Fitness and Training

It's only a month until the Twin Cities marathon. I completed my 4th 20 mile run last Sunday. Training has been going really really well. You can see from my 8 mile run this morning (details below) that my pace is improving. Most importantly my heart rate is remaining lower. It used to jump up to about 175 or so when I was pushing this hard but now I can barely break 160. I think the chances of me blowing away my PR next month are very good. I have the Dick Beardsley half marathon on September 11 and I'm looking forward to a fast time.

Intervals (GPS Interval)
Type	Distance	Time	Total Time	Pace	Avg HR	Max HR
Interval				8:54	133	145
Interval	1 Mi	7:54.21	16:47.34	7:55	146	153
Interval	1 Mi	7:57.28	24:44.62	7:58	147	156
Interval	1 Mi	7:55.03	32:39.65	7:56	144	157
Interval	1 Mi	7:54.82	40:34.47	7:55	153	160
Interval	1 Mi	7:55.45	48:29.92	7:56	155	158
Interval	1 Mi	7:36.06	56:05.98	7:37	155	161
Interval	1 Mi	8:03.14	1:04:09.12	8:04	153	158
Interval	0.02 Mi	0:09.59	1:04:18.71	8:00	157	158

On the fitness front I have been working out a lot and really building my core. I feel a lot stronger and tighter though my weight loss has slowed significantly in the last month. I'm now down to about 215 pounds and I don't know if I'll hit 200 before the marathon. But that's ok. My body is still shrinking and I'm building muscle.

Effortless Running

What a difference a month makes. My training has been improving so much and in the last week or so my body has just exploded with energy. A couple weeks ago I did my first 20 mile run of the year. It went great. I was able to complete the 20 miles and still had some gas in the tank. Last weekend I took time off of running and focussed more on strength and core training. This has done wonders for me this week. My times have improved and my energy levels are through the roof.

This morning I had a great run. The weather was perfect - 65 degrees, low humidity and a nice easy breeze. I planned to do a relatively easy 10 miles at a 9:00 min pace but I just couldn't slow my body down. I tried but I just settled into an 8:30 min/mile groove that carried me through all ten miles and change. It felt great. I am planning to do another 10 mile run on Saturday and 20 miles on Sunday. If I feel good I'll go even further. This will be my highest mileage week for the year.

Intervals (GPS Interval)
Type	Distance	Time	Total Time	Pace	Avg HR	Max HR	Notes
Interval	1 Mi	8:43.58	8:43.58	8:44	133	145
Interval	1 Mi	8:46.42	17:30.00	8:47	141	146
Interval	1 Mi	8:40.06	26:10.06	8:41	145	151
Interval	1 Mi	8:27.81	34:37.87	8:28	150	154
Interval	1 Mi	8:25.64	43:03.51	8:26	151	157
Interval	1 Mi	8:23.14	51:26.65	8:24	154	160
Interval	1 Mi	8:30.2	59:56.85	8:31	157	160
Interval	1 Mi	8:23.13	1:08:19.98	8:24	158	161
Interval	1 Mi	8:29.36	1:16:49.34	8:30	151	159
Interval	1 Mi	8:29.78	1:25:19.12	8:30	158	162
Interval	0.25 Mi	2:06.23	1:27:25.35	8:25	163	165

An easy 5?

I am really looking forward to the 4th of July 10K race tomorrow at MSUM. I thought I would get out for a nice easy 5 miles today. But as you can see, the oppressive heat and humidity has reared it's ugly head. I did get 5.4 miles done but it was a very very sweaty 5. My pace slowed throughout but I finished with a 9:44 average.

I snapped a photo when I got back. I ran shirtless today. I am happy that I finally feel comfortable enough to run without a shirt. I know I ain't pretty, but I'm working on my body. The slobs passing me in their pickups, chewing on their big macs, yapping on their cell phones and laughing at ME can just go to hell. I don't care any more. If you don't like what you see, don't look.

it's a HIIT

Yes, I'm talking about high intensity interval training. I tried to do a little bit of HIIT on the treadmill a couple months ago. I have never really incorporated HIIT into my training routines but I know there are lots of benefits to it including greater fat burning and increased performance. I want to increase my speed for the Twin Cities marathon in October.

Well, since the last time I did any HIIT I've dropped a lot of weight and I've worked on increasing my core strength and upper body strength. A thunderstorm rolled in this morning thwarting my plans to go for a run outside so I headed to the gym. I spent about a half hour working my shoulders and back. I decided to give HIIT another try so I jumped onto the treadmill. To say I was shocked at how readily able I was to do HIIT without dying is an understatement. After a few minutes warmup I set my intervals to run at a 9.5 mph pace for the high intensity and 4 mph walk for the recovery interval. Before I could barely do this for 1 minute at high intensity (or less) followed by 3-4 minutes recovery walking. When I hit my first high intensity interval, it seemed too easy! I managed to run fast for the full minute I planned. When I dropped down to the recovery speed it was too slow so I upped it to a 6.0 mph jog. I managed to keep this up for 30 minutes alternating 1 minute high intensity followed by 2 minutes of recovery jogging. At the end I was sweaty and tired but I felt I could actually do more. Next time I'll go longer.

First run of 2010

Today is almost 40 degrees warmer than yesterday. Yes, it's true. Above zero feels like a heat wave after the last couple weeks. Anyway, I did it. I got my feet into my shoes and got out the door for a very nice 3.4 miles in the sunshine. It's been more than a month and the body can feel it. The joints are stiff and the muscles are complaining but it feels so good to be back in the saddle.

Year End Run

What better for the end of the year than record snowfall (the most snow in one month ever) along with cold temperatures. This morning it was -20F and the wind was blowing. But it was nice and sunny. I went out for an exhilarating 4.3 mile run today. Last run of the year.

That brings me to my 2008 totals. Not quite as high as I wanted, but not too bad.

1175.8 miles in 183:09:58

A week after

And I'm feeling great. I just got in a very nice 9 mile run this morning. I started back up with a nice 4 miler on Thursday, upped that to 6 yesterday. The weather has been fantastic around here albeit a bit warm for running. Anything above 70 and I'm dying. But, the mornings have still been cool and comfortable. I'm really trying to cut my weight before the Twin Cities marathon in October. I have been very good about my eating over the last week and didn't drink any wine during the week. I've lost at least four pounds this week in a combination of water and fat.