March Training Recap

Recap:
* Completed a 9 miler with ease – feeling strong at the finish. Then came to the conclusion – > the main reason I feel so crappy at the end of my races is that I’m pushing my old body to hard. So despite my interval running, cross training, healthy eating, I’m still slowing down...and there is nothing I can do about it. A depressing development that I will have to deal with.
* Completed 1247 sit-ups. Part of the twohundredsitups program.
* New kicks finally! Inevitably stayed with NIKE AIR PEGASUS.
I put 650 miles on my last pair.

* Included 8 core workouts with a few weight training sessions mixed in.
* 5x 800s with an 8:27 Holding pattern here too… geez
* 1 month and 1 day before the Eugene Marathon (Running the half.)

Considering:
* Stop competing in races for awhile. Think of all the money I will save!
* Renting a kayak.
* Going to the desert on a Horse With No Name
* Eating an entire chocolate bunny!

Question of the Week: from TNTcoach Ken:
"What is the worst part of your longest run in training? Is it the last few miles? The middle miles when the brain plays tricks on you?"
Dear Ken,
It’s the first 3 miles… I can’t stop thinking about how much further my feet have to take me - so I naturally speed up. This is bad because I’m actually supposed to run these long runs slow. (According to Galloway.)
Any suggestions?

Notable Podcast: of the month goes to Pete Larson of Runblogger Episode #15 is on running science, V02 max and running economy. Important stuff about how our body makes and uses energy.
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Runscapes #8

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Tiger Balm - An Old Friend

• “Originally named for containing tiger bone, an ingredient in traditional Chinese medicine dating back 1,500 years to treat pain.”

Fortunately today, the ingredients exclude this component...
I have several jars (tins) of Tiger Balm laying about the house. I use it for an assortment of elements ... anything from a sore toe to an aching back. It’s like my own secret panacea!
It’s not just the warming action that is therapeutic but the scent. I love the smell. Sometimes I rub it on my temples to preempt a headache.
(Just don’t get this stuff in your eyes.)
The scent is from a combination of clove, cassia (cinnamon) and cajuput oils. I find it comforting and reviving.

Smell

• “It is the only sense that does not have to go through the digestive tract or spinal cord to be processed. It immediately goes to the brain and elicits a response.” – NAHA

What scents do you find therapeutic?

The Complete Book of Essential Oils and Aromatherapy

FYI
Scientists estimate that there are now only 3,200 tigers left in the wild : (
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Dreams of Hayward Field

In my dreams…. running around Hayward Field as the crowd cheers. Finishing strong as the timer blinks away the seconds…

"People want to come down and jog a lap on Hayward Field and think 'Pre' is running alongside them step by step…" Oregon coach Vin Lananna

All through the last 3 Eugene Marathons, the gates were locked – we could only peer in and wonder...
This year the Eugene Marathon will finish with a lap around this hallowed landmark!
Apparently the original Nike-OTC Marathon in Eugene started and finished on Hayward.
I discovered this tidbit of trivia while standing in a Porta-Potty line-up during the Inaugural Eugene Marathon. (Actually reborn 2007 event.)
A sage looking runner – with head band and baggy shorts said he came up from California for this marathon to reminisce and renew his youth. He had a lot of talk about NIKE and why its headquarters were no longer in Eugene…, but I will save that for another day. He had run the Eugene Marathon in 1982! And running along with him - Joan Benoit ! She set the American record that year with a 2:26:11 and won $20,000!

Other tidbits about Hayward Field:

• It was originally a football field 1919.
• It wasn’t till 1970 that it became just a track and field venue.
• Hosted four US Olympic Track and Field Trials.
• And will be the place for the 2012 Track and Field Olympic Trials!

For a brief moment I too will be an elite athlete following the footsteps of champions as I round that final curve.

Image (mine) 2008 Olympic Trials
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Runscapes #7

Yes, I was actually running in sunshine!
And it was an enjoyable run until I got CLIF GEL all over me…
~
Moby Dick (1956 film)
Moby Dick (the book) by Herman Melville
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Training Recap for February

Recap:

• Ran 70.34 miles (Hey, it was a short month.)
• Managed to fit in 8 core workouts. These are fun workouts that I’ve been mixing up to include lifting weights and swinging the kettlebell.
• Started the twohundredsitups program as part of the core workout. If you haven’t tried this program yet – add it to your list! Since I already do sit-ups 3x a week, my body should respond favorable.
• Ran an 8:37
• Experimented with a Clif Quench Sport Drink during an 8 miler. Sorry Clif but I didn’t like the salty taste. However, I did flourish on the sugar content and felt like I could have gone another couple of miles.
• Competed in a 4 mile race - Truffle Shuffle. Struggled through with a head cold (I never get sick!) Lost 3 minutes from last year’s time. Not good for the Ego. I was depressed for awhile… I need to compare times to runners in my age group – not my past PRs.

Considering:

• Getting back on the bike (I’m a fair weather rider) for my cross training days.
• Setting up the Nike+ iPod. Different dynamics than the Garmin. (It has male or female voice feedback :)
• Clif Shot Gel
• Slowing down my long runs. Galloway suggests 12 min miles for a training pace.
• Do a pace test mile every week to revive my spirit.
• Take my amphipod bottle out for a test run.

Read this at Active. com

“Female runners training more than 20 miles a week included weight training three times a week for 10 weeks. These runners then performed treadmill tests at 6:30, 7:00, and 7:30 minutes per mile. They used 3.8 percent less oxygen at the fastest pace, increasing to 4.0 percent and 4.5 percent at the slower paces… These levels of improvement could clip a couple of minutes off 10K times.”

Pondering this Running Until You're 100
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