my best to stay there. I was really happy with the final four tempo miles. There’s nothing like a good tempo run to boost your spirits.
On Saturday I had a 16 mile long run scheduled. Given that I did a 20 miler last week, 16 sounded relatively easy. I did the same 16 mile course that I used in weeks 7 and 2. I’m not getting any faster but I think the route felt a bit easier this time around. The climb up Stone Way at the end kills me every time though. I think I recovered better this time around too. My heart rate was shocking low on Sunday’s recovery run. That’s my lowest recorded average heart rate on any run in the past two years. I’m pretty sure this is OK. It was cold out and I was a bit sleep deprived so that might account for part of it. In any case I don’t think I’m overtrained so I’m not worrying about it.
| 20/10 | - | Rest day |
| 21/10 | 8.0 miles | Tempo run: 6mi @ 8:56/8:54/8:39/8:34/8:33/8:26 min/mile |
| 22/10 | XT | 45 min elliptical, upper body weights, core work |
| 23/10 | 8.0 miles | Easy run: avg 157 bpm, 11:26 min/mile |
| 24/10 | - | Rest day |
| 25/10 | 16.0 miles | Long run: avg 168 bpm, 10:56 min/mile |
| 26/10 | 4.0 miles | Recovery run: avg 149 bpm, 11:24 min/mile |
| Total | 36.0 miles | YTD: 1018.4 miles |
Next week is a step back week and I am very excited about it! I’ve basically done 5 hard weeks in a row with the exception of a days or two of extra rest before and after the Victoria half marathon. Next week should give be a chance to recover, tend to any minor aches and pains and prepare for the final training peak before the marathon.
Virtual run across Canada
On Saturday morning I passed the 1000 mile mark for the year. I figured this would be a good time to update my virtual run across Canada. Since 2006 I’ve been recording my yearly running mileage and plotting it along the Trans-Canada highway. So far in 2008 I’ve made it from Thunder Bay all the way across the vastness of Northern Ontario, through Ottawa right up to the Ontario-Quebec border. I am making some serious progress!
Europe Travel Diary – Wrap-up
Usually I find it very difficult to answer the question “what was the highlight of your trip?” Not this time. It was hands down the Alhambra. If you ever find yourself near the south of Spain you must go! I’d say the surprise highlight of the trip was Lisbon. We sort of tacked it on to the end of our Spanish vacation but I think Portugal deserves a longer visit some time in the future.
Traveling with my mother was an absolute blast. She did a wonderful job making hour travel arrangements and building our schedule. The amazing thing is we did not stop talking the whole trip. Well that’s not quite true but we certainly never ran out of things to talk about and (over-)analyze. The trip absolutely flew by!
Here are links to all the entries in my 2008 Europe Travel Diary:
Enjoy!
The full set of all my photos from the trip are here
Europe Travel Diary – Part V – Lisbon
Previously: Part IV – Barcelona
We spent our last morning in Madrid at the Reina Sofia Museum of modern art. The main attraction was Geurnica, a painting by Picasso depicting the horrors of the first saturation bombing of a small Basque town. It was very powerful and the room of studies done in preparation was also quite interesting. The works in the museum were arranged chronologically and we hung in until about 1940 and but lost steam quickly. I have decided hat I have about one modern art museum visit in me per annum. That’s all I can take After the museum we had a long lunch in a square near our hotel and then caught a shuttle bus to the airport and a flight to Lisbon.
The next morning we had breakfast at the hotel and set off for Belém. After finally figuring out how to buy a transit day pass from the machine we caught a subway and then a streetcar (trolly) to the Jerónimos Monastery. There were a lot of tour groups (I hypothesize a cruise was in town) in the church but the cloisters (which had an entry fee) were quiet. There was an orchestra warming up in the church while we were visiting and by the time we left the cloisters the church had been closed for rehearsal. Lucky we arrived at the right time!
After the monastery we walked to the Monument to the Discoveries honouring Portugal’s explorers and history of attempted world domination. Mom and I both quite liked the style of the monument. That’s Henry the Navigator at the front holding a model caravel. The fifth person back from Henry (holding the ring) is Ferdinand Magellan who was the first explorer to circumnavigate the world. For a full diagram of who’s who see this pdf.
After a Portuguese lunch (I had a fish and potato dish that was delicious, I think it was Bacalhau à Gomes de Sá) we visitied the home of the original Portuguese custard tart. Matt and I used to eat these when he lived in little Portugal in Toronto. Apparently only 3 people know the original recipe. They were just as good as I’d remembered, if not better! Plus how often do you get to try the original of something!
After our visit to Belém we did a walking tour through a few of Lisbon’s other neighbourhoods. We took a funicular up a hill (Lisbon is very hilly!) to a viewpoint and then wound our way back towards the city center. Then we took another trolly up to visit the Sao Jorge Castle.
Later that afternoon during our walk back to the hotel we stumbled upon a Ginjinha store. Well it really really more of a hole in the wall with a counter. Ginjinha is a local Lisbon liquor made from sour cherry like ginja berries, sugar and grappa. We shared a 1,10 euro shot for a little liquid sightseeing.
We spent the morning of our second day in Lisbon at the Gulbenkian Museum. It was the private collection of an Armenian oil tycoon and was donated to the city of Lisbon in gratitude for asylum granted to him during WWII. In about 2.5 hours we walked through art from 5000 years of human history. There weren’t a lot of pieces but each one was equisite. In the afternoon we took the metro out to the Oceanarium (Europe’s largest aquarium). I’m a big fan of aquariums and enjoyed the visit. I will particularly remember seeing a sunfish which is perhaps the ugliest fish I’ve even seen!
The rest of my Lisbon photos are here.
The next morning we were up early to start the long trek back to North America. It took me about 26 hours to get from our hotel in Lisbon back to my apartment in Seattle!
Next: Wrap-up
Marathon Training – Week 10 – 20 miler #1
I took two days off after last week’s half marathon before jumping back into training with a killer speedwork session: 4×1mi with 0.5 mile recovery walk/jogs. My first repeat was slow but I was happy with the other three. Interestingly the first repeat was done in the pre-dawn dusk and I wonder if the darkness slowed me down. I’m more cautious of my footing and aware of my surroundings when it’s dark out. Usually this workout leaves me totally exhausted. This time around I felt much better possibly because I took a gel after the second repeat. Oh and maybe I’m fitter! I was still beat though so I cut Thursday’s seven miler down to a five miler.
For a fun little blast from the past I thought it would be a good idea to compare this week to April 9 – 15, 2007, Week 10 of my last marathon training cycle. What I recall most vividly from that week was how hard the 20 miler was. I quote “It is obvious to me that my leg strength/endurance is more of a limiting factor to me at this time than my cardiovascular fitness.” Yea, sadly 18 months later the same holds true. And I still haven’t worked up the nerve to have an ice bath.
Anyway the good news is that this time around the first 20 miler went much better! I was feeling a bit bored doing all my long runs on the marathon course so I decided to mix things up a bit. This week I combined a few laps of Green Lake with a run on the Burke out to Magnuson Park and back. As usual, my legs stiffened up as the run progressed and the last three miles were particularly tough. But I made it through and at this point that’s all I care about.
| 13/10 | - | Thanksgiving Rest day |
| 14/10 | - | Rest day |
| 15/10 | 8.0 miles | Speedwork: 4×1mi in 8:26/7:58/8:04/8:02 min |
| 16/10 | 5.0 miles | Easy run: avg 160 bpm, 11:23 min/mile |
| 17/10 | - | Rest day |
| 18/10 | 20.0 miles | Long run: avg 168 bpm, 10:57 min/mile |
| 19/10 | 4.0 miles | Recovery run: 11:42 min/mile |
| Total | 37.0 miles | YTD: 982.4 miles |
Looking forward, if everything goes according to schedule next week I should pass the 1000 mile year to date mark during my Saturday long run!
Europe Travel Diary – Part IV – Barcelona
Previously: Part III – Gibraltar
We took a 5.5 hour train ride from Algeciras back to Madrid. We spent the afternoon visiting the Royal Palace which we had been unable to visit on the first day of our trip. As one might expect, the palace was quite lavish. That evening we conquered Tapas. That might not seem like much of an accomplishment but it was for us. We’re not really the types to bar hop having a drink and bit of food at each place so instead we went to a restaurant fairly close to our hotel and sat outside on the patio. We ordered a pitcher of sangria and five different tapas over the course of two hours. We sampled everything from smoked salmon to Spanish torta to a delicious mystery croquette!
The next morning we rode the high speed train to Barcelona for the day. Barcelona might have deserved a longer visit but this was all that we could fit into this trip. The train reached speeds in excess of 300 km/h! Surprisingly it didn’t feel that fast. We got a newspaper on the train and were surprised to see showers forecast for Barcelona! We hadn’t seen a drop of rain yet on our trip and didn’t have our rain jackets with us! Luckily although we had a cloudy day it never actually rained on us.
Our first stop was Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia church. It was really really impressive. Construction began in 1882 and is ongoing. We were quite interested in the displays that showed how Gaudi incorporated mathematical constructs from nature into his designs. Who doesn’t love a good Hyperboloid Structure! I’m planning on returning to Barcelona in 50 years to see it when it is finally fully built. Mom doesn’t think she’ll bother!
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Next we took the metro to the Picasso Museum. It was really neat to see some of Picasso’s younger works from before the cubism phase. Then we went to Las Ramblas a very wide pedestrian street teeming with locals and tourists alike. The main reason we were there was to try churros con chocolate. Yes, we dipped greasy fried churros into a cup of thick hot chocolate pudding. It was very good as a snack but we still didn’t understand how it can be eaten as a breakfast food!
The rest of my Barcelona photos are here.
Next: Part V – Lisbon
Race Report: 2008 Victoria Half Marathon
Pre Race
Matt and I had the most stereotypical pre-race evening imaginable. We had a carbo load dinner of pasta with tomato sauce and steamed broccoli and then watched Spirit of the Marathon on DVD. I went to bed remarkably calm and not nervous. I think this was because this wasn’t an A race for me and I ran the race last year so I knew what to expect logistically.
I woke up at 5:30 am on Sunday morning and ate my usual pre-race breakfast of oats, half a banana, green tea and water. At 6:00 am I watched the start of the Chicago Marathon online and then at about 6:35 am I left Matt’s apartment for the 20-minute walk down to the start line. The weather was cool and cloudy so I wore shorts and a long sleeved technical shirt with a technical tank top underneath. I had lots of time at the race start to do a light warm-up jog, some stretching, eat a gel and still be in the starting corrals about 20 minutes before the race start. I lined up right in front of the 2 hour pace sign and waited to start my seventh half marathon!
I should mention that I finally (after almost two years) figured out the right screens to have displayed on my Garmin while I race. First I turn off auto-lap and hit the lap button on my own at each km marker. On my main screen I have Time (stopwatch time) in big and then below it Distance and Time – Avg Lap (average time to complete each lap so far). The last one is critical. If you use Pace – Avg Lap it will throw you off because the distance the Garmin measures is never exactly the same as the mile/km markers on the course and they’re what really count.
km 1-5 in 27:27 (5:29 min/km)
The announcer at the start told us that this year’s half marathon was the largest sporting event on Vancouver Island. I became acutely aware of this during the first mile of the course as I wove through slower runners and walkers. My first km came in a 5:56 and in hindsight that probably made me speed up a bit too much in subsequent km in an attempt to get down to 5:41. I missed the km 4 marker again this year as I was walking through a water stop. I felt pretty good through the first 5 km. I was pushing the pace comfortably and my legs felt good.
km 6-10 in 27:52 (5:34 min/km)
The second 5 km section was mostly run in circles in and around Beacon Hill Park. There were a few notable hills that I purposely slowed to climb. I don’t like getting passed on the uphills but I dislike destroying my legs even more. I forced myself to take a gel and a walk break at km 8 (mile 5) even though I was feeling good and didn’t want to stop. Towards the end of this section we turned onto Dallas Road and enjoyed a long decline. Unfortunately what went down would later have to come up!
km 11-15 in 28:02 (5:36 min/km)
As we turned off Dallas Road and into the neighbourhoods we could see the faster half marathoners coming at us. I am thrilled to report that there were no crazy crossing issues like last year. I think the problem was solved with extra pylons and “keep left” signs. After km 12 I look a walk/water break and decided to take off my long sleeved shirt and just wear the tank. Even though it was probably only 8C I was getting overheated! I’d purposely pinned my race bib to my shorts to give myself this option. Somewhere in this section there was a beer stop! I declined because I’m pretty sure my stomach would not handle that well! There was also a house playing Chariots of Fire on repeat which was great fun to run by.
km 16-20 in 28:02 (5:36 min/km)
By the time this section started I was definitely starting to tire. Although they didn’t really hurt my legs were protesting. They felt slow and tight especially up the hill next to Clover Point. I saw the marathon leaders go by and I tried to harness their focus and form! I took another gel and walk break at km 16 (mile 10) and from there I was focused on getting to the finish time. I was moving well but the last few km seemed to last forever. Fortunately I’m very familiar with this stretch of road so I was able to pick a series of landmarks to use as short term goals.
km 20-21.1 in 5:37 min
During the last 1.1 km I just kept telling myself to git ‘er done. I knew I was going to beat 2 hours handily by chip time. I put on a bit of a finishing sprint to beat 2 hours by gun time and crossed the finish line with a smile on my face. Hey, I did set a new age group PB!
Finish Time 1:57:00 (5:32 min/km or 8:55 min/mile)
Post Race
Immediately following the race I felt pretty good. But not so good that I would have been up for continuing and running another 13.1 miles! I’ve still got 7 weeks of training and the benefit of a taper to get me through the marathon. I averaged 8:55 min/mile which is a little faster that the 9:09 min/mile I’m going to need to break 4 hours in the marathon. Given the results of this half I’m not changing my primary goal but I have a very realistic idea what it’s going to take to get me there.
Place overall: 1664/4266 (61.0th percentile)
Place in gender: 697/2673 (73.9th percentile)
Place in age group (F3034): 114/375 (69.6th percentile)
Placing is based on gun time (1:59:43) and includes walkers.
1:57:00
=================================================================== Final Place Bib Gun Chip KM Place In Sex Place In Division No. Time Time Pace =================================================================== 1663 696/2479 F 114/362 Female 30-34 3694 1:59:43 1:57:00 5:33
Official results are here
Marathon Training – Week 9 – Tune up time
This week started tough, was easy in the middle and has a big question mark at the end. My first run of the week was a five mile tempo run. In theory my tempo pace is supposed to be about 8:27 min/mile but I just could not get down that fast. Looking back at it, I actually put together pretty consistent splits (average 8:46.4 min/mile), improved over my pace from two weeks ago and ran my butt off so it was a pretty good workout. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a huge confidence booster for Sunday’s half marathon when I’m going to try and pace 9:09 min/mile for 13.1 miles. I’m just hoping that not coming off of a 23 mile weekend will help put some pep into my legs!
So after the tempo run I moved into mini-taper mode: two easy four milers and a light cross training session. Nothing major to report there!
| 06/10 | - | Rest day |
| 07/10 | 7.0 miles | Tempo run: 5mi @ 8:46/8:49/8:42/8:50/8:45 min/min |
| 08/10 | 4.0 miles | Easy run: avg 167 bpm, 11:09 min/mile |
| 09/10 | XT | 30 min elliptical, upper body weight training |
| 10/10 | 4.0 miles | Easy run: avg 160 bpm, 11:19 min/mile |
| 11/10 | - | Rest day |
| 12/10 | 13.1 miles | RACE DAY: Victoria Half Marathon |
| Total | 28.1 miles | YTD: 945.4 miles |
Now onto the looming question mark that is my upcoming half marathon. I’ve already mentioned my game plan but here are my formal race goals:
- Goal #1: Run marathon pace 9:09 min/mile (5:41 min/km) for a 1:59:59 finish
- Goal #2: Hold on to marathon pace for as long as I can and then finish as well as I can
- Goal #3: If all else fails have fun and get a good training run in
I’m treating this as a tune up race so I can get an indicator of where my fitness is. I ran the Victoria half marathon last year (race report) as an “A” race and set a then personal best of 1:55:33. From what I recall there are a few rolling hills so it should be good preparation for Seattle. My bib number is 3694. Results should be posted here on Sunday.
Europe Travel Diary – Part III – Gibraltar
Previously: Part II – The Alhambra
It was another early morning as we were up at 6am to catch our train from Granada to Algeciras. We arrived at around noon, walked to our hotel (across the street from the train station), checked in and dropped off our bags. We then went directly to the bus station and caught a bus for the hour-long ride to La Linea. From there we walked across the border, flashed our passports to the guard and voila were in a different country!
Technically, Gibraltar is one of fourteen “British overseas territories.” I am choosing to count it as a country in its own right on my list of countries visited. Not everyone will agree with this and that’s OK. When it comes to counting countries I say you can follow any set of rules that allow you to sleep at night. By the way, precedent had been set years ago when I choose to count Bermuda as a country (it’s another overseas territory). Also John and Yoko were married there. And so was Sean Connery. So there.
Upon arrival in Gibraltar we boarded a local bus and rode out to the southern most point of Gibraltar, Europa Point. From there we could see the ships travelling through the Straight of Gibraltar and, in the distance, mountains in Morocco. This is the closest I’ve ever been to the continent of Africa!
Our next stop was the cable car to the top of the Rock of Gibraltar. As soon as we made it to the top we were met by one of the local Barbary Macaques (better known as Barbary Apes). It was just sitting minding its own business but I wanted nothing to do with it. See, I’m not really an animal person so having wild apes around was a little unnerving. Of course they’re totally accustomed to having people there but the warning signs made it clear they were not to be messed with!
The views from the rock were great and we even got to watch a plane land on Gibraltar’s runway. The runway is partly on reclaimed land that juts out into the bay. All vehicle and foot traffic into and out of Gibraltar has to cross the runway so when a plane is about to land or take-off they bring down barricades and temporarily close the road! We choose not to stop at the apes’ den half way down the rock because we’d seen plenty of apes up top, it was hot and we were tired.
We spent the rest of our time wandering through town and having dinner at a local pub. I embraced the Britishness and had a pint of beer and fish & chips. Yummy!
At the end of the day we walked back across the runway, into Spain and caught a bus back to our hotel in Algeciras. It was a long day but a great one. Gibraltar certainly is a unique place and I’m happy to have been able to visit. My full set of Gibraltar photos are here.
Next: Part IV – Barcelona