More to come, I promise...

I haven't posted lately because I've been preoccupied with running. Later today or tomorrow, I'll provide an overview of the last two weeks. My mileage has increased significantly, hitting 93+ miles in a 7-day period. I've never run this volume before. My body is handling the mileage very well, but it has left me "drained" and uninspired. I spend my evenings comatose, and I turn in early for solid 8-9 hours of sleep, thus leaving precious little time for other activities.

Dustin v. The Treadmill: Round 2

Road conditions and a cancelled road race (5K) forced me to tango with the treadmill for another workout, more intense than the tempo workout I completed on Wednesday. I ran 2x10:00+ at lactate threshold pace (5:33/mile pace for the first interval, 5:30/mile for the second) and 2x1 mile at critical velocity pace (5:21/mile). The workout went very well. Again, I found the treadmill to be accommodating and comfortable, after struggling with effort-based workouts on undulating terrain of Mt. Washington and Pikesville for the last several weeks.

I was hoping for a "rust buster" this weekend, even if it would only be a low-key 5K. The race I planned to run, Pittsburgh's Cupid Chase 5K, has been postponed until February 27. Thus, my first race will be the Club Challenge Ten Mile on February 28. With the exception of national and world class marathoners, one would not toe the line of an important race without beforehand running a tune-up race. I must have faith in my training and make the most of the two weeks remaining, though any workouts before the race will only provide a psychological, not a physical, benefit at the Club Challenge.

THE WEEK: February 7 - 13
Sunday: 17 mile long run - 2:12:00 in the aftermath of the blizzard on a hilly course
Monday: 8.5 miles AM, 3.25 miles PM - 11.75
Tuesday: 8.1 miles
Wednesday: 9 miles, including 2x15:00+ at lactate threshold AM; 4.25 miles PM
Thursday: 9 miles AM; 4.5 miles PM
Friday: 4.5 miles - recovery run
Saturday: 10.6 miles - 2x10:00 @ lactate threshold, 2x1 mile @ critical velocity
Total: 79 miles

As I write, a second blizzard is hammering the already crippled city of Baltimore. The city's streets are closed to civilian traffic; only emergency vehicles and the National Guard have access to the roads. I ran through the first blizzard, accumulating at least 21 miles - a recovery run and a hilly long run - in the 48-hour period surrounding the storm. Yesterday, however, I broke down and decided it was time to utilize my apartment complex's fitness room, which houses two treadmills.

I began my treadmill odyssey with great trepidation, with a bad treadmill experience from December still fresh in my mind. Interestingly, the run went smoothly; I ran 8.1 miles in 57:00 at my maintenance run pace.

Despite this physical and psychological victory, I could not shake my anxiety about completing a tempo workout on treadmill; running an easy pace for an hour is substantively different than running half marathon for the first time on a treadmill. Accordingly, I approached this workout as I would any other daunting challenge; I prepared mentally and sought to best my opponent (the treadmill and my self-doubting mind) by relentlessly pursuing my goal.

The mental preparation worked nicely, and the results served as a tremendous and much need confidence boost. I ran 2 x 15:00 at project lactate threshold pace, and completed the workout relatively effortlessly, running the entire 6 miles, which includes both LT intervals as well as the recovery run, in 34:11, 5:41 per mile. I averaged about 5:34 pace for the first 15:00 workbout, though this includes the awkward 20 seconds of getting the treadmill up to speed. I haven't done the math for the second interval, but I am certain I averaged around 5:31 pace, since 10:00 of the workbout was at 5:30 pace or quicker (5:27 for the last 2:00 or so). I probably spent 31:00 at lactate threshold pace. A fine workout for this time of year, considering my longest LT workout will be 2 x 20:00.

In other running news, I am reading sections of Roger Robinson's "Running in Literature: A Guide for Scholars, Readers, Runners, Joggers, and Dreamers". Books like this have sparked my interest in the history of distance running. As a historian by training and an educator/interpreter by trade, I feel especially drawn to and equipped for studying the history of this sport. I am hoping to use this Robinson's book to identify other literary and historical works about distance running, particularly those that explore post-WWII era (1948 - present). Given the voluminous work on other sports, I think American distance running needs more historians, scholars who seek to uncover, analyze, inform, and entertain, giving historical voice and a meta-narrative for the "lonely breed". I think I will continue my study with Kenny Moore's "Best Efforts: Stories of Great Runners and Great Races". If you have other suggestions, please drop a note.

Recap from the snowcap of Mt. Wash

"He trained harder and harder. IN the winter, when the snow always covered the track, he added a jersey inside his tracksuit, put a woollen cap on his head, heavy boots on his feet, and ran in the woods....he reasoned, if his body got used to this it would feel wonderfully free when set loose in a race with nice light spiked shoes on a nice cinder track. It did; his feet were light and rejoicing. His whole body was rejoicing."
- Norman Harris describing Emil Zatopek's winter training in The Lonely Breed

"What the hell is that?" Cassidy pointed out the window.
"That my boy is snow. White stuff that falls from God. It won't hurt you actually..." [Denton replied]
John L. Parker, Jr. Once a Runner

As evident in the photograph, a snow storm of historic proportions dropped nearly 30 inches of snow on Baltimore. Aside from starting my "down week" two days early, my running continued as planned. My body is extremely tired from the double sessions that I began last week. I was hoping it would be a smooth transition, but it hasn't been; I am confident that a 75 mile week on single sessions would have felt easier. However, as I explained in my last post, double sessions are necessary, and adapting to this new stimulus ultimately will propel to a new level of fitness, if I proceed cautiously and adjust my training accordingly. Since I was extremely fatigued on Friday afternoon, I decided to forgo my second workout of the week.

When I realized the storm would preclude me from accumulating a solid 10 to 12 miles of running on Saturday, I decided to begin my down week a few days early. First, I checked my running log and discovered that I had run 232.25 miles over the previous 21 days, which works out to an average of 11+ miles a day and 77+ for the seven day periods. Since I had planned to take Monday off entirely, I nearly convinced myself to take off Saturday instead; however, my conscience would not allow this respite, and I completed a 35:00 run in the aftermath of the blizzard to complete a 74.5 mile week. Since I my down week will actually be a seven days period spanning the end of last week and the beginning of next week, it will appear bizarre on a neat calendar. A closer look, however, will reveal that it is well placed. Furthermore, my body doesn't know that its recovery period is not confined to a Sunday through Saturday block.

I met with Ben today for a long run, which was supposed to be about 2 hours, or approximately 17 miles. At the end of the run, I probably covered close to 17 miles, but I had run for at least 2:12. The roads were atrocious and the course was extremely hilly. It was easily the most difficult long run I've completed since I began training again last May, not including, of course, long runs that incorporated tempo runs. While I cruised along Roland Avenue surrounded by wrecked and abandoned vehicles, mountains of snow, and fallen trees, I thought about the passage (above) describing Zatopek's winter training. I could have rationalized a shorter run, or simply broken the two hours into two sessions. Thus, I was happy that I opted for the full length (and then some) long run that I had planned when the snow storm was just a rumor.

The Week: January 31 through February 6
Sunday: 17.25 mile long run - 2:00:00 on hilly terrain
Monday: 8+ miles - 57:00
Tuesday: 4 miles AM; 10 miles PM - 66:00 plus 6x25-second striders
Wednesday: 11.25 miles - 20:00 tempo, averaging 5:38/mile (disastrous)
Thursday: 6.25 miles - easy/recovery run
Friday: 4.25 miles AM; 9.25 miles PM, including 6x25-second striders
Saturday - 4 miles easy/recovery - snow storm!
Total: 74.5

Weekend Outlook

If this prediction proves accurate, this storm will drop between 12 and 20 inches of snow on Baltimore between Friday afternoon and Saturday evening. Regardless of the severity of the storm, I will complete my weekly quota of mileage, including a smattering of intense running. However, it is unlikely that I will have the opportunity to complete a track workout in the near future, considering the the snow from Saturday's and Tuesday's storms has yet to melt.

The best I can do at this point is have faith in my training, listen to my body, and remain flexible, diligent and responsive.

Yesterday, I attempted a lactate threshold workout (tempo) in the Pikesville neighborhoods. Using my car's odometer, which is not the the best too for measuring running routes, I estimate that I covered 3.55 miles in 20:00, thus averaging 5:38 per mile, a pace I should average for a tempo that 105% longer. Taking terrain, snow, and weather into consideration, the results are not devasting, just disappointing and frustrating. I know I'm fit, but I want data that only a track workout or a race can provide. With more snow in the forecast, I'll have to be patient. Tomorrow, I hope to complete an LT/Vo2max hybrid workout, consisting of 2x10:00 @ LT pace followed by a series of 2:00 or 3:00 intervals at Vo2max effort.

The Snow Keeps Falling

As I finished my second run of the day earlier this evening, the most recent snow storm to hit Baltimore had already dusted the earth to the delight of school children and to the chagrin of ground crews, who are responsible for promptly disposing of the white, fluffy hazard. Thus far, winter has been particularly brutal in Baltimore, having dumped at nearly 3 feet of snow on the region since early December (this figure may be higher, as the largest storm delivered a wopping 20 inches).

Despite the inclement weather and my aversion to winter morning runs, I've managed to increase significantly my mileage over the past couple of weeks. Today, I logged at least 14 miles between two runs, one at 6:00AM and the other at 6:00PM, both in total darkness, bringing my weekly total to 39.25 miles. I detest morning runs, especially during the winter months when I must drag my weary body out of bed and into 20-degree air and engage in intense (not really) physical activity. However, double sessions are a requisite to healthily running high mileage, even my modest goal of 85 miles for this week. Not only do morning runs allow for one to accumulate more mileage, thus developing one's aerobic fitness, they also promote muscle recovery, which is essential in a training regimen that includes tempo and interval sessions.

In the past, I've had series motivation issues with rising before work to perform this most-loathed of tasks. I am hoping to overcome this issue, develop a positive attitude toward double sessions, and, ultimately, raise my mileage to level that will hopefully increase my fitness and provide a smoother transition to the marathon.