Sunday, November 25, 2007

Still ramping-up mileage

I just finished a 34 mile week. I count Monday through Sunday. This next week I'm doing 36.3 and that's pretty much where I'll stay for the next month or two. 9.3 on Tuesday and Thursdays, 11.5 on Saturday, and 6.2 on Sunday. Two other cross-training days, and Friday is an off day. So far, so good as I have not been injured and this 10% ramp-up has gone very well.
--Mark

Friday, November 9, 2007

Marathon pace variation curve

I like the pace charts posted on the Twin Cities Marathon website. They show the mile-by-mile pace, starting and ending slow with a faster mid section. I created my own version of this in a spreadsheet based on my target 3:27:05 time. I will probably add an elapsed time column and print a wristband to use at Fargo. Here is my chart based on a 7:55 average pace:
Mile Pace
relative
to ave.
Pace
1 104% 8:13
2 104% 8:13
3 103% 8:08
4 102% 8:04
5 100% 7:54
6 99% 7:49
7 98% 7:45
8 98% 7:45
9 97% 7:40
10 97% 7:40
11 97% 7:40
12 97% 7:40
13 97% 7:40
14 98% 7:45
15 98% 7:45
16 98% 7:45
17 98% 7:45
18 98% 7:45
19 98% 7:45
20 98% 7:45
21 99% 7:49
22 103% 8:08
23 103% 8:08
24 103% 8:08
25 106% 8:23
26 107% 8:27
26.2 100% 1:35

total: 3:27:05
--Mark

Thursday, November 8, 2007

Training Paces

I'll work with the training paces below for now. 1) Tempo, 2) the pace I may run during the long mid section of a marathon, 3) my target average marathon pace, and 4) my easy run pace. I selected the paces that were close to a treadmill setting. I may have to do some of my training inside during the winter. Through November, I'll be doing most of my running at the Easy pace.

Pace Treadmill
Tempo 7:19 8.2 mph
Marathon-mid 7:42 7.8
Marathon-ave 7:54 7.6
Easy 8:57 6.7

Wednesday, November 7, 2007

Marathon training / planning

I ran 24 miles two weeks ago, 26 miles last week, and I'm on-track for 29 this week. The only glitch so far is that I wanted to work in a hydro-training class for cross-training on Mondays. It figures that the pool was closed Monday when I arrived at the club. I left my non-pool workout clothes at home so I just took a shower and went to work. :-(

I've had pretty good luck with race estimation calculators. To get my best guess at a marathon time, I used three methods and used three different distances in the calculators and took averages. The average is 3:27:05 which gives me
only 3 minutes and 54 seconds to spare if I'm going to qualify for Boston. I need to do some hard work now and have good luck on Marathon Day.

1) McMillian calculator
43:48 10K = 3:25:33
1:14:28 10M = 3:28:34
1:36:33 Half Marathon = 3:23:37
Average 3:25:55

2) Running Times
43:48 10K = 3:25:34
1:14:28 10M = 3:30:54
1:36:33 Half Marathon = 3:25:11
Average 3:27:13

3) Double and add 15
1:36:33 Half Marathon = 3:28:06

Average of above
McMillian = 3:25:55
Running Times = 3:27:13
Average and add 15 = 3:28:06

Average of averages is 3:27:05