So here is a snapshot of where I am for January 2011. It's not good or bad. Obviously, we are all at different levels ... slower, faster, stronger, or maybe injured. This is just information. Do with it what you will. I would love to get new ideas from everyone, or hear what they do for different aspects of their training.
January 2011
Mileage ...
- Averaging 65-75 miles per week (81 miles Jan 2-8)
- Running 6 days per week, almost always around 5am
- Weekday runs are usually 10-12 miles
- Saturday long runs have all been 20+ miles
- Typical run schedule: Sunday ... recovery, Monday ... tempo, Tuesday ... recovery, Wednesday ... speed or hills, Thursday ... recovery, Friday ... rest, Saturday ... long run
- I try to run some portion of every run at, or below marathon pace. I want my body to always know what that pace feels like.
Hydration ...
- Started running with Camelbak hydration pack this summer while training for Top of Utah
- Even though it looks dumb, I love not having to hide water and worry about hydration
- Probably won't use it in any more races
- Typical hydration: I usually take about 4oz of water every two miles, substituting Gatorade on long runs
- One ounce of fluid is equal to about one swallow while I'm running
Ab/Core Work ...
- Crunches and core work about 5 days per week.
- Typically prerun around 4:15am
- Typical ab/core schedule: of 100 crunches, 60 pushups, and 6 minutes total of planks (2 min. each side, and middle), for a total of 500 crunches, 300 pushups, and 30 minutes of planks per week
- Start all gym workouts with aprx 30min of ab work, in addition to morning work
Strength Training ...
- Try to hit the gym 2-3 times per week for strength training
- 30 min of ab/core work to start to elevate heart rate
- 30 min of plyometrics - butt kickers, high knee skipping, karaoke, lunges, etc.
- 30-45 min weight training legs
- 30 min weight training upper body - max of 5 exercises (for example: chest flies, side deltoid raises, lat pulls, bicep curls, tricep dips) I used to do quite a bit more upper body, but I found I was holding a lot of weight in the muscles above my waist
- Sometimes 20 min swim for cross training
Stretching ...
- Stretch lightly before, and heavily after all runs
- Try to stretch once during the middle of day, but sometimes miss it
- Stretch about 30 min. before bed
- Always use foam roller pad with stretching, sometimes elastic band
Nutrition ...
- I'm sitting here writing this as I just finished my weekly ritual, Large Papa John's Thin Crust Meats, Light Sauce! On Thursday's I begin carbing for Saturday's run. I know, I know - pizza??? Leave me alone ... it works for me!
- I'm eating about 3,200 calories per day (except for today), but not the best of foods. The past week has been better.
- The problem is when I eat healthy, I don't seem to pile up the calories I need to fuel a good run. So I use it as an excuse to eat unhealthy more than I should.
- I'm 6'2", 180 - which is about as skinny as I can get
Assessment ...
- My body, especially my legs feel fairly strong and healthy and not overworked
- Right now I'm worried I am not logging enough hill work for the next two marathons - Austin and Boston, which are both fairly challenging
- My running times are a little slower than I would like, but considering it's winter I can live with them
- I need to find time to strength train on a more consistent basis
- It's been challenging getting enough calories lately - not a huge appetite
Hopefully this is useful. I love reading what other runners are doing, and what works for them. Please feel free to let me know what works for you.
Be Great Today!
