BQ by 40

I hope I’m ready for my marathon now.  I just finished my first 300 mile month ever:

Build-up to a 300-mile month

I also just finished my first 80-mile week last week:

Last 6 weeks including 80 mile week.

It’s a been long road since my best marathon time ever, in May 2009, to now.  I’ve had to learn how to push myself without putting myself out of commission for 4-8 weeks at a time, as the graph shows below:

The lessons learned? [Your mileage may vary]

1. There should be at most only 2 strictly paced workouts per week:  1 tempo or interval, and maybe 1 long run at pace (don’t obsess on pace for the long run).
2. If you’re going to be on the treadmill for easy/recovery runs, undershoot the pace on these.
3. For a double-run day, one of the runs should be a minute per mile slower than “easy pace”.
4. During the bulk of the mileage build-up, it’s okay to go slower than you’re capable of.  Really.
5. If you must track your time and distance always, use a stopwatch on a measured route instead of GPS.
6. If anything stops working for you mentally or due to time-constraints, make a change:
   1. Split up longer workouts if schedule is a constraint.
   2. Run at a different time of day.
   3. Run on the treadmill.
   4. Avoid the treadmill.
   5. Drive to a park that you don’t normally run in.

I’ve also learned that beyond about 50 miles per week, the mental, psychological, and political [home and work] aspects of getting workouts in become more difficult than the physical aspects.  I absolutely don’t have answers for any of that, except to be as generous and flexible as possible when not running to buy the good graces of those who you depend on and who depend on you.

RunningAHEAD – Strings_n_88keys’s log: View Workout.

• 10k "PR" on a tempo run - 45:14 #running #twit2fit My 10k PR is 46:26, which is a 7:29 pace, and my target tempo pace for today was a 7:21 pace.  I had tossed around the idea of running a 10k race this weekend, but decided that I didn't want to reduce my miles enough to make a strong showing......
• Streak day 13 #twit2fit Ended up on the treadmill, as the thunder crashed as my Garmin synched.  Lucky for me, because a few minutes later, while on the treadmill, pea-sized hail started falling outside.  I probably would have been a half-mile out at that point. 3.6 mile in 35'47" for 9'57".  13 day streak. ......
• Negative splits on my 18 miler (streak day 92) #twit2fit Last week, I ran a 16 miler in which I never got my legs under me.   My expected easy/long run pace is roughly 9:30 per mile, but I'm okay with 10 minute miles given the warmer weather. My result was a 10:19 pace for 16 miles, with the last few......
• 2251.2 miles for the year and other accomplishments #running #twit2fit Accomplishments for the year: 10 more 60 mile weeks than I've run in my entire life. My first 70 mile week, and 5 more 70+ mile weeks. My first 80 mile week. My first 2000+ mile year. My first 300+ mile month. Two 5k PRs under 21 minutes. Sub 4......
• Race Report: Monumental Marathon I've spent the past 6 months working up to this day.  Twice in the past 16 months, I've been sidelined from running for more than 6 weeks.  I began running everyday at the end of my last injury recovery, making it my goal to be able to run the......