Marine Corps Marathon: Training Weeks 5 + 6

Overview:

Looks like the die has been cast, and I’m officially registered for this year’s Marine Corps Marathon. I will admit that hitting the ‘register’ button was an impromptu decision that took place around 1 or 2 am. Although I knew nothing about this marathon at the time of registering, many folks have said that I should give it a shot.

Since I alway complain about the temperatures while training for fall marathons during the summer, this meme is perfect for me.

Training:

The previous week’s plan:

• Monday: 3 mi easy

• Tuesday: X-train or rest

• Wednesday: 5 mi tempo

• Thursday: 3 mi easy

• Friday: X-train or rest

• Saturday: 12 mi long run

• Sunday: rest

Here’s the thing, I’m not in denial about climate change, but sometimes, I think the weather is overhyped by news outlets for clicks and views. Ok, I’ll admit that this weekend was pretty hot, but I didn’t notice the EXTREME temps that the news have been mentioning over the past few days. Eh, then again, anything over 85 F is hot as hell and “extreme” in my book.

Hot ass weather aside, I think I’m getting into the groove of training for October’s Marine Corps Marathon. This probably is the first time in a very long time that I have been completing my training runs on a consistent basis. However, I think this has a bit to do with the type of marathon training plan that I’m doing.

As the pic above shows, I’m doing Hal Higdon’s Marathon Training: Novice 1, which is not as intense as some of his more advanced training plans. Hey, sometimes I have to take a few step back to move forward. With the exception of the one speed workout per week, the other 3-4 training runs are easy runs.

LONG RUN CHRONICLES:

Because of the intense heat (and my fear of heat stroke), I decided to do this week’s 12 mile long run on a treadmill.

Fortunately, my apt building has a few treadmills, which my neighbors have not stolen . . . yet. In a previous post, I mentioned that someone (some folks) stole most of the dumbbells from the apt building’s gym.

Ok, back to the long run. Folks who are in the know probably know that I HATE running more than 5 miles on a treadmill. Faced with the alternative of running in 90+F temps, the treadmill was an appropriate decision. I did have a little help from Evita while running.

I’ve realized that my treadmill long runs go well when I listen to musicals that I know by heart. This way, I can pretend I’m watching the musical (or in this case, the movie) while running. Since Evita is a military-themed musical, the marching cadence of many of the songs really kept me going. Perhaps, I should add a couple songs from Evita to my main marathon playlist. In particular, Peron’s Latest Flame

“It’s no crime for officers to as they please as long as they’re discreet and keep clear of disease. We ignore, we disregard. But once they allow a bit on the side to move to the center where she’s not qualified, we are forced to mark his card.”

Ok enough about Evita, back to the long run. While treadmill running can be long and boring, there are a few benefits.

• You don’t have to run in the oppressive heat.

• You can set the pace and get a better idea of how to maintain a certain pace.

• You don’t have to motivate yourself as much to start the run.

ETC:

For X-training, I think that I’m gonna restart Insanity Max: 30 and do another round of 3 Week Yoga Retreat.

Since i would like to incorporate more weight training, I decided to get a rec center and library cards. The rec center and library are in the same building complex so I knocked out two birds with one stone.

I have to admit that I was somewhat disappointed by the nearest rec center because:

• the weight room was pretty small. I’ve seen larger weight rooms in hotels.

• the hours are kind of weird. In my history of “rec center’ing”, I don’t think I’ve visited a rec center that didn’t open before 7 am. The hours of operation for the one nearest to us are from 9 am to 8 pm.

Hey, I cannot complain too much because the rec center in Montgomery County is free until the end of September.

Goals for the week:

-Buy a new pair of running shoes. I promise that I’m going to get a new pair this week. 😉

-Get a tune up for my bicycle. Once I figure out the the bicycle storage/parking situation at work, I think that I’ll start riding my bicycle from work. While using public transportation from work to home is pretty simple (two buses), it’s actually faster (according Apple Maps) to ride a bicycle home. Also, riding a bicycle would give me a chance to ‘senak’ in additional cardio workouts.

-Register for a few races. Someone on Twitter (or was it Facebook) clued me in to Run Washington, which has a collection of races in DC, Maryland, and Virginia (DMV).

TRAINING PLAN:

Running playlist:

Marine Corps Marathon: Training Week 4

Overview:

Looks like the die has been cast, and I’m officially registered for this year’s Marine Corps Marathon. I will admit that hitting the ‘register’ button was an impromptu decision that took place around 1 or 2 am. Although I knew nothing about this marathon at the time of registering, many folks have said that I should give it a shot.

Since I alway complain about the temperatures while training for fall marathons during the summer, this meme is perfect for me.

Training:

The previous week’s plan:

• Monday: 3 mi easy

• Tuesday: X-train or rest

• Wednesday: 4mi tempo

• Thursday: 3mi easy

• Friday: X-train or rest

• Saturday: 10 mi long run

• Sunday: rest

While I did not complete all of all my training miles, I think this week was successful overall. While I prefer to run first thing in the morning, I have been playing around with running in the evenings. I figured that I should try to do some evening runs with low distances just in case I have to do an evening run due to work commitments. For instance, I have to attend 8am meetings during my in-office days, which doesn’t leave much room to do a morning run and leave the apt by 7:30am.

LONG RUN CHRONICLES:

Woo hoo! I’ve finally hit double digits for my long runs. I don’t know why, but there is something about hitting double digits for a long run that makes training for a marathon really real.

For this 10 mile long run, I decided to do something a little special so I ran from a metro station in Forest Glen, Maryland to the Washington Monument in DC.

I have to say that I really enjoyed this route because it didn’t have a million and five turns. Once I arrived to DC, I pretty much had to follow 15th/16th streets until reaching the monument. Also, it was impossible to get lost because all I had to do was run towards a huge pointy building. 😉

Overall, the run was nice and I stayed in my 12:04 – 13:32 min/mi range (even with walking 0.1 – 0.15 after completing a mile) according my training plan. Sometime in August, I’m gonna visit my long run pace range because I think it might be too slow for me. I say this because even with walking I’m still at the faster pace (around 12 min) of the range.

I did have some “fun” spelling out my initials with street signs since I had to make my way through an alphabet soup in DC.

The other nice thing about this route, I can do a round trip for my 20-mile run on Sept. 23rd or 24th. Since the elevation from Montgomery County to DC was mostly downhill. However, running back (for the 20 mile run) might be a little challenging.

ETC:

For X-training, I think that I’m gonna restart Insanity Max: 30 and do another round of 3 Week Yoga Retreat.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know that this probably is my 3rd or 4th time restarting Insanity. But, they do say if at first you don’t succeed, try again.

Oh, I did learn that Montgomery Country has provided residents with free rec center access until Labor Day, and I think there is a rec center about a mile from us. Perhaps, I can get my weight training fix at one of these rec centers.

Goals for the week:

-Buy a new pair of running shoes.

-It’s kind of funny because shoes was a topic on the running podcast that I listen to.

-Look up some running orgs in the area.

-Register for a half marathon or two during my training plan.

TRAINING PLAN:

Running playlist:

Marine Corps Marathon: Training Week 1

Overview:

Looks like the die has been cast, and I’m officially registered for this year’s Marine Corps Marathon. I will admit that hitting the ‘register’ button was an impromptu decision that took place around 1 or 2 am. Although I knew nothing about this marathon at the time of registering, many folks have said that I should give it a shot.

Since I alway complain about the temperatures while training for fall marathons during the summer, this meme is perfect for me.

Training:

While I was excited to start my training plan, my body had other plans because I caught a bit of a head cold on Tuesday/Wednesday. Fortunately, it wasn’t too bad, and I think it’s going away. I will say this Frendadol Forte, which I call “Fernando”, from Spain has worked wonders for my head cold.

Since this was my first week training, I don’t think is a lot to report on. For me, the first week of marathon training is just getting into the flow of things. Over all this week’s plan was a few 3 mile runs with a 6 mile “long run”

Fortunately for me, I live pretty close to Sligo Creek Trail, which is about 10.5 miles in length. Overall, the trail/path is nice; however, portions of the trial cross busy streets and enter residential areas. I will be honest and say that I have a concern (or two) about the residential areas that the trial crosses. A couple of my fears:

• Some residents assuming that I’m trying to break into houses or cars.

• Police stopping me because I ‘fit the description’ of someone else.

So far, neither of these things have happened, but I have to admit that they do stay on my mind while running.

LONG RUN CHRONICLES:

While this week’s long run was only 6 miles, it felt nice running a 3+ mile distance. Although I have completed multiple half and full marathons, I want to started from scratch for my Marine Corps Marathon training. According to the Runner’s World’s Training Pace Calculator, my long runs should be completed within a 12:04 – 13:32 min/mi pace.

However, this pace felt really slow for me while doing my long run. I guess that I should see if I’ll still think the pace is too slow once I start hitting 13+ mile long runs. For now, I’ll stick with the this pace and enjoy running (technically jogging) in nature.

RUNCHAT SCAVENGER HUNT:

Since running (for me) is about accomplishing things. I’m glad that my marathon training will overlap with the Runchat’s yearly scavenger hunt.

Goals for the week:

-Stay consistent. 😉

-Start incorporating strength training into my marathon training. Our apt building has a very basic gym, so I do not have any excuses for not doing any weight training.

-Look up some running clubs and organizations in the area. I wonder if this area has something similar to New York Road Runners with a schedule of local races.

Marine Corps Marathon: Training Week 0

Overview:

Looks like the die has been cast, and I’m officially registered for this year’s Marine Corps Marathon. I will admit that hitting the ‘register’ button was an impromptu decision that took place around 1 or 2 am. Although I knew nothing about this marathon at the time of registering, many folks have said that I should give it a shot.

Since the Marines are known for their attention to detail, determination, and resilience, I figure that this marathon should be well-organized. Let’s see if my assumption is correct on October 29, 2023. Since most of the reviews about this marathon on Bibrave have been positive, I guess I shouldn’t have anything to worry about . . . outside of the unpredictable mid-Atlantic weather.

Training:

Ok, it’s no secret that both my running times and weight have increased over the last year. . . errr last few years. I thought this would be a great way to start getting my physical fitness life together. Also, it will give me a chance to explore my new city (Silver Spring, MD) by running new routes and meeting other runners in the area.

For my 8th or 9th marathon, I’m gonna go with a well-trusted Hal Higdon training plan. Although I have completed several marathons, I decided to do the novice marathon plan because I feel like novice. Sometimes, it’s a good idea to start from the beginning.

The plan looks pretty straight-forward with 4-5 runs per week over an 18-week period. In addition to this plan, I have decided to incorporate specific running paces that I’ve obtained from Runner’s World’s Training Pace Calculator (link: ***).

Runner’s World has a pretty cool training calculator that spits out recommended paces for easy, tempo, VO2 max, speed form, long, and Yasso 800s training runs. Right now, my marathon goal is 4:45, which more than likely will change over the next few months. Not to piss on myself, I have a feeling that I probably should shoot for a 5:15 finishing time since I’m trying to get back into a decent running shape. I think Wednesdays will be my intense training days where I will do either a tempo, VO2 max, speed form, and or Yasso 800 training run. Here’s a look at my weekly schedule:

• Monday: 3 – 5 mi easy run

• Tuesday: Rest

• Wednesdays: 3 – 10 mi with one of the following workouts – easy, tempo/pace, VO2-max, speed form, or Yasso 800s

• Thursdays: 3 – 5 mi easy

• Friday: Rest or X-Train

• Saturday: 6 – 20 mi (long run)

• Sunday: X-Train or Rest

Here’s some information from Runner’s World about the different types of runs:

• Easy runs builds your aerobic fitness and should represent 80-90% of their weekly training.

• Tempo runs help improve running economy and form. They are sometimes described as ‘threshold’ or 'hard but controlled' runs.

• VO2-max runs help improve running economy and racing sharpness.

• Speed form runs improve leg turnover (or stride frequency), power, running economy, and relaxation while running.

• Long runs form the foundation of all marathon training programs - they build everything from confidence to discipline to your fat-burning.

• Yasso 800s serve as a very general indicator of marathon finishing time. If I want to finishing this marathon in 4:45, I should aim to run ten 800 meter repeats in 4 minutes and 45 seconds.
  

The Course:

The course looks very interesting; this will be the 1st marathon where I’ll leave the state from which the marathon starts. It looks like the first four miles will take us through some bits of Arlington, Va, the next 16 miles will have us winding through the streets of Washington DC and Potomac “Island” (actually, I’m not sure it’s actually called that), then the last five miles will take us through Arlington to the finish. Hopefully, the finish will involve a few beers and a few slices of pizza.

Aside from a little climb around Mile 2, the course looks pretty flat and “easy”, which is an A+ in my book.

Conclusion:

Let’s see where the next 139 days will take me. Like 2 Hyped Brothers and A Dog said in their classic Doo Doo Brown: Act like a tennis shoe and just do it!