9 Weeks Out: Total BADASSERY!!!

 Weeks Out: Total BADASSERY! 

Wow! So, here we are . 9 weeks out. Were into single digits on weeks remaining. This week was 9 weeks out. It was also the back end of a build. I expected this to be a bit more challenging this week. What I NEVER saw coming was what I would be able to accomplish this week. 

My only Gym day was Monday. It was a workout that I have done time an time again, IT Band Strength. The thing is, sure I have done this time and time again, but I can't state how important this workout really is. If your I.T. Bands get inflamed, your as cooked as a goose. No Bueno. So, this workout is more of an Injury Prevention type deal. I really enjoy it. Sure, it does burn, but in a good way. Building those muscles, getting stronger. 

Tuesday was a little 4 mile run in a slow conversational pace. I got a lil wild, and decided, why not. I took off from over near work, and there had been this trail I had wanted to follow and check out. Seemed like a good time, so i just went for it. It was nothing more than a nature trail, but it was really serene and peaceful and I gotta say I totally enjoyed it. 

Wednesday,  I had some personal things I had to take care of. But , I still had a short run that was my trail run. Just a chance to clear my head a bit. Kept it low key and laid back. Finally got to follow the trail all the way out, and it led to a wetlands area. Very Surenen and peaceful. 

Thursday, I had another 4 miler . Same thing as Tuesday. Just slow steady conversational running. Had a decent day out. Was starting to get tired from the last 2 weeks and a lack of sleep Wednesday but I got it done. 

Friday, I was off. Saturday I had a Half-Marathon as a training run. I was meeting up with friends close to where I work. They were going for 20 , I was headed out for 13.1 . I had talked with coach. This was a race situation. Treat like an impromptu race. Same gear except for shorts since i needed pockets to house everything. Otherwise, go for it. Leave it all out there on the line. 

Saturday , Let me talk you through this. I was up at 4 am to eat and get dressed for final prep. 5 am I left out to meet up with my pals. We were off by 6. I could tell I had decently fresh legs even for this late in a build. I had 1 goal. Go throw a 2:30 down. I set my watch for a 11:26 pace. That would get me there. It was only like 64 out so it felt fantastic. The first 5k went well. It was cool so I was crusing and following a map. My buddies had planned this out for me. I took the first mile and a half out the opposite way just to get a lil hill work in. Then came back and started the same route they had for me. It was on. I was crusing. I had lost a lil bit of time around mile 6 . I was like 30 seconds off my pace. I was OK. I was trying to stay steady and not use all my energy. It was so cool I didn't even think about water. Until mile 8. I started to cramp. Badly. I looked and saw how much fluid I still had. DUMMY. DRINK. But once you get behind your kinda in trouble. I wanted to give up and take EASY street. NO! I wasn't going to do that. I got a huge splash of water, shed my shirt, and got with it. Mile 8.5 was 90 min in and I needed to take on my GEL! This was my slowest mile at 13 flat. Sad thing was, I was bleeding time around this point. It got to 6 and 7 min slower. I knew I had to go to keep the losses at a min. So, I took off again. I kept a close eye on time. I wasn't letting this get away. I kept my legs rolling. Gritting and bearing it. Yelling as I needed too. Mile 12, as I was coming back, my buddies caught me and gave me a HUGE word of Encouragement. Huge Boost like you wouldn't believe!!

I managed to finish in 2:40:12 . That is a 5 min and 15 second PR from my best half that came last year in Oak Ridge. Just blown away.  

Let me put this in perspective for you. 2 short years ago, I struggled through my first half. It took me 3 hours + . I walked out the door after 2 hard weeks of training and dropped a PR down . I am now at the point where I really don't have to think about a half. Just go out and do it. To quote my coach, that is siimply BADASS! I am still not sure if it has sunk in yet. Just hard to get the head around. 

So, were to recovery week. I can honestly say, this is one I am so ready for more than any other. The first aggressive build left me a bit tired, but I can focus on rest this week and self care and be ready for the 2nd cycle. I know I have 2 aggressive builds left and they BOTH will feature a 20 miler to get ready for that big 26.2 distance. There is also a SURPRISE that awaits me to close out build. I already know what it is, but I choose to withhold that information maybe till the specified date. HAHAHAH! Something to look forward too! HAHA! 

So, that is it for this week. A week of BADASSERY! 

Until next week- 

From one "Idiot" to another- 

John 

- IRC #2148 

10 Weeks: WHOA- That just got REAL

 Weeks: Whoa!

Whoa! Yep! 10 Weeks! That just got REAL ! This is what I have been waiting on for 16 long weeks. This week. The week where things got tougher. So lets re-cap: 

This weeks only day in the gym was Tuesday I believe. Stability Strength. I kid you not, this one whipped me. Although I got it done. It was 3 sets of 3 rotations. The first set was the toughest and got me. Squats on a Bosu ball. The key was to get those stabilizer muscles firing and stronger. If you know me, I am a form NAZI! So, it was @$$ to grass the ENTIRE 3 sets of 25 (yes 3 sets of 25) for squats. Lets just say, by mid set 2, I was dying. Sweat dripping, screaming like a heavy lifter. And all this with no weights.Then, if that wasn't enough, i had shoulder raises and bicep curls while on this bosu. Tricky would be an understatement. After the first rotation, I had 2 other rotations. Not as bad, but it was still pretty difficult. I would be lying when I said that after this workout I wasn't sore! BULL! I felt that in every part of my legs really till Friday AM. Thats how effective that was. Then,  I was let know, oh there is a legs workout that involves a BOSU! I am like, OMG! LOL! 

Run wise, this week got interesting.  4 miles on Tuesday. That seemed to be good. All in a slow conversational pace. So, I was pretty happy with that. Wednesday was a challenge. My first real taste of speed work. 1 mile at a z2, then 2 miles at a 11:24 pace, then back to a z2 to cool it down. Things went well. I was able to hit my time splits spot on, thanks to my watch having a virtual pacer, which i used. I was able to manage my speed and know when to back it down to keep on a good tempo. This is the sign of good control on the road. Its very hard to stay steady. Thankfully , all those miles previously and some treadmill running has taught me this, so I was very tickled. Friday, I took the day off to spend with friends at the Local Rivalry High School Football Game. Saturday I had my 15 miler. 

15 Miles. That was a lot of fun. And a comedy of errors. Everything from Headphones dying, to bathrooms being locked, to loosing towels, to spilling my nutrition aid, it all happend. Even the HR monitor went kaput. I could have chosen to get pissed, but I laughed about it as all in a days work and got the miles down. Up to this point, that is as big a chunk as I have ever chewed in 1 go. However, I am well aware that I am just a few weeks away from a 20 miler. We will see how that goes. 

Yesterday was all about teaching me how to run on tired legs with a tired body and Mind. I went to work a 5K to benefit the Alzheimers foundation. It was so hot. Were talking 90+ at racetime! I was at at the final water stop ! The adreneline was def pumping as I was working to keep the runners hydrated, and keep an eye on folks. I didn't realize that I got sucked into the adreniline till I went home to get my run in. I was DEAD! My legs were heavy. I honestly just wanted the couch, but knew I had 4 miles. Then, at mile 1, the skies opened. By mile 2, my feet and socks were drenched. So, its like I ran with 10lbs of weight on my shoes. By the end of 4 miles, all I had left was to walk. I got a note from coach and said totally normal. Totally. So, I am happy with that. 

Overall, this was the first week that seemed like HEY, were MARATHON training here ! LOL! The tiredness is real. Even though I am making sure to rest, I need MORE SLEEP. Also, the volume is here. Not that I cant handle it, Its just an adjustment. But what doesn't kill you makes you STRONGER! 

This week is back to the grind. Week #2 of the first REAL build cycle. This week features my old buddie in the gym, IT Band Strength. If I have seen it once, Ive seen it 10Xs, but it's so important, so totally get why it keeps re-appearing. Additionally, this week I am really licking my chops for Saturday. Sure, i have a mid week run or 2, but Saturday, all bets are off. A virtual 13.1. When I talked to coach to make sure I didn't go rouge, she informed me No chains, go get em. Just like a race. That means, race kit goes on, the whole 9 yards. I am after my best time. Period. Thats what my personal goal is. Period. I can't wait. So excited. But first to survive the week. hahah! 

So that is  it for this week. 

Until Next Week-

From One "Idiot" to another 

John 
IRC #2148

11 Weeks: Recovery

Weeks Out: Good Ole Recovery 

Goodness, I can't tell you how relieved I was for this past week. The last couple weeks seemed to drag on an on, but I made it again. Kept pushing and kept grinding. 

This week was some shorter runs during the week. This was one of the odd weeks, so I did all my running over here on the trails near where I work to keep my body guessing. I felt decent all week. Tuesday things clicked. I was able to lay down a solid 3-mile run. The best thing is, I STAYED STEADY THE ENTIRE TIME. I never broke from my tempo at all during those 3 miles . It left me so happy and pleased. Its very rare that I cry over a run , but I did have tears in my eyes after that one. Just a solid run. Wednesday I was in the gym, and had a little fun with the upper body. I did try out one set on bench at 145. If I was a lifter , and in competition, there is NO WAY that lift counts. LOL! 

Saturday was a mind game. Recovery weeks are normally a little shorter, but were getting into serious time here, so I had 12 miles. It rained at least 3x while I was out. I had to keep a nutrition journal all day as we are now working on the long run fueling plan for the race. Plenty of time to get this ironed out. Honestly I felt great Saturday. Steady as a rock. However, once I got home and got the data uploaded, I noticed my HR was outta whack. At first I really wanted to beat myself up over that, but then that lil voice from coach came into my head, step outside, look in, see what was going on. After that, It really did look like a solid run to me. Just need to pay attention a lil closer to the HR . Learning moment. 

Overall I had a restful week. The final week of the olympics was this past week, so a part of my rest this week was watching the races and then learning from the athletes. If you know what your looking at and understand it , there are tons of things to be learned in each event. It really is a very neat sport. 

So , here we are . Crunch Time . 10 weeks to go. Speed work starts to come into play this week for the rest of the way. It also begins to get tiring mentally, so I really have to focus in and keep pushing forward. Also, no more routine so to speak. Its gonna be different each week. Start having some back to back runs as well . This week brings up 15 miles. The furthest I have ever gone. I am nervous. But like coach tells me, stay in the day your in. Stay in the mile your in. It will go better that way. And she's right . So that is what I intend to do. 

Until next week: 

From One "Idiot" to another- 

-John-

IRC #2148

12 Weeks out: An Increase in Volume

 Weeks out: An Increase in Volume:

So this week was 12 weeks out. It was the end of a build and also marked an increase in mileage this week. This was the highest single week total I have had up to this point for miles. 

Things seem to go fairly well. Monday I went out and had a great run. Just a zone 2. But it was so nice and cool, and I was able to turn loose in a z2 and just go. I felt amazing. One of those runs that you just really enjoy. I never struggled or anything. Just a great trip out. Tuesday of course was strength day for the legs. The workouts never get easier, you just get better. Really pushed myself to the absolute max on every set of every rep. As strength training decreases some in volume as the miles increase, I have to make sure I am getting the max effect. It was a solid workout. Wednesday I was out for 3 miles. Just a quick little jog. It felt kinda off, but there again, that is normal after the leg work I had . Thursday was 5 miles. I got a new watch. I took it out for the first time. I gotta say, it was so nice to have an accurate display of data. I discovered on my Monday run that my fitbit was like a tenth to two tenths off . Unreal. So funny story, my hr monitor wouldn't work. when i got home i looked into it, and it was a battery. Dummy. LoL! Friday was core work day. Only took me 15 min but it was brutal hurt to laugh after. lol! 

Saturday, lets talk. HAHAH! Saturday was 10 miles. I went up to Seqoyah hills. The first 5 were ok. They were steady. By mile 5 i was dead. Beat. It had been a long 2 weeks. I knew i had to finish but it was hot i was drained and i had nothing left. I leaned on my team and they picked me up and gave me the energy to finish. 2:45 for 10 miles. Not by any stretch my best but at least i kept going and finished. 

So literally that was my week in a nutshell! 

Finally! This week is a Recovery week. FINALLY! I am dead. My legs are def feeling last week. I need this BAD! I plan to take advantage of EVERY SECOND of it. AHHH! Lower miles, some upper body , but yet a mind game Saturday as I go 12 miles! Life is grand. 

So thats it for this week. 

Until next week- 

From one "Idiot" to another 

John 

IRC #2148 

13 Weeks: Time to prepare for a INCREASE !

 Weeks Out: Increase Preparations

Last week was 13 weeks out. Honestly, this was a week at first I thought would be tough, but I was ready for it. This was a week where it finally started to sync in that were getting into the REAL part of training so to speak. Trust me, all the work that I have put in has been REAL, but this week offered up some things that I had not seen yet. So, lets get started here. 

The first thing that was different when I looked at my schedule was the increase in Volume. Let me explain. I had gotten settled into a routine of where 1 day would be in the gym, then I would run, then it would be back to the gym, then another run, the gym, a core routine that sometimes I would take to the gym, do at work, or even just do it at the house. Then Saturdays would be my long run for the week, and I would be off Sundays.  That all changed this week. 

I went back into a build cycle this week. For the first time, I got to go back to back days running. The note was HILARIOUS in my logs. It read something along the lines of : "WAIT...WHAT?!? Back to Back runs at the start of a build?!? Yes Sir! Welcome to running on Tired Legs! I'll go ahead and admit, it was a little intimidating at first, but then I welcomed it. After all, I am the one who has been asking for additional run time or more miles. LOL! So I FINALLY GOT IT! haha!  

Strength wise, it was a good week in the gym. With the Increased running time and volume, that meant a little bit of a loss of strength time. But that also meant that I needed to focus that much more, complete EVERY SET, EVERY REP, and make sure I was getting the most out of my time. Needless to say, I pushed it to the max each set, each rep. Its just who I am. I work my tail off. I know at the end of the day, when the whole thing gets put together, all those extra sets (where it says 2 sets but there is a note, can increase from 2 to 3-4 sets) will be worth it. My core workout was Saturday this week, and although it was a burner, again, I got every set done with every rep. 

Run Wise, It was a solid week.Monday I had a good solid 4 miles to open the week which was a nice change of pace. ( The miles increased this week as stated before.) Wednesday  felt kinda rough after the first mile and a half. I had just done some serious strength work on my hips and glutes the night before, so this was to be expected. I shrugged it off. It was actually a bit cooler Wednesday  and I got to let loose just a hare to keep the HR in line. I also started running over at work at the lake as it is like 4 or 5 min away from a good solid trail. I was also informed Tuesday of a meeting at work that had really left me stressed out Really Enjoyed Wednesdays run as it was a great stress relief and mine clearer. . 

Thursday was a battle which I won. The instructions said Z2 or a conversational pace. It has been really hot here and my times have slowed down which is a OK. But for some reason Wednesday, I really started to get annoyed. I had to say to myself, this is OK, this is NOT about speed yet, this is a Steady, Slow run. Calm down. You will ruin everything if you get mad. Luckily, at the end as I was a quarter mile from the truck , I had a buddie call me and that served 2 purposes: A) it helped me make sure my HR was in check and I was properly executing the run, and B) I was able to get it off my chest and literally just keep reminding myself, calm down , its ok, not about speed. He will tell you if you asked him that I literally said this probably 10 times. LOL! I was also back out at the lake Thursday. I had also had a meeting that turned out to really make me happy, so I was in a very joyous mood. I even captured this picture from my run . So peaceful. 

Friday would have normally been a core day, but I had requested the Day OFF to go play some bluegrass with friends. For those that don't know, I do have a hidden talent of playing guitar. Bluegrass is something I really enjoy and It had been MONTHS since I had been able to get out and I decided I wanted to play. I really enjoyed it. 

Also, I should note that I was also warned, this is where it starts to get real. You really need to value your sleep as it helps to heal, repair, and prevent injuries. Dually noted coach! You say, i will listen! 

Saturday was my core day. Again, Every Set, Every Rep completed. The V Ups KILLED ME! Also the Olympics began in Earnest Saturday, So I had the Mens Bike Race on to keep up with. 

Yesterday (Sunday) was my long run. As it turns out, it was my last low mile (single digit ) Long Run unless we drop down for a recovery or until taper starts. I gotta say it was a good one. Discovered a couple things nutritionally and am working on them. Ran my fave look through town. Since I am headed for double digits next week, it will be fewer times I make that loop. The longer miles mean I have to start heading out the longer routes! YES! FINALLY! LOL! 

All in all it was a good week to kick off a build. Its Monday as I write this, and I was on the go pretty much from Friday am till Yesterday Evening with friends and family. So to say I can see the need for the extra sleep that was talked about this week is true! Gotta plan things out ! (see coach, I get it, lol) 

So, this week will be another build week. The 2nd in the rotation. Its also , by the way things look, the last build week, before some speed work starts to appear . Kinda excited for that , but I got a couple weeks here to make it through. One day, one workout , one mile, one rep at a time. Staying focused on the day that I am in. Should be a good one as I plan to keep things interesting. If you have followed me, and know my back story by now, then you know about my runs in Knoxville's half. Thinking this week, I am gonna go up and go through Seqoyah Hills again, and go back up the famed 2 headed monster "Noelton Drive". Just something struck me this am like I haven't been up there in a while, I would kinda like to see how my legs do up that hill. So, I might just have to throw that circuit into the mix this week. Ill recap next week as usual! 

So, for this week and until Next week: 

From one "Idiot" to another: 

-John- 

IRC #2148

 

Recovery and gainz!

 Weeks Out: Recovery 

This week brought back around a recovery week. Also, this week brought up 90 days or exactly 3 months before the race. Unreal! Things are going so fast. I'm literally just enjoying it. Knowing right now that I am probably the fittest I have ever been in my life, and knowing that I am capable of SO MUCH more is just so very empowering. Believe it or not, this is NOT the end picture, AT ALL! I have to keep reminding myself of that every day. I'm tickled to death with where I am at, but at the end of the day, I still have 3 MONTHS left. There is really no telling where I am going to be in 3 months. One thing I do know for sure is, this heat is great. Why? Because, as coach has instilled in me, yes, you maybe walking right now to keep your heart rate in the zone, but come September when were putting on the final decorations on your build and skills, your going to be flying. Slow Summers = Fast Falls! I can't wait! 

This week was some shorter runs , but higher intensity. Basically, I got to go out and cut loose. I moved back to my normal dayshift at work, so I am back to training in the Evenings. It's something I really enjoy because its a touch cooler and I am able to work just a tad bit harder to keep up the HR in the proper zone. I always love a good challenge. Saturday was my long run. Not an Easy Run. 4 sets of 7 min in my 5k pace or a Zone 4 with 2 min recoveries. The first 2.5 sets were gravy. Nailed them. The  end of the 3rd set was a little more difficult. The 4th set was UGLY! I had my mouth open, tounge out, trying to keep my breathing regulated. Had to work to stay upright with a core activated. Had to literally talk to myself outloud . But, I got through it. and once i did and cooled down, i felt like a badass! Little progress everyday ! 

Strength this week was upper body. I gotta say I look forward to recovery weeks because i do like to lift some heavy sh$# occasionally. This week offered it to me.  So a story for you. I was in the gym, and honestly just going through the motions. Got to mingeling with some of the body builders in there talking about this and that. They saw me working a set or 2 after them and literally told me, look your being a P**** Knock that Sh&& off and do work or else! Message taken. I promptly had a bench set I had to knock out. So I was like Screw it, lets get the big dog weight out. So I loaded up a 100 lbs and promptly banged out a set of 12 reps farely easy. Looking back, I could have done more. Trust me, next time on a recovery week, if there is a set for bench, im going after 145 ! I know I can do more than 100. It looked easy on the videos I had. 

So, really that was about it. This week is back to a build. Its also the last build cycle before the 10 week mark and we welcome a lot of different things in. Really excited for that stage. Its like okay. You survived the first 2 stages of hell, welcome to the 3rd lol! Lots of running is on tap this week. first back to back runs on tired legs. Really welcome the challenge it is going to present. 

So really that is it for this week. 

Until next week: 

From one "Idiot" to another : 

John 

-IRC #2148-

Build Cycle 4 Complete

: Another Build on the books 

So, this past week was the 2nd part of the build block rotation. My builds are normally 2 weeks in duration and then I get a recovery week. This week looked similar to last week. I had Glute, Hip and IT Band Strength Training this past week along with Core work. By the time I got to Friday, I was feeling it pretty well, and was pretty tired. Part of my core instructions said do this, and then repeat. Up to 4 sets. My plan going in was to do all 4 sets. I warmed up and got with it. But, for some reason, when I got through the 2nd set I was feeling it pretty well. In a moment of weakness, I threw in the towel after doing the minimal required sets. If you know me at all, you know that normally I get every rep I can in . But for some reason,  I gave in. It wasn't till after I had a quick convo with coach after I was already stuffing my face, that I realized that was a mental block that I just gave into. I could have kicked my own tail right then. But, I moved on from it. Rest assured when I see that particular workout again, I will be pushing through that mental block. 

Run wise, I had a good week. It was definatley hot this week here. Were talking upper 90s . So I was forced to again slow the pace way down in order to keep the HR in the appropriate range. Sometimes I get so wrapped up in speed, and it plays to my disadvantege. So, to curtail this, I took a strip of black tape and put over everything except the distance and the HR. So I couldn't see anything else. We call this putting the "Leash" on. Because of this I had some great training runs I really nailed this week. 

Saturday I was supposed to go to the mountains for my long run, but at the last min things changed. So I was already up and ready to go run, so i left out on my normal route around at the house. I got to experience this beautiful sunrise on my run. It was georgeous. And I had a great run to close out the week. 

This next week is a recovery week for me. So, I get to do a little speed work along with some upper body stuff in order to let the legs recover. Gotta say, This is one that I am totally looking forward to as I was pretty tired by the end of Saturday. 

So with that being said... 

Until next week- 

From one "Idiot" to another- 

John 

IRC #2148