February Training Goals

I ran a very comfortable (and relatively flat) 7 miler this morning. I was really pleased with how it felt; pretty smooth with very little conscious effort. I had a few stretches where I went into that zen-like state of runner's high. The icing on the cake was my pace. I averaged 8:10 min/mile despite actively trying to run smooth and easy rather than fast. It's a good sign and tells me that my fitness level is improving.
Now that running season is approaching, my training plan needs to shift from general fitness to specific targets and goals. For February my goal is to run at least 20 miles per week, and to work up to 10-mile long runs by the end of the month. (This week my mileage is off because of my sinus-cold-thing.) The main idea behind the 20/10 goal is to just get myself running consistently. March will be a time to increase my weekly mileage by adding in specific speed and tempo workouts. I don't see any reason to push the distance of my long runs much past 10 - 12 miles until at least April. This year I am definitely focusing on the quality of my build-up rather than the sheer mileage.

February: Week One 

Total Mileage: 17.5 mi

Long Run: 7 mi 

Notes: Missed one 5-miler due to a cold

Funny Amby Burfoot Quote

Over on his blog, Amby Burfoot is trying to explain the story behind a strange exercise headline. I like his version of things:

"... you can't, entirely, blame your genes for anything. If you're a slow half-marathoner, it's probably because you don't have the best genetic endowment. But you also don't train 70 miles a week. Which also accounts for your inability to qualify for the Boston Marathon. Similarly, if you're overweight, you can't, entirely, blame your genes. Because you could manage your weight by exerting a lot of control over yourself and your environment. (I can't sing or dance. I would like to blame this 100 percent on my DNA, and then maybe my wife would quit nagging me. However, my cha-cha does improve if I modify my environment by introducing more margaritas. You see how this works?)"

Clear enough. 

Training Plan, Part A: Hills

Not bad for a short Saturday morning jog, eh?

Expect more of this as the season approaches...

Chasing the Wagon

Wednesday afternoon I had a great run after work. I did a few hills, picked up my pace on the flat parts, and still had time to stop and talk to a very impressive-looking hawk who landed next to me on a telephone poll. I was very pleasantly suprised to discover that I had run 0.6 miles further than I thought, and that meant my pace was much faster than what I would expect from myself at this point in the spring. It was almost like being back in training mode... almost.

Today would normally be a day for an early morning run, but I had planned to bump it to the afternoon. (We were out late last night attending a one-night-only showing of La danse - Le ballet de l'Opéra de Paris as part of the Spokane Film Festival.) Unfortunately it is pouring rain outside, and I imagine a cold, wet run is not in the best interests of  my still-recovering sinuses. So instead I'm going to do some light weights and look forward to sleeping in and doing mid-morning DAYLIGHT runs for the rest of the weekend!

More Fall Marathon Ideas

(see the post below for more)

Rochester NY: Small, but near the town I grew up in and it takes place before classes start. That means I could visit my parents at home for the first time in about 5 years.

Seattle, WA/ Portland, OR: Both are close, decent races but I've done them before and gave each a mixed review.

Boise, ID: Small, but relatively easy to drive to, and I really like the area.

Denver, CO: A little bit of altitude (It's at 5000 feet, while we live around 2500) but a great reputation... I'm not sure whether it will get better or worse with the new "Rock n Roll" affiliation.

Still looking...

Pondering the Fall 26.2

We are already in the lottery for the New York marathon this fall; statistically our chances are slim, but if we both got in we would go regardless of our other plans. In the meantime, we're picking out our main fall race. Some possibilities..: (what do you think?)

Chicago: Huge, flat, and Steve and I would both qualify for starting corrals in the first 5,000 runners.

Minneapolis: Beautiful, Jaye would like to run it when it's not pouring rain (see blog entries from 2008) and it is a cheaper race to do than Chicago. 

Saint George (Utah): Famous as one of the fastest in the country, and with rave reviews...

Of course, there are dozens of others...we'd love to do an East Coast autumn run, but it's tricky and expensive to make it there and back in the middle of Fall quarter. And there are a few trail and mountain races that we'd like to do someday, but probably not on a year that I'm chasing a PR. So many choices... and registration for several races open as early as... TOMORROW!

My Broseph

My brother Mark is a pretty ridiculously good skier. He currently lives in the Colorado Rockies, and he posts some helmet-cam footage online from time to time. If you'd like to experience a virtual powder run, check it out here:

http://www.coloradoskiauthority.com/multimedia/ski-videos/