Training Plan Week 10

Training Plan Week:

Week	Monday Date	Tuesday	Thursday	Friday	Sunday
10	02/06/2012	45 min run	45 min run	easy walk	5 miles/MM

Actual Week:

Tuesday - 4.0 miles 47:00 minutes (11:45/mm) plus walking warm up/down. It was a beautiful 59 degree day. I ran over and through the park which I'm really enjoying these days.
Thursday - 4.67 miles 48 minutes (10:16/mm) plus walking warm up/down. This run is so much faster than my usual that I wondered about the measurement but I recalibrated Nike+ to RunKeeper again yesterday and they are very close. The run felt great and fast. I did my last magic mile in case the GPS wouldn't work over the weekend and had a 9:46. Honestly, I was disappointed with that time. I ran hard and felt faster than the last time. I have to trust it though and set my goal accordingly.
Friday – 3.47 miles 58 minutes (16:42/mm) walk. I went down to Book People and to Tea Embassy. It was lovely out.
Sunday – 5.48 miles 1:08 (12:19) includes walking warm up/down. It was only 39 and had been sleeting earlier. I felt sort of tight but enjoyed what felt like an easy 5 mile run compared to every other Sunday for the past few months.

In the morning I posted a request on my FB status that I was $113 short of my $1250 goal for Team Livestrong. I got that donation from an online friend which pretty much blew me away in a good way. It wasn’t until I got a $25 donation from a work friend that I realized I blew the math and was actually $138 short when I posted the first note so now I really did reach the $1250 mark. I raised it to $1500 of course as I still have some people who have told me they will donate.

Final Magic Mile

I ran the last magic mile in my training plan yesterday. It should actually be scheduled for this weekend but since I am never sure if my GPS will work, I wanted to go run it on a track while I could. I ran a 9:46 MM which honestly I was somewhat surprised and disappointed about. My last magic mile was 9:47 and I felt faster this time. I also really pushed myself (much more than you are supposed to do on a magic mile). My HR went to 195 which is perilously close to my max HR. I was hoping for a 9:25-9:32 mm time. I guess the consistency is good.

According to Jeff Galloway’s Race prediction I should run my half-marathon at 11:43 minute miles for a total time of 2:33:32.

Half-Marathon Training Plan Week 3

Training Plan Week:

Week	Monday Date	Tuesday	Thursday	Friday	Sunday
3	12/19/2011	45 min run	45 min run	easy walk	11 mile LSR

Actual Week:

Monday - 2.28 miles 40 minutes (17:32 (walking)). I walked to get ChocolateWife a gift at lunch. Rainy.

Tuesday - 4.8 miles 57 minutes (11:52 pace). I found a track near work (actually a friend told me about it) and I reran my first magic mile. The time was 9:52 but it turns out that each lap was 4 yards longer than a 1/4 mile so I adjusted proportionally and am assuming/believing a 9:46 magic mile. Total pace includes 11 minutes warm up/down so it's a good pace overall.

Thursday - 11.25 miles 2:30 (13:20). I took the day off work to finish shopping and getting ready to go to the in-laws' for the next 6 days. I asked ChocolateWife when she wanted me to run and she said anytime. When I pointed out that it would be either Thursday or Saturday (in the rain) or Sunday (Christmas day) she said, run Thursday.

My target overall training pace was 13:36. Pace included stops for potty breaks, reapplying foot glide, and eating a bar and gel. 1:1 ratio.

Saturday - 5.74 miles 1:14 miles (12:53). I don't know about the mileage. It seemed longer but my phone wouldn't get a satellite signal so I had to trust Nike+. 40 degrees and raining for most of it. Chased by dogs. 2:30/1:00 ratio. I actually felt like after 2-3 miles I really got into it and it became easier and easier.

First Magic Mile Redo

Yesterday I went to Clark Field to try again to run my first magic mile. It took me about 8 minutes to get there so I had done my walking warm up and a little jogging before I arrived. The track was quite nice and not quite oval. I finished 4 laps in 9:52 which is a little slower than I was hoping for but I'm also very excited that I broke 10:00 for the first time. After I got back to the office, I looked at the website and realized that each lap is actually 444 yards so 4 laps is just over a mile. (1776 yards completed rather than 1760). If I extrapolate, my mile time would have been 9:47 which I think is a pretty reasonable extrapolation.

Assuming 9:47, my training pace would be 13:43/mile and my race pace would be 11:44/mile or 2:33:48. Of note, my predicted finish time would not drop below 2:30 until I ran a 9:32 magic mile.

First (Attempted) Magic Mile

Tuesday I tried to run my first magic mile. I used my phone/RunKeeper which I've done in the past. Unfortunately it was a cloudy day and the phone (obviously) could not get an accurate satelliteposition. Why do I say obviously? I was pushing myself pretty hard and in spite of a previous 10:02 magic mile, the phone announced that I had run 1/2 mile in close to 6 minutes and 1 mile in around 13. Clearly that was not accurate. Timing myself against my Nike+ I got 9:40 but it occurred to me that 1. My Nike+ is not always accurate and 2. I didn't know the distance on my Nike+ when I started timing myself. I stopped timing myself when the Nike+ was at 1.52 miles but what did it say when I started? And third... I was running on some hills. They weren't major hills but they were hills.

I need to try the magic mile again. I found out that the track at the university is open so (even though it will be boring), I am going to plan to time myself there next week for an accurate magic mile. Nonetheless... if my magic mile was really 9:40, what would my race pace and finish prediction be? With a magic mile of 9:40, I should do training runs at 13:34 and do my race at 11:36 or 2:31. Wow. I'll be really interested to see about that magic mile and I'd be thrilled to run my HM under 2:35.

Last Magic Mile

I ran my 4th and final magic mile yesterday. I had hoped to do it in under 10 minutes and just missed. At first I was worried that my GPS was not working but it seemed to even out within the first few minutes of my turning it on. I think the mile distance was accurate. My magic mile time was 10:02 which is sort of disappointing but I'm also pretty pleased with my improvement throughout this training - from 11:22 to 10:02. I know that part of that is just learning curve but I think some is running better. My predicted finish time is now 2:37. That would be a 13 minute improvement from February so that seems like a reasonable and challenging goal.

Third Magic Mile

I ran my third magic mile this morning. I wasn't at the track but I have my RunKeeper app set to announce my time, distance, pace etc. every 1/2 mile so I don't have to keep looking at it. I walked a warm-up, then ran most of the first mile and then walked a minute. Then I started running and when the app said I was at 1 mile, I hit the timer on the watch. The first 1/2 mile goes up a slight incline. Then I reached a red light and had to wait 25+ seconds. I subtracted those seconds although I guess I did get the benefit of lowering my HR during that rest. I walked across the street for safety (in the dark) and then starting running. The first 1/5 of a mile or so is a slight downhill and the rest is pretty level. The time on my watch was 10:37 so if I subtract 20 seconds to offset the standing at the light/lowering my HR I get 10:17.

So my times have been:

Magic Mile #	Date	Time	Predicted HM Finish
1	06/28/2011	11:22	2:58
2	07/07/2011	10:41	2:46
3	08/03/2011	10:17	2:40

Week #3 (more on that later) Half-Marathon Training

I had a very good week of running and walking this week. Since I was on vacation, I got to workout in the daylight which meant it was warmer than I'm used to but also meant I could see and could listen to various podcasts. I totaled over 33 miles which may be my highest weekly mileage ever.

Sunday - Scheduled long run of 6.0 miles. 1:33, 6.87 miles (13:40/mile). That included a 5 minute warm-up, 10 minute warm-down, and 1:1 ratio.
Monday - Walked 1:04, 3.55 miles (18:08/mile).
Tuesday - Scheduled 35 minute run with a magic mile. I missed it entirely.
Wednesday - 1:28, 4.76 miles (18:35/mile).
Thursday - Scheduled 35 minute run. 51:31 4.18 miles (12:19/mile). That included 5 minute warm-up, 10 minute warm-down, and a 10:41 magic mile. Run/walk ratios varied.
The day also included an hour of kayaking, and taking the kids to Deep Eddy which was super awesome.
Friday - I walked home from the car place after dropping off the car for an inspection (they were out of stickers and said it would be a few hours). 51:02, 3.66 miles (13:55/mile). That speed seems quite strange but I actually used the GPS to get the mileage right. Then we walked to and from lunch which was about a mile each way and very hot. Coming home, I pretty much carried one of the kids or ChocolateDaughter's balance bike the entire way.
Saturday - Scheduled 7.5 mile (which I thought was a 7.0 mile run). 1:47 7.76 mile (13:49/mile) including 5 minute warm-up, 10 mile warm-down. I used a 1;1 ratio most of the time (31 times), then switched to 30:45 second. It was a very very hot run - about 80 when I walked out the door and up to about 86 by the time I got home.

Last Week's Runs

Sunday - Was supposed to be a LSR of 5.0 miles. I went 5.65 in 1:15 which included walk to warm-up and warm-down. I started with a 2:1 ratio and then dropped to 1:1.
Monday - Walked 3.12 in 54 minutes at lunch. It was darned hot.
Tuesday - Ran 46 minutes - 3.37 miles. Walk warm up and warm down and 4:1 otherwise. I did my first magic mile in 11:22.
Thursday - 54 minutes. 3.76. Walk warmup and down. 3:1 otherwise.
Thursday - 18 minutes. 1.05 miles. Walked to and from haircut from tire place. Brutally hot.
Friday - 48 minute walk. 2.58 miles.
Saturday - 1:09 walk. 3.64 miles. First with ChocolateDaughter. Then without.

First Magic Mile

I did my first magic mile this morning while out on my 35 minute run. I actually tried to do one the week before last but I had marked the mile out a few days earlier in the neighborhood and when it came time to actually run the mile, I couldn't decide which concrete square and manhole cover marked the finish line. It might have been the one I hit at 9:59 or maybe at 10:40 or maybe the one past that.

To avoid any confusion today, I looked at my GPS when I started, then took it out of my waist pack when I neared the end. My time was 11:22. That doesn't sound so bad until I use the formula to figure out my predicted half-marathon pace. 2:58. 2.58?! I ran 2:50 in the spring! 2:58?! Honestly, I have in my head a thought of running a 2:40 or better half-marathon in the Fall. My predicted half-marathon time wouldn't become 2:40 unless I get my magic mile down to 10:11 which seems pretty unlikely. Arggghhh.

The training program calls for either 2 or 3 more magic miles so we'll see if I can get faster with training. I guess the good news is that with the walk breaks I am feeling very good about my runs in spite of the heat.