Fantastic Mileage Week

Do you ever have a perfect week in running? This was a perfect week in terms of overall mileage on the road and my overall perception of the week. Since being selected to Pace the 4:30 finish time for the Salt Lake City Marathon i've been extra motivated to meet my BQ goal in June. This past week we added our 4th day to our training.

We've been working on building our endurance to the point where we could comfortably add a 4th day to our training regimen. A lady in our neighborhood asked if she could join us on our long runs for the week. Up until this point, our long run was on Monday. This worked best because of schedules. It was easier to take off mid-day on monday for a 3 hour run then working one in on Saturday. The guy I run with is also a Boy Scout leader and he's gone at least one Saturday a month on a camp out.

Here's how the week went:
Monday: Long run of 18 miles. It was quite a change from the week before when we ran 16.5. One thing we both noticed was how important some sort of caloric intake is needed during a long run. We didn't take a GU until about mile 13 which was probably 5 miles later than we should have. By mile 14, we were both struggling.

Tuesday: off

Wednesday: 8 mile suncrest hill. This is the hill that make novices wet themselves. It's a steep climb up and a fast down. If you want a long climb to prep your calves, this is the hill. We parked toward the start of the climb so we wouldn't have all the preliminary miles to go before starting the climb. It was hard. I was dying. It was worth it.

Friday: 8 miles flat. The goal was to stay close to an 8:00 pace the whole time. I don't know if I was still recovering from suncrest or if I was just off, but it was awful. My shins burned the whole time. An 8 min/mile seemed to be near impossible. I wasn't thrilled with the run.

Saturday: 18 miles with an additional runner. After Friday, I was wondering if I would make it even 5 miles. It took about 4 miles to get the muscles stretched out and ready for the run, but it turned out well. We added a lady from our neighborhood who is running the same race we are in June. She asked for something between 16-18 for this run. We chose 18 thinking that it might be a stretch for her, but not too bad. About 6 miles into the run, we found out that her longest run in about 4-5 months has been 12. Oops! By the end of the run (which turned out to be 19 because we dropped her off and then ran back home) she was pretty spent.

53 miles for the week! That is a major accomplishment. I used to wonder what it would be like to hit 50+ miles and now I know. It requires a lot of time on the road.

As a reward for my massive miles, I picked up a new pair of shoes. The ones I had for the 19 mile run are looking more and more like racing flats. I probably won't retire them, but they will get significantly less miles. Welcome Brooks Launch to my running regimen.

This week, my running friend is in Cancun. I'll pull back on my miles a little, but still get in four days. I'm actually really excited for the next few months to see what I can do to increase my miles from here.

I HAVE A RACE!!

Something is different in the air. Can you smell it? Feel it? Taste it? It's not the same type of smell you'd discover walking into a room full of toddlers. It's not the smell/feel associated with a 75 lb dog coming up and welcoming you home. What could it be...........?

I HAVE A RACE!!! 

Sort of.....

I'll explain.

On April 21, 2012 I will be participating in the Salt Lake City Marathon. The group I paced with last year offered me a spot to pace either full or the half. Of course, this means I get in for free. BONUS! 

In the past, I've only paced the half marathons, but since I am in training for the Utah Valley Marathon in June and am putting in close to 40 miles per week I'm going for the full monte. The key to pacing is to choose a pace that is comfortable to run. As a pacer, I am not out to get any PRs. Instead, my whole goal is to encourage all those with me to get their PR. I'll be pacing the 4 hour 15 min group. Last year I ran this marathon and finished in 3:55. It wasn't a stellar race and I didn't feel great about it. This year, I'll be aiming to finish 20 minutes slower so I'm not overly concerned. I will make sure that I follow all my normal pre-race routine (get their early for the honey buckets, drink plenty days before the race, eat well the morning of the race, use the honey buckets again before the race starts...). I will probably pack my own water though so that I don't have to take from the aid stations as often.

Can you tell that I'm already excited about this? The only potential hang-up is that the company who put on the race in the past sold the race to another company. The previous company hadn't been paying its bills to their vendors and had earned a pretty bad reputation. The new company seems to be more on top of things, but because the sell happened so late, they may not get their permits in time for the race. That would be the only draw back.

They did send out an email showing off the new medals for this year. That is at least a step in the right direction.

I definitely need a race

I thought that after I finished the New Year's half marathon that I would be good for a while. I had high hopes that the cravings would go away. I anticipated enjoying other people talk about their running accomplishments. I expected that I would coast to the Utah Valley Marathon in June and be a pleasant well-rounded runner.

Alas....NO! I'm considering a post in the personals section. Maybe it'll go something like this.

MPWMR (Married Pasty-White Male Runner) looking for IHM (Inexpensive half marathon). MPWMR likes PRs, nice medals and plenty of post race food. MPWMR promises to speak kindly of HM up to and after the event if the t-shirts are decent and the medal good . If interested, please send application.

I was anticipating being able to pace a few upcoming races, but so far that well has dried up. In my delirious state of mind, I even considered signing up for the Salt Lake City Marathon again this year. Yeah, the very same race that threw me off so badly last year that I postponed my June 2011 marathon 'til this year. I must be delirious, but not quite to the floating on air stage that this guy is.