Week in Review - Mar 2nd 2014: Done with Marathons for the Year

I took it easy this week in preparation for the Phoenix Marathon. Most of the excitement was covered in the previous post so I'll keep this one short.

Monday and Thursday I took out the road bike again and covered 20-25 miles during each ride while going at an easy pace. I was pleased that this was an average of ~19.5 mph as I really haven't been riding much lately.

On Thursday I ran ~9 miles at marathon race pace during lunch and rested Tuesday and Friday.

Saturday was the marathon and Sunday my legs were hurting so I went for another 20 mile ride at an easier pace with the hopes of speeding the recovery process. We'll see.

Overall, a good week; however, I neglected my swimming completely. With the upcoming olympic distance triathlon on 3/16 this might not have been a good idea. I'll go to the pool tomorrow and get in at least two more swims the rest of the week to get back in the groove and rest the legs a bit further.

Next Sunday I will compete in an 8K put on by a relatively new timing company. I expect attendance to be low which should increase the possibility of picking up a top finisher or age group medal.

Race Report - 03/01/2014 - Phoenix Marathon

Location: Scottsdale, Mesa, AZ
Race Type: Run
Participants: 1816
Overall Place: 274th
Age Group Place: 45th
Time: 3:34:00

Pace: 8:10/mile

Packet Pickup

Packet pickup was available on Thursday and Friday in the same shopping plaza as the finish line. This was convenient as it gave me a good idea how long it would take to get there from my house in the morning (this race required you to park at the finish and take a bus to the start). I found my bib number by looking through a book listing all the runners in alphabetical order and then headed to another booth with my number grouping so that I could pick up my bag. As you can see below bibs were divided by groups of 500 people. There was no wait so I grabbed my bag and strolled the vendors.

I'm usually not interested in what the vendors have to offer and this time was no different. That said, there were about 25 different vendors represented and they seemed to be doing good business. 

After perusing the outdoor vendors I was directed into the Sports Authority to pick up my race shirt. The shirt is of a great quality and has a zippered pocket built it. I will definitely use this one. I was also surprised to find a nice set of arm warmers in the bag as well.

On my way out of the store I dropped by the Honey Stinger booth for a photo op. and a few snacks. 

Tomorrow will be an early morning with a 3:15 wake-up so that I can make the last bus at 5am. 

Pre-Race

I had to wake up early for this one. I set the alarm for 3:20 but woke up around 2:30 and couldn't get back to sleep. Even with the early wake-up I was able to squeeze in 5 hours of sleep. 

I had prepared everything the night before so I got dressed, filled a few more water bottles, and headed out. The traffic was busy at the marathon start but the parking was good and efficient. The half marathon parking line was much longer.

After grabbing my gear I headed for the bus stop. There were 6 buses waiting for us and people filed on. Once full, the bus I was on headed out for the 25 minute trip to the start line. 

The bus climbed one of the few hills in the Phoenix metro area and dropped us off at a shooting range. There were an abundance of heaters and porta-johns for the hour wait until the start. 

Luckily it hadn't rained yet and the winds were staying under 10mph. I found a couple of friends that were also doing the full and we waited with our ponchos on. Right around 6am it started to rain. Not too hard but enough that we were glad for the rain gear. 

Slightly after 6am the organizers played the national anthem and launched some fireworks. Pretty cool!

We headed for the start line and passed a group of bagpipers. I personally love to hear bagpipes so this was a treat for me.

I lined up right behind the 3:30 pace leader and waited for the gun shot. 

The Race

It was still dark at 6:30 for the start with full sunrise being ~7:30. The rain continued as we started to run downhill for the first few miles.

The rain let up about 30 minutes into the run and I stripped off my gloves and poncho.

Miles 4-7 increased elevation by 200 feet and then it was mostly downhill the rest of the way. 

I stuck with the 3:30 pacer for the 1st 21 miles and then started to fade a bit. On mile 24 I was about one minute behind the pacer when I stopped to walk, eat a banana, and drink a couple cups of water. After that I felt much better and I was able to finish the race strong. 

Near the the finish line I heard that the 3:35 pace group was on my heals. I stepped up the effort to finish ahead of them.

My official time was 3:34 even. I captured this pick in the finishers corral. I should have looked at the photo since I didn't quite get the medal. Oh well. 

While I didn't meet my training goal of a 3:23 marathon I am happy with today's outcome. I look forward to having the rest of the year off from marathons and improving my time next year. 

Week in Review - Feb 23rd 2014: Winding Down for Phoenix Marathon

This week felt pretty good. I exceeded my miles running and biking and didn't quite meet my swimming goals. I also ran with a new group that I found on the website meetup.com.

Monday was a busy training day and it wore me out a bit. I completed a 13.1 mile run in the morning at a good pace followed by a sprint distance swim, bike, and run during lunch.

I was feeling tired Tuesday and took the day off. I also ended up taking Wednesday off due to some scheduling issues but I wasn't too disappointed as I didn't want to overdue it this week with the upcoming marathon.

Thursday was fun. I woke up early and met a group of runners at a local running shop, Cadence Running Co., at 5:30. There were about a dozen people attending this weekly run. All paces are welcome and they manage the run by doing 30 minutes out and 30 back so it doesn't matter how fast you are or whether you are doing intervals, etc. I ran with the lead group, two other guys, and we held a 7:30 pace for the first 7 miles with a 6:00 pace for the last 3/4 mile. I had a good time chatting with the guys and plan on attending again. Later that day I jumped in the pool for a 1000 yard swim.

(no, i'm not in the picture)

Friday was a bit hectic but I squeezed in a 30 mile bike ride. I took the road bike out and didn't push it too hard. The next tri in mid-March has a ton of climbing so I intend to use this bike for the race.

Saturday I was feeling a bit sore in the back of my legs but I went for a 10 mile run. I ran a comfortable pace and felt pretty good for having done so.

Sunday's swim was disappointing. I started slow and couldn't get into a rhythm. I swam 500 yards and quit. I had a little time so I hopped on the bike and rode a leisurely 20 miles. It was great to relax and stretch the legs.

Next week I will shoot for 3 swims, 3 runs, and 1-2 rides. Nothing too hard or long so that my legs are ready to go for the marathon on Saturday. This one should go much better then the last...

Week in Review - Feb 16th 2014: Finally Healthy

There were a few scheduling conflicts that I had to work through this week, and a couple of roadblocks, but overall I was pleased the results. My heart rate has finally started cooperating and is staying in the right zones when compared against my pace.

As far as scheduling goes, my wife has started to exercise in the mornings and I've had to adjust my training schedule accordingly. I'm happy to sleep in a bit later but have had to be a bit creative getting my workouts in. This roadblocks I will cover later...

I took Monday off to recover after a strong week prior and picked up a short swim and run during my lunch break on Tuesday.

Wednesday my wife exercised in the morning and I was swamped with work the rest of the day and was unable to get in a workout. I made up for it on Thursday with a 11 mile run in the morning and a 1000 yard swim at night.

On a side note, I've decided that my swims for the last couple of weeks and the week following will consists of a single set of 1000 yards followed by a run or bike. I am curious to see whether or not my times and comfort level improve. So far I'm still really slow but my time has dropped by a couple of minutes and I am certainly more comfortable going the distance. In two weeks I will increase to a 1500 yard set followed by a few sprints.

Friday was Valentine's Day so I completed a short morning run in the shape of a heart and posted the result to facebook for the wife to see. My legs were hurting during the run but I figured that it would have gone away if I had run for longer. For lunch I was able to get in a 1000 yard swim and 20 miles on the bike. Surprisingly I picked up a KOM on Strava on a one mile segment.

Saturday's plan was to do an 18 mile run. I headed out in the morning and my calves were killing me. I got 2.7 miles out and quit. I felt that if I pushed it for the long run that I would regret it in the week to come. It was a beautiful morning and I walked home (roadblock #1).

Sunday I had to work and planned on doing a 1000 yard swim, 15 mile bike, and 3 mile run during my lunch break. The swim went well and I headed out on the road bike for a change (I typically use the tri bike). Unfortunately I had brought a tube and changing levers but forgot to transfer over the CO2 cartridge and adapter. Five miles into the ride I got a flat (roadblock #2). Oh well, it was a beautiful day and I walked two miles back to my car and skipped the run.

The Phoenix Marathon is coming up in 2 weeks so I don't plan on doing extensive running next week. Maybe a semi-long run at the beginning of the week, a couple of short runs, 4 swims, and a couple of short rides.

Week in Review - Feb 9th 2014: Getting Back in the Groove

Finally, a good week of training. I missed it!

I had a stress test at the cardiologist office on Monday that seemed to go well. I didn't get all of the results but the tech let me know that the EKG portion looked great.

On Tuesday I was scheduled to go to the pulmonologist. Before the appointment I went for a hard run of 7.5 miles. I wanted to stress my lungs so that I could help the doctor diagnose the burning in my chest. Following the run there was a slight burning but nothing like I'd experienced the previous weeks. The doctor wasn't sure what to make of my issue but he did agree that my heart was probably fine and that I must have some inflammation in my lungs. He prescribed a steroid inhaler that seems to have done the trick. No more burning!

Later that day I received an email from Honey Stinger. I'd applied for their Hive sponsorship program a few weeks ago and I was selected to become one of their ambassadors. I love their products and their clothing. I hope that we can work together for years to come.

The rest of the week I focused on running brick workouts. I was able to squeeze in a swim/run, solo run, run/gym/run, run/swim/run, and swim/bike. I felt strong through each session but still feel that my heart rate is elevated slightly above normal; likely due to the runny nose and clogged sinuses that I can't seem to kick.

Next week I hope to keep up this pace and then taper over the following weeks prior to the Phoenix Marathon on March 1st.

Honey Stinger Sponsorship

Honey Stinger has chosen me to be part of their hive for the 2014 season!

I have been eating Honey Stinger organic waffles during training sessions and events for the last year and I love them. Many of my training partners eat them as well.

I'm excited to have them as a sponsor and look forward to promoting the brand. Besides, I really like the look of the bike and tri jerseys.

Week in Review - Feb 2nd 2014: More Recovery

This week was a real downer for my training.

Following Sundays 1500m swim and 20 mile bike ride I was feeling pretty good but there was still light burning in my chest and my energy wasn't as high as it could be.

On Monday I swam another 1500m followed by a 2.6 mile run. The run was tough. I was targeting a 160bpm heart rate which should have put me in the 7:15-7:30 min/mile pace. I ended up completing the run at a 7:30 pace but my heart rate was closer to 170bpm. This left me feeling a little dis-heartened that my recovery wasn't as complete as I thought.

Tuesday I went for a 7.5 mile run. Again, I was targeting 155-160bpm. I finished with a 162bpm average and an average pace of 8:13. The entire run felt like I was slogging through and afterwards my chest was really burning. I spent the rest of the day with a dry cough and a total lack of energy.

I decided that I would not train for the next few days...

Wednesday I couldn't sleep because my sinuses were completely blocked. Up to this point my mucus had been clear. Now it is a horrible green. I suppose that I am glad that my body is fighting the infection but this has been going on too long!

I did not train Wed-Sat and continue to wake up with green mucus. I'll go for a swim and maybe a short run or ride today to see how I'm feeling.

Go Seahawks!