19.7...
Just keep moving
19.8...
Almost there
19.9...
Come on! Push through
20.0
Done, end all three gps apps you have going because you’re you
In a marathon training cycle the 20 miler is the K2 in preparation for the upcoming Everest. The 20 mile training run is an epic event as for most marathoners it means you have hit your training peak and get to recover until your “Everest” approaches. For good or bad the 20 miler is all revealing, the fact that you completed it means your committed to the process. The hours spent training, locked in battle with all the voices that tell you that “you can’t do this” have paid off. The treadmill that you have a love hate relationship with as a necessity when circumstances arise can be silent.
So while you catch your breath before taking on the upcoming summit of a marathon, make sure to stop and take a look at all you have accomplished from this “peak.”
Time...
From Macrotrends.net the average life expectancy in the United States in 2020 is almost 79 years
which translates 948 months
or 28,835 days
692,040 hours
41,522,400 minutes
2,491,344,000 seconds
What I’m trying to drive at is for the most part our time is finite. The time we do have is our most valuable resource. Recently while in the emergency room getting my arm stitched back together (Captain Accident Prone strikes again) the doctor taking care of me mentioned that she too was a marathon runner, having completed both Boston and New York. But she also stated that she hadn’t ran in awhile and really needed to “find the time” to get back into it.
Finding time is a lie we tell ourselves in all honesty. We didn’t accidently leave some spare time in a pair of of pants and won’t find it between the couch cushions. Making time for something also falls into this category, there is no secret recipe that will instantly give you another hour to get things done.
My personal philosophy is you have to “take the time” for whatever it is that’s important to you. If you need a run go out and get after it, if your body is telling you to take a break do it and don’t feel guilty for taking the time that you need.
Now get out there and take the time for all that you want do! I can’t wait to see the results
A day in the life...
“Woke up, fell out of bed
Dragged a comb across my head
Found my way downstairs and drank a cup
And looking up I noticed I was late
Found my coat and grabbed my hat
Made the bus in seconds flat
Made my way upstairs and had a smoke
And everybody spoke and I went into a dream.” - A day in the Life - Beatles
I’ve always loved this song, especially Paul’s bridge. It might be a fairly accurate description of my m So ornings, outside of needing a smoke (or a comb). But with a groggy start and a flurry of motion, I will eventually get out the door on my way to the Daily Planet.
I’ve known that there has been a weakness in my sleeping patterns but as I become older I’ve noticed that my sleep or lack thereof has become a stumbling block in my training and life. So in addition to last post talking of “lighter, faster, and stronger” I’m adding “be less sleepy” to that mandate. I will keep you posted on any insights but here is a great article from healthline.com that I’m going to start working from.
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/17-tips-to-sleep-better
Take care friends and find the good in today!!!
Back to Basics....
So it’s time for my annual post (ugghh insert forehead slap here) the problem is that I don’t think my daily is anything close to a page turner for you all out there.
But here’s the deal, with 2020 being what it is and every race I think I needed to sign up for has gone virtual or cancelled it has made me very introspective. Six years ago I ran my two best marathons and came close to making my life goal of qualifying for the Boston marathon. Sadly, I haven’t come close to that mark since, no regrets mind you but it is what it is. Through it all though I have kept running and expanded my knowledge on what it will take me to get back to that peak. So after a wildly successful “The Speed Project: DIY” relay race and taking my own advice and really letting my body recover, I am ready to climb that mountain again.
I’ve nicknamed the upcoming training cycle project “titanium” with the goals being lighter, faster, and stronger. I know it sounds a little excessively “bro” but I’m coming from an engineering nerd standpoint not Jersey shore. So the elements of project titanium are as follows:
Lighter: Huge huge huge disclaimer, I have dealt with my own personal body issues for a long time but as it stands, I like me for who I am. I am enough, period. What I am going to change is what that body consists of, I want to be leaner but also smarter on how I fuel.
Faster: This what every runner covets, to toe the line knowing you have it in to make magic. But for me this is where I need to put most of my energy into. Doing the little things, doing the not so glamorous workouts, and pushing my own mental limits
Stronger: When I was at my peak I made sure to incorporate strength training into my routine but somewhere along the journey I lost this part and I think I my running has suffered because of it. So it’s time these noodle arms find the weights again ;)
Alright time to wrap this up with a week one update: 25 miles in nothing crazy but we’re building it up. Strength work has been coming along nicely one step at a time. Stay tuned and I’ll give you more updates as the weeks roll on.
Forgiveness
Sorry folks that it has taken me awhile to get a new post out. It has been a challenging couple of weeks and a worthwhile topic has been tricky to draft in my head.
But onto the topic of forgiveness, I’ve had a trying couple of months with my health that has made training tougher than usual. Workouts have had to be postponed, dialed back, or in some cases scratched. It has been frustrating to not be the picture of consistency but this is where forgiveness comes into play. Life happens, deal with it, not every day will be perfect so if things don’t work out to plan do your best with what you have and move on. Getting down on yourself for missing or modifying a workout isn’t going to fix anything. The world can be tough and the things that we do to help us through shouldn’t make us feel worse about our self worth. It may be a good time to re-evaluate your goals and make sure they are still in line with your life.
Take care of yourself folks and let us know if you need help “finding your light.”
Bit by bit...
If you were to take a look at my training log you might not notice what is all going on there. Big changes have to start small much like the phrase “the longest journey begins with a single step.” Try to bite off too much at once and you risk burnout or injury.
To achieve your goals you need to slowly build up your intensity and volume. By doing this you will build your cardio endurance and overall running strength over time and by race day you will be more than ready to tackle that event. I personally more than once have thought I was better than this and paid the price in the long run.
So as you are building a plan, try to follow the 10 percent rule. As you progress from week to week try to never add more than 10 percent volume or intensity to your workouts.
Rest, recovery, and reflection
Like waking up from a long overdue solid night of sleep this past week has been just what the doctor ordered. The “rest and recovery” portion of this week started almost immediately after finishing the race. After being in the elements for three and a half hours I was soaked and frozen to the core. The hotel hot tub was a savior for tending to sore muscles and chasing the cold out of these old bones. Also having my family and good friends there to share in the accomplishment felt great and made a marathon weekend seem more like a vacation.
I’ve given myself the week off to reflect on my previous training cycle and future in running. I feel like I am on the comeback trail after several disappointing races and some overall burn out. I’m back to running for me and to honor the ability I was given. So as I started to piece together my training cycle for this falls Twin Cities marathon I felt don’t feel obligated to put elements in my training cycle that are going to add excess stress on me mentally. I feel that as I honor my training, I also need to keep my family at the forefront of my life. Running will always be there for me but time spent with my wife and children and the memories we will share are infinitely more important. I have lofty goals for this upcoming race and I’m relishing the challenge that lays ahead. As I go through this next challenge I look forward to sharing the experience with all of you.
Running with you,
Tom
Return to the blog and race recap
Wow it feels like it has been forever since I posted anything here but in all honesty I feel like I’ve done you a disservice but not sharing what’s been going on in my running world.
2018 marked the first year since I began running that I didn’t take on a marathon. Not to say that I wasn’t registered but real life took precedence for my spring entry and an injury knocked me out for completing one one the fall. Life happens so I’ll just learn my lesson from trying to do too much and move on.
2019 though has had a lot of promise. I’ve considered this a rebuilding year for my own racing efforts and so far things have been going great. Not that returning to semi-serious training has been perfect or easy but overall I’ve been happy on how this is going. The first real test of my comeback came just last weekend at the Fargo marathon. The weather didn’t cooperate at all as it rained for what felt like the entire race and the wind seemed to be determined to stop you in your tracks. But I persevered and with a great cheering section behind me I was still able to shave 18 minutes off of my previous attempt in Fargo.
Moving forward though, some more tweaks to my training will be coming and I promise to share with you my experience. So please stay tuned and enjoy this adventure with me!
Running with you,
-Tom
Sigh of Relief
So wow what a race season! Two half marathons, two full marathons, and a Ragnar trail ultra! This really has been a busy season and I'm super thankful for all the support I get from everyone near me.
This is a fun time of year for me, with marathon training cycles further off on the horizon, I can take a deep breath and reflect on all that we've accomplished. This is also where I get to plan what kind of off season training fun I have in store and there are going to be three big points I want to hit this winter:
1. Strength: Unfortunately this is just isn't where I want it to be, but I've got a few tricks up my sleeve to work through this (stay tuned it should be fun!)
2. Mindset: I'm going to take this opportunity to really give meditation a strong effort. In my few times toying around with it, I've seen some positive outcomes so I'm willing to double down to maximize the potential here
3. Food/diet: Tragically I can no longer out run my fork so I'm going to be a lot more focused on how to fuel this machine (there might be a book in here as well ;) )
Finally, one last big-ish thing going on here: The FireFly Turkey 10k Fun Run! I'm trying to gather a good group of focus to get together for a run prior to the day's festivities. So if you have the notion drop us a line to get the rest of the details!
Day 97
Opportunities lost:
Unfortunately as I write this post training hasn't gone as well as planned. Plans change, things come up, etc etc. It's not what I wanted to have happen but I will deal with consequences and use them as motivation for the future. The lessons I have learned this training cycle will stick with me and hopefully make me a better coach, business owner, and athlete.
I will finish what I started this year just not at the pace that I had hoped. Years ago when I was asked if I was discouraged from missing my BQ time after all the hard work I had put in, I simply replied with "nope, this just means that I get to keep running." So even though this next race won't be my "moonshot," I do get the opportunity to continue to share with all of you the challenges of being a husband, father, coach, business owner, and athlete.