Heading to the 2014 Virgin Money London Marathon

It's been a while since my last blog post, but I wanted to finalize my spring plans before starting up again. I've also been working with Starting Line Designs on the redesign of my blog and social media accounts. It's been fun tossing around ideas, and I'm pleased with what he's come up with. We'll have a couple more projects together in the future.

I'm excited to be part of an incredibly deep field for the 2014 London Marathon. There are a couple other athletes with similar goals to mine in the race, which makes it a perfect situation. I'll discuss more details on that later. Even though I'll be doing my first spring marathon, I also plan on having a short, late track season. I don't want to leave the shorter stuff yet, and I'll have plenty of time to prepare for a few races in Europe after London. I think it's important to maintain a balance between different types of training throughout the year.

I plan sharing my weekly log again for this build-up, starting with last week's training. It will not differ a lot in structure to the build-up for NYC. I was pleased with that block of training even though it didn't fully reflect in New York. I'm looking to take another incremental step forward between now and April 13th.

Over the last couple of weeks I have been seriously debating whether or not to go to altitude for the earlier segment of this build-up. I have never had a full stint of altitude training, so I am still a bit nervous of giving it a go before such an important race. I have to thank Robert Chapman for sharing his research with me this last week during my decision making progress. It certainly seems there is something to be gained, but Dave Smith and I ultimately came to the conclusion that we should stick with what we've been doing at least through London, and consider altitude more seriously in the spring, when there is not something as significant as London on the horizon. I think I still have a lot to gain in the marathon by continuing to pound out the miles and tough workouts at sea-level.

Here is last week's training, which was 14 weeks from London. The first few weeks will consist of some faster, shorter workouts to keep from getting stale through 3 months of the same pace. It will also help me prepare for a tune-up race which is yet to be decided. Thanks for reading, and I look forward to interacting with everyone again through my blog!

Week 1	AM	PM	Strength/Drills	Mileage
Monday	12 + drills and grass strides	6	40 minutes core	18
Tuesday	10 x 1 mile starting 4:57 and working down to 4:42	off		16
Wednesday	11.5	5.5		17
Thursday	10x200 meter hills	5	1 hour	17
Friday	4 mile tempo in 18:51	5		17
Saturday	11.5	5.5	40 minutes core	17
Sunday	20 mile long run, pushing miles 15 to 18 @ 4:58			20
				122

New York Marathon Afterthoughts

I'd like to start by thanking the incredible crowd and all the supporters in New York. It was an amazing feeling to have people screaming your name for 26.2 miles on a frigid, windy day. You all made it an unforgettable experience, and I hope to relive it next year. I would also like to thank the New York Road Runners for taking care of me from the moment I stepped off the plane. Everyone was delighted to go the extra mile to make sure the athletes had everything they needed for a great race. Thank you David and Jane Monti, and Mary Wittenberg for a flawless effort during such a complicated and demanding event. 

As for the race, I would have liked to have finished a bit stronger than I did. I thought my training reflected better fitness than my result, but that is all a part of racing the marathon. You never know what will happen on the day. I definitely gave it all I had and have no regrets. It was frustrating to only get two of my seven Powerbar bottles at fluid stations, but I tried to adjust the best I could. It's difficult to say what kind of an effect this had on the result, but it wasn't positive. The matter is still being looked into, but it seems that another athlete may have been taking my bottles by mistake. Bad luck. I am honored to be the first American in such a deep field and under some tough conditions. I believe races like this help build character and mental toughness and will be very helpful in my future marathon endeavors. 

Eva and I are in the middle of packing for our trip to Patagonia. I'm looking forward to the mental and physical break from training, but I know that once the soreness subsides I'll be itching to get back to training. The 10-day hike will be demanding enough to keep training out of my thoughts for a healthy amount of time. After giving myself some time to reflect, Dave, my agent (Jurrie), and I will start to discuss options for the spring. 

Below is my entire build-up for the marathon for anyone interested in taking a look. I plan on posting the same way going into my next marathon, so feel free to comment or start a dialogue with me. I love talking about training and am always interested in speaking to those with more marathon experience than myself. I'm pumped to have signed on with Brooks for another 3 years! They have supported me since I graduated from Oklahoma State, and it will continue through the 2016 Olympics. I would not still be running competitively without them. Keep that in mind when you buy your next pair of shoes or winter running gear ;) Brooks cares about American distance running. I'll post some pictures from Patagonia, and I'm looking forward to a big spring racing season!

Week 1	AM	PM	Strength/Drills	Mileage
Monday	12 + drills and grass strides	6		18
Tuesday	4 mile tempo @ 19:20	5	1 hour	17
Wednesday	11.5	5.5		17
Thursday	15		1 hour	15
Friday	15 x 200 @ 30-32, 200 jog recovery	7		17
Saturday	11.5	5.5	40 minutes core	17
Sunday	10 mile tempo @ 5:10			19
				120
Week 2	AM	PM	Strength/Drills	Mileage
Monday	13 miles + drills and grass strides	5		18
Tuesday	13	5	1 hour	18
Wednesday	15 x 200 @ 30-32, 200 jog recovery	5		18
Thursday	15		1 hour	15
Friday	13	5	30 minutes core	18
Saturday	Tempo Session: 3 mile (72s), 2 mile (71s), 1 mile (70s) on track	5		18
Sunday	Long Run			20
				125
Week 3	AM	PM	Strength/Drills	Mileage
Monday	13 miles + drills and grass strides	6		19
Tuesday	10 x 1 mile starting @ 4:58 and working down to 4:42	5	1 hour	20
Wednesday	12.5	6		18.5
Thursday	12.5	6	1 hour	18.5
Friday	13 miles + drills and grass strides	5.5		18.5
Saturday	3 mile tempo @ 71.9s, 10 mile run @ 5:50, 3 mile tempo @70.9s + warm-up & cool down			22
Sunday	12.5	6	40 minutes core	18.5
				135
Week 4	AM	PM	Strength/Drills	Mileage
Monday	13 miles + drills and grass strides	6		19
Tuesday	15	6	1 hour	21
Wednesday	8 x mile with 2 minute jog rest, started 4:47 & finished 4:30	off		15
Thursday	11.5	5.5	1 hour	17
Friday	8 x 200 meter hills following 1 hour run	5.5		17
Saturday	Planned day off		30 minutes core	0
Sunday	15 mile tempo @4:59 (6 mile warm-up/cool down)	off		21
TOTAL				110
Week 5	AM	PM	Strength/Drills	Mileage
Monday	15	6	40 minutes core	21
Tuesday	12	8x200 meter hills		21
Wednesday	Tempo, 3.5, 2.5, 1.5 miles (rest: 3 min, 2 min) @ 4:50, 4:45, 4:40	7	1 hour	21
Thursday	12	9		21
Friday	90 minute run followed by 8x200 meter hills	4.5		21
Saturday	14	7	40 minutes core	21
Sunday	24 miles, pushing miles 17 to 20 (19:48 for 4 miles)	off		24
TOTAL				150
Week 6	AM	PM	Strength/Drills	Mileage
Monday	75 minute run followed by 8 x 200 meter hills	6	40 minutes core	20
Tuesday	13	6		19
Wednesday	7 x mile, starting 4:46 and ending 4:24. 3 minutes rest	5	1 hour	20
Thursday	16	off		16
Friday	75 minute run followed by 8 x 200 meter hills	5		18.5
Saturday	9.5	9	30 minutes core	18.5
Sunday	4 mile tempo in 19:06, 10 mile run in 58:00, 3 mile tempo in 14:12	off		23
TOTAL				135
Week 7	AM	PM	Strength/Drills	Mileage
Monday	15	6	40 minutes core	21
Tuesday	75 minutes followed by 8 x 200 meter hills	6		21
Wednesday	6	14	1 hour	20
Thursday	6 x 1 mile starting @ 4:43 and finishing @ 4:20 on track	6		21
Friday	11	10		21
Saturday	15	5	30 minutes core	20
Sunday	27 mile long run, push miles 19-23 @ 19:44	off		27
TOTAL				151
Week 8	AM	PM	Strength/Drills	Mileage
Monday	12.5	6	40 minutes core	18.5
Tuesday	14	5		19
Wednesday	4 mile, 3 mile, 2 mile, 1 mile tempo (19:13, 14:18, 9:25, 4:32)	off		18
Thursday	14	6	1 hour	20
Friday	10 + drills and strides	9		19
Saturday	12.5	6	30 minutes core	18.5
Sunday	16 mile tempo (119:22 – 4:57.6) + warm-up/cool down	off		22
TOTAL				135
Week 9	AM	PM	Strength/Drills	Mileage
Monday	15	6	40 minutes core	21
Tuesday	12 + drills and grass strides	9		21
Wednesday	15	6.5	40 minutes core	21.5
Thursday	4.5	4 mile tempo, 30 min run, 4 mile tempo (19:06, 18:58) – 18.5 miles total		23
Friday	13	8	30 minutes core	21
Saturday	15	6		21
Sunday	5.5	16 miles + 6 x 200 meter hills		21.5
TOTAL				150
Week 10	AM	PM	Strength/Drills	Mileage
Monday	9 miles (cut run short due to hamstring/knee pain)	off	40 minutes core	9
Tuesday	off due to hamstring/knee pain	off		0
Wednesday	7	10 x 1 km 3:01 to 2:55 w/ 100 meter jog recovery	40 minutes core	19
Thursday	6	12		17
Friday	10 + drills and strides	5		15
Saturday	7	5		12
Sunday	San Jose Rock 'n' Roll Half-Marathon	off		21
TOTAL				93
Week 11	AM	PM	Strength/Drills	Mileage
Monday	10.5 easy	4.5		15
Tuesday	15 + drills and strides	5	20 minutes core	20
Wednesday	14	6	40 minutes strength	20
Thursday	13	30 minutes + 8 x 200 meter hills		20
Friday	Fartlek (5 min, 4, 3)(4, 3, 2)(3, 2, 1) – 14 miles	5	40 minutes core	19
Saturday	14.5	6.5		21
Sunday	14 + drills and strides	5.5		20
TOTAL				135
Week 12	AM	PM	Strength/Drills	Mileage
Monday	22 mile long run w/ push from 16-20 @4:56	off		22
Tuesday	14.5	off	20 minutes core	14.5
Wednesday	12.5	5	30 minutes strength/core	17.5
Thursday	4 miles (4:49), 3 min rest, 3 x 2 miles (4:46, 44, 41), 2 min rest	off		16
Friday	5.5	11.5	Strength/Drills – 1 hour	17
Saturday	12.5	4.5		17
Sunday	3 mile w/u, 3 mile, 2 mile, 1 mile (4:43, 4:38, 4:38) + 60 min run	5.5		19
TOTAL				123
Week 13	AM	PM	Strength/Drills	Mileage
Monday	12.5	4.5	45 minutes	17
Tuesday	12.5 + drills and strides	4.5		17
Wednesday	12.5	4.5	30 minutes	17
Thursday	4 x 2 miles @ 9:32	off		14
Friday	11.5	5.5	30 minutes	17
Saturday	7 + drills and strides	off		7
Sunday	16			16
TOTAL				105
Week 13	AM	PM	Strength/Drills	Mileage
Monday	10	4.5	30 minutes	14.5
Tuesday	5 x 1k @ 2:57	4.5		16
Wednesday	Travel to NYC	9		9
Thursday	9	off		9
Friday	7 +drills and strides	off	30 minutes	7.5
Saturday	6	off		6
Sunday	Race			27
TOTAL				89

Less than a week to the ING New York City Marathon: Last week's training.

The marathon is just days away, and all of the hard work is behind me. Last week included only one workout and a moderate long run of 16 miles. The 4 x 2 mile session on Thursday was kept under control and felt very smooth. The weather has continued its outstanding stretch for a Portland fall which is a nice mental and physical boost. I remember having a few tough marathon workouts last fall with barely above freezing rains that would soak through anything I was wearing. At that point it is worse than snow as the cold water numbs and tightens all muscles. It looks like I'm in the clear all the way to race day. I can't complain about the Sunday forecast either; currently it's showing a low of 37 and high of 55 with no rain. 

I have spent the last week studying the course and trying to finalize a race plan. I will be spending the rest of this week trying to not spend every waking second obsessing over the race as this can be stressful and mentally exhausting. My wife and I have planned a trip to Chile, Argentina, and Patagonia a couple days after the race, so I can distract myself by organizing the final details. We always try to take advantage of down times in training and post marathon is the perfect time. We'll spend my two weeks off hiking through Patagonia and spend the other two weeks slowly ramping miles back up in a relaxed setting. There are very few times during the year that I can pursue other interests, so it will be a nice way to completely remove my head from running for a couple weeks and hopefully celebrate a successful New York result. 

For anyone interested, you can now look at my entire marathon build up by looking at each week's blog post, and before the race I will post it all together. Thanks again for reading.

Week 13	AM	PM	Strength/Drills	Mileage
Monday	12.5	4.5	45 minutes	17
Tuesday	12.5 + drills and strides	4.5		17
Wednesday	12.5	4.5	30 minutes	17
Thursday	4 x 2 miles @ 9:32	off		14
Friday	11.5	5.5	30 minutes	17
Saturday	7 + drills and strides	off		7
Sunday	16			16
TOTAL				105

2 Weeks to the ING New York City Marathon: Last week's training

The NYC Marathon is approaching quickly, and the bulk of my training is winding down. The workout intensity was high this last week, but the volume is dropping. The intensity and volume will be falling significantly over the last two weeks. The work is done, and the challenge now is to maintain control of all the energy that is developing from a combination of the taper and nerves. It's always difficult to predict marathon fitness, especially on a course that I've never run before, but I can say for sure that my fitness level is significantly higher than when I ran my 2:11:45 in Fukuoka last year.

This particular 7-day block ended up having 3 workouts squeezed into it, which is unusual for my marathon training, but my long run was pushed back due to the half-marathon in San Jose which pushed things closer together. Also, the Monday long run did not have a push scheduled into it because my coach and I were expecting me to still be recovering from the half-marathon, but I felt good enough to get Dave's approval for a push from 16 to 20 miles @4:56 pace in some nasty weather. I went to Oklahoma to get away from the cold fall rain of Portland and ended up getting dumped on for each of the 22 miles. The other days in Stillwater were excellent though.

The Thursday workout was definitely the toughest but really the last one of the season with that kind of volume and intensity. I started with a 4 mile tempo at 19:15 (4:49) with three minutes rest, followed by 3 x 2 miles with two minutes rest (4:46, 4:44, 4:41). These were again done on the track. I don't do a ton of repeat workouts at that 10+ mile range, but when I do, the quality is high. As I progress in the marathon I expect to integrate more of the high volume repeats into my marathon training blocks. Sunday was a familiar combination of tempo pace mixed into a long run, but this time all the tempo effort miles were at the beginning with a longer run following. This was simply to make it a lighter workout after the ten miles of work on Thursday. There won't be much to write about in terms of training over the next two weeks, but I will be focusing on getting plenty of sleep, recovering, staying healthy, and staying out of trouble. Thanks again for reading, and I'll post again next week.

Week 12	AM	PM	Strength/Drills	Mileage
Monday	22 mile long run w/ push from 16-20 @4:56	off		22
Tuesday	14.5	off	20 minutes core	14.5
Wednesday	12.5 + drills and strides	5	30 minutes strength/core	17.5
Thursday	4 miles (4:49), 3 min rest, 3 x 2 miles (4:46, 44, 41), 2 min rest	off		16
Friday	5.5	11.5	Strength/Drills – 1 hour	17
Saturday	12.5	4.5		17
Sunday	3 mile w/u, 3 mile, 2 mile, 1 mile (4:43, 4:38, 4:38) + 60 min run	5.5		19
TOTAL				123

3 Weeks to the ING New York City Marathon: Last week's training

I'm happy to report that the tendonitis issue I was dealing with has not returned. I had a light week in terms of workouts but still got in good volume. Other than an easy day following the half-marathon, I averaged 20 miles a day the rest of the week. We actually didn't have any workouts scheduled for this last week because we weren't sure how I'd feel after the half. I recovered well, and I was able to hammer the Fartlek on Friday.  From now until New York I will drop about 15 miles each week as I start to rest. The quality of the workouts will be fairly high for one more week and then start to diminish in volume and intensity. It's hard to believe NYC is so close and that the hardest training is behind me. Tapering may be the least enjoyable part of a marathon build up for me. I feel as though I'm losing fitness, and I start to generate a lot of nervous energy as the training winds down. I realize that I'm not actually losing fitness, but the feeling lingers.

It's been great to spend time in Stillwater with my coach and get some training in on the miles and miles of hilly dirt roads. October and November are by far the best months in terms of weather to train in Oklahoma, and I hope to take advantage of that and the facilities for a longer period of time next fall. It's been great to see the Cowboy Cross Country team as well. I definitely miss the team aspect of training for a common goal. They've been busting their tails at 6:00 AM most of the fall and are looking extremely focused and fit. I wish them the best of luck as the important part of the season approaches. Thanks again for reading, and I'll post again next week. 

Week 11 AM PM Strength/Drills Mileage Monday 10.5 easy 4.5 15 Tuesday 15 + drills and strides 5 20 minutes core 20 Wednesday 14 6 40 minutes strength 20 Thursday 13 30 minutes + 8 x 200 meter hills 20 Friday Fartlek (5 min, 4, 3)(4, 3, 2)(3, 2, 1) – 14 miles 5 40 minutes core 19 Saturday 14.5 6.5 21 Sunday 14 + drills and strides 5.5 20 TOTAL 135
				135

4 Weeks to ING New York City Marathon: Last Week's Training

The New York City Marathon is less than a month away, and I've got my half-marathon tune-up under my belt. Before I talk about the race, I want to share an injury scare that I experienced last week. The day after finishing my last 150 mile week, my run began with a tight lower hamstring. As the run progressed the pain moved down the side of my knee and eventually to the front of the knee. It became painful enough to force me to stop my run early. Hoping it was a fluke, I tried heading out for a run in the afternoon, but stopped after 90 seconds as the pain immediately returned. I ran inside and called Dr. John Howell at Portland Integrated and made an appointment for the following morning. He was confident right away that it was tendinitis as the pain trail I pointed out perfectly followed the tendon. We started rehab with massage, ultra-sound, stem, ice, and an anti-inflammatory. I took Tuesday completely off. On Wednesday morning the pain was still there, but it had improved. I decided to give my schedule workout of 10 x 1km a shot that afternoon, and the improvement was significant. Each day forward it felt better and better until Saturday, the day before the San Jose half-marathon, I was pain free and have remained so since, although I am continuing to ice regularly. Fortunately I only had to take a day and a half off before returning to full training. Although the weekly mileage shown is quite low, the daily average is still fairly high when taking into account the missing day and a half. From Wednesday forward I was able to stick to our original plan. Athletes have to deal with these things all the time, so I don't mean to blow this situation out of proportion. It was a moment of fear and anxiety followed by a commitment to doing everything necessary to not let a case of tendinitis hinder me any more than it did. A day and a half off will not set me back in the slightest, and sometimes a forced break is exactly what we need. I am ecstatic to be fully on track in my NYC preparations. I can't thank Dr. Howell enough for donating his time and making himself available all week.

The half-marathon in San Jose went well. It was challenging to determine what pace I was ready to run for a half-marathon coming off of a 150 mile week. Because of this I was afraid to push the pace early. Fernando Cabada, Dylan Wykes, and I pushed through 10 miles at around 4:49 pace. At 10 miles I was still feeling very strong and decided to test myself over the last 3. I was able to pull away and average in the low 4:40s, finishing at 62:45. This is not a blistering half-marathon, but I was pleased at how comfortable 4:50 pace felt through the earlier stages in the race. Picking up a win against a couple of 62 minute half-marathoners is always a confidence booster. Considering my volume and intensity over the last 6 weeks, I think it's a great sign before having tapered.

I will put in one more week at around 130 miles, and then drop each week leading to the marathon. I have recovered well from the half, but will still keep the workouts fairly light this week. I'm happy to be back in Stillwater, OK for a mini training camp during some excellent weather. October is undoubtedly the best time of year to be in Oklahoma. It's been a blast checking out all the new facilities and hanging out with my coach and the team. There are a few guys left that were around my last year, but after this year that won't be the case, and I'll be officially old. After seeing the new track, locker rooms, medical room, team room, alter-g, and their training table (cafeteria available only to OSU athletes), I think there are very few professional runners in the world being treated better. I will have to make another extended training camp trip here later in the year. Thanks again for reading, and I'll post again next week.

Week 10	AM	PM	Strength/Drills	Mileage
Monday	9 miles (cut run short due to hamstring/knee pain)	off	40 minutes core	9
Tuesday	off due to hamstring/knee pain	off		0
Wednesday	7	10 x 1 km 3:01 to 2:55 w/ 100 meter jog recovery	40 minutes core	19
Thursday	6	12		17
Friday	10 + drills and strides	5		15
Saturday	7	5		12
Sunday	San Jose Rock 'n' Roll Half-Marathon	off		21
TOTAL				93

5 Weeks to ING New York City Marathon: Last week's training

My last 150 mile week is finished, and now I can focus gearing up for a tune-up half-marathon in San Jose on the 6th. I will still keep my mileage close to 120 miles the week of the half to make sure I hit the race a little fatigued and do not peak a month out of NYC. My workout load was light this week due to my 16 mile tempo from the previous week. Dave Smith was worried I'd be pretty beat up, so we didn't schedule a workout until Thursday. The few days of easy running seemed to be enough, as I was able to run 19:06 and 18:58 for two 4 mile tempos with a 5 mile run at 6:00 pace in between. My ability to come back after a solid 16 mile tempo with 8 miles of work at half-marathon pace shows that we have the effort pretty well dialed in right now. I'm looking forward to seeing what I can do in San Jose, but the focus is obviously maintaining volume and strength for New York. I'm very pleased with my fitness right now, and I almost wish New York was closer. I'm ready to race.

Hopefully the trip to Oklahoma following San Jose will give me a break from the recent relentless rain in Portland. Even though the month of September was fairly dry up until last week, the rain from the last 5 days has been enough to push Portland over the record for rainfall in the month of September. It's been a brutal few days, but fortunately I didn't have any hard training sessions scheduled during that time...just lots of puddle pounding miles. Thanks again for reading, and I'll post again after the half-marathon in San Jose this weekend.

Week 9	AM	PM	Strength/Drills	Mileage
Monday	15	6	40 minutes core	21
Tuesday	12 + drills and grass strides	9		21
Wednesday	15	6.5	40 minutes core	21.5
Thursday	4.5	4 mile tempo, 30 min run, 4 mile tempo (19:06, 18:58) – 18.5 miles total		23
Friday	13	8	30 minutes core	21
Saturday	15	6		21
Sunday	5.5	16 miles + 6 x 200 meter hills		21.5
TOTAL				150