Marathon Training Blog

Well the weather has not changed much, still very hot out here in Colorado. Running is tough, training is lagging some due to the heat. This morning Amy and I put on 14 miles. Although we started our run at 6:30 am while it was a relatively cool 76 degrees --- by the time we hit mile 8 the temperature rose to 86 degrees. Dehydration seems to be the biggest problem. I carry 28 oz of replacement fluid on a "Fuel Belt". During the 14 miles this morning I used more fluid during the last 4 miles than I did during the first part of the run. Also having to stop at the stream that flows past the route we picked to wet down my shirt. I really start to slow down and work harder when my body temp increases with the weather. Probably slowing down at least 30 seconds per mile. It's no suprise why Summer is a hard season to be training for a marathon. Also last week, Amy, Larry, and I signed up for the Las Vegas Marathon to be held on Dec 4th. Should be a heck of a Marathon. Now if I can just train enough now to be ready for it and for the Boulder Backroad marathon held in September. If the weather does not cool off soon I'll never get my long mileage done. Don't ask me how the Road Runner stayed ahead of the Coyote for so long in the desert, without air conditioning!

Well now I know what is is like to take a run in water. It wasw so hot this morning I felt like my body was under water. Even though I was able to complete 12 miles. Have been slacking on my blog and running lately, but with this heat it is hard to get motivated to do anything.

The news around our area is the fire - Mason Gulch. 12,000 acres burned in 6 days. Now I don't want to be called a realist but, does it seem particularly odd to anyone why there are people that are against cleaning our forests. Not that the so called "Tree Huggers" are bad but if the Forest Service was allowed to mitigate the forests then fires like this would not happen. Even allowing selective tree cutting would be helpful. but instead when these fires start - they get out of control so quickly that there is no chance of stopping it. Just my opinion.

Back to running - it is so much simpler. Training has taken a back seat to the heat but this week it starts up again. At the end of this month is the Colorado Springs Grand Prix - a flat, fast 6 mile race. this will be just a training race this year, next will be the Georgetown-Idaho Springs 1/2 Marathon. Traing schedules should be built on a gently increasing mileage. Increasing mileage about 10-15% per week until about 3 weeks prior to the Marathon. many marathoners try to get at least 2-3 20 mile runs in before the marathon. PRior to my last marathon I only did one. This time I have 2 scheduled. The body needs to become accustomed to the 3-4 hour pounding. Otherwise you just can't get past 18 miles. You "hit the wall" Scheduled should be at least 12-14 weeks depending on your aerobic level. So training is a long process. The reason most people so not stay running is because they tend to increase thier mileage too quickly, which usually causes an injury of some sort. More on training later.

Well my time is up here. I'll get into more detail later on the training schedule.

Another beautiful day in Colorado. Even with clouds in the sky it was quite warm today. Down in town temperatures rose to around 94 degrees. Usually up where I live in the mountains the temps run about 10 degrees less than in town. This is my vacation week. I feel a little lost. My last vacation that I spent at home was about a year and a half ago. So I am getting a lot done at home with chores that have needed finished a long time ago. You never know how much needs done until you have time to think about them all. Whew!

Have you been following the Tour De France? If not you should be. The Tour is not just a bike race but this year is history being made. American cyclist are taking control of the event. After four stages there are 5 Americans in the top 20. WOW. Today Lance Armstrong, with the help of his team - is back in the the Yellow Jersey. If he continues to dominate as he has been, he will win his 7th and final Tour. Then he retires.

If we can dominate cycling, why can't we dominate running. Americans can succeed at anything that they put their heart in. But running has not seen any dominance for a long time. Major races including Boston and New York have been won by Kenyans and Ethiopians. Why? Maybe it is that running has not been as glorious as other sports. You don't see races covered on national TV every weekend. And you don't see Marathoners advertising sneakers and cereal on TV. Marathoners are a special breed of athlete, usually training on our own. Quietly running early in the morning or late at night. It is a quiet sport. A time of reflection. A time of meditation. Maybe one day running will once again become mainstream and America can take over the sport again.

Well Happy 4th of July to all. It's kinda ironic that I am sitting at home right now in Colorado and watching the Fireworks from Boston on my TV. Boston is still the ultimate goal of any marathoner, I am not an exception. But why is this, Boston is just one of hundreds of marathons across the country. Each marathon is the same mileage - 26.2 miles. There are marathons that are harder than Boston. The hardest probably being here in my State of Colorado is the Pikes Peak Marathon. So why is it everyone wants to qualify for Boston. It's the tradition. Boston is one of the oldest marathon in the country. Boston was holding a marathon before running was popular, and it is in one of the oldest, historic areas of these United States.
But before I can run in Boston I need to continue to improve. On Saturday, I ran the Salida Spiral Run. It is not the longest race, or the hardest race. But I had alot of fun. The organizers, spectators, and other racers made this race great. Prizes and awards were handed out shortly after the race. The weather was perfect. The race starts near the base of Tenderfoot Hill, running takes you 2 miles to go 500ft up, winding around the mountain. Then it's back down to the finish. There were about 52 runners this year and I finished 20th. The run down was harder on my legs than the run up. After the run I did have time to enjoy myself in Salida and enjoy some much needed rest in the park. Actually falling asleep near the river. Running gives me time to do something for me, it's one of those sports that does not take any major equipment and no-one can take it away from me. It give you time to be one with yourself and examine any thoughts that are bothering you at the time.
Now the training schedule starts to get harder. This week I will put on about 34 miles. Looking at the future, my next race will be the Colorado Springs Grand Prix - a 6 mile race. This one is July 30th. Maybe I can finish ahead of Amy this year. We will see.

Am I the only one that can't believe it is already July. Where did this year go to. But it is Friday and although I will be working this weekend Friday's still hold a special place in my heart. It's not quite like any other day of the week. People don't even act the same or do the same things. I noticed on my run this morning, more runners on the trail than any other day. Are they expecting a Friday run to change them magically for the weekend? Will they finally be able to get into the size 6 dress for a weekend party? Probably not. But I will not be the one to tell them, it's nice to see them out here for a change.

This morning's run was a short 4 miles, but I was able to keep a good pace and posture going. Tomorrow morning I will be running the Salida, CO "Spiral Drive Run". The Spiral Drive is a road that winds it's way up Tenderfoot Hill, also known as "Christmas Tree Mountain". It's called this because of the decorations that Salida places on it during Holiday Season. Although the run is only 4 miles long. The first 2 miles are uphill, followed by a dash downhill for 2 miles.

Salida, Co is a great little town. Not far from Monarch Ski Resort and millions of miles of Forest land, it is a popular destination for tourist during all seasons fo the year. The town itself filled with Art Stores and Antiques. The locals are very friendly as well. This is a great place to raise a family. A great place to run.

Still thinking about tomorrow I should go start packing my gear. I have lot's of planning and training to do before my next marathon and let's not forget the people that exercise occasionally - maybe one day they will get the "Big Picture".