Running on Ice

This is one of my favorite Billy Joel songs and it totally ran through my mind during my run tonight. Ellie and I put in 4.5 miles while trying to dodge the ice patches and avoid a serious or just seriously embarrassing spill. Ice has been my mortal enemy since sixth grade when I slipped and fell during a game of SPUD before school. After my broken clavicle it was Ice-1 Brian- 0. Happy to report no major spills this evening and I felt great that for one night I evened the score with my enemy.

Here is my run according to the almighty garmin:

Goals for the week

 In an effort to keep to my plan I have decided to publish my goals for training each week The hope is that by a) reviewing them another time each week and b) adding some peer pressure from my many followers, that I will do better at sticking to my plan. So please feel free to leave encouraging comments or even to chastise me if I am not sticking to the plan.

Here goes...
Tuesday 1/11- 5 miles (hills course)
Thursday - 1/13- 5 miles (tempo run)
Friday 1/14- 5 miles (easy run)
Saturday 1/15 or Sunday 1/16- 12 miles (long run)

Total = 27 miles

Check back at the end of the week to see if I met my goal.

First OKC training run 1/11/2011

First time trying to load my run from connect.garmin.com... It was a little on the slower side, but a great run none the less.
First OKC training run by jbmason75 at Garmin Connect - Details

Running in a Winter Wonderland

Last night's run, which was the first run of the spring training season, was awesome. Ellie and I made our way out for an easy four mile run at about 8:30pm last night as the snow was gently falling here in NOVA. And let me tell you running in the snow is so cool! You would think since I grew up in Central New York that snow would be no big deal, but I still love that first snow fall. As I was running I looked down and saw how happy Ellie was as she seemingly danced back and forth in the snow and  I looked up to see the trees lined with a thin layer of beautiful, pristine, snow. There is something about how peaceful and fresh everything looks when that first snowfall hits. I am not usually the guy who gets a "runner's high", but last night as the miles clicked by, I felt a sense of euphoria as the snow fell all around me, and the high lasted well after the run.

Now allow me to tie back in to my last post on the toughest step, as last night truly tested my dedication to running. Yesterday was a tough day. William was up a few times in the night, I had a ton of stuff to do at school,  after school involved taking William to the doctor for pink eye, and as my wife said "why would anyone want to go outside tonight in this weather." All of the factors were there to keep me from running, but I would not be detered. I tought of my goal for the OKC race and  my overall health (helped that the Biggest Loser was on TV) and took that first step out the door. So glad that I did, because I loved running in a winter wonderland!

The toughest step?

What is the toughest part of a run? Is it that last push near the finish when you have nothing left? Could it be during mile10 of a long and cold 20 mile training run? Maybe... But for me the toughest part of a run doesn't happen during the run at all.

The toughest part for me? That first step out the door! Being and a husband and father, working a full time job, and  all the other obligations life brings take a great deal of time and energy- that leaves less for my running. Then there are those days where I look outside and its raining, freezing cold, or unbearably humid and I think, "what a day for a run."  Combine being tired with the weather and excuses start to mount, killing my desire to run. And I am sad to say the excuses have kept me from my training more times then I care to admit.

But you know what... On the days when I put aside being tired, the weather, or any of the other excuses I came up with, the run always ends up being worth it. Usually within a few minutes of starting the run, I start to feel really good and end up enjoying the run. And even if I don't fully enjoy the it while I am running, the sense of accomplishment- knowing I am getting healthier and am closer to my goal- always makes the run worth it.

So as training begins I will not let excuses stop me and I will take that toughest step out the door, because I know the payoff is worth it.

The Plan

Training for the OKC marathon starts on Monday and I think I have a pretty good plan that will help me improve my fitness and time. This will be my third marathon and I have learned a few things in training for my first two. 1)  I am not a runner that can use a "run less, run faster" system for a variety of reasons (mostly lack of cross training) 2) I need to make sure I focus on long runs and use those to set up better for the race. 3) I need a plan with flexibility as I have a 7 month old son at home and family obligations to meet.

So, I developed a plan that focuses on increasing my mileage, better and more long runs, while still allowing me to have the flexibility I need for my family. You can see the plan below, but in summary, it starts with a base of around 25 miles per week (mpw) and peaks at around 50 mpw, and has me running four days a week. And if all goes well over the next 16 weeks I will have logged a total 550 miles, not counting the marathon itself. During each week I will have hill days, easy days, and tempo runs, along with the long runs, which should all help increase speed, strength, and VO2 capacity.  Based on research from experts and the advice from fellow runners in the forums at Runners World.com, if I keep to the plan and train smart I will crush my PR and move closer to the sub four hour marathon I have been dreaming about.

Each week I will post the goals for the week in the hopes that by making them public there will be increased incentive to stick to the plan. And then during the week, I will give reports on my progress with a summary at the end of the weekly cycle.

The plan is listed below. Let me know what you think!

New Shoes

"The Davis Place Boys"

Do you remember when you were a kid and you and your friends got new sneakers? Remember when you raced to see if they made you faster? And you were sure they did! Well,  The Davis Place crew (which consisted of me, Jason, my brother, and our other buddy Rob) had those races every fall and spring when our parents bought us our new kicks. And low and behold, we were always faster with the new shoes than we were with the old ones just the day before ( at least by our ever so accurate timing). Were we really faster? Did it just feel that way?

The Davis Place crew and those "races"  were running through my mind as I laced up the new Brooks I had received as a Christmas gift from my amazing wife. Knowing I would be getting back in training shape for my spring marathon  I began to reminisce about the Davis Places races. Would my new shoes have the same effect? Probably not... But as I went for my first run in those shoes I did feel something. Maybe it was the cushion of the Brooks or maybe it was the excitement of the goal ahead, but whatever it was it gave me that same thrill I had as a kid when I was "faster" because of my new sneaks.

So the training season begins in earnest on January, 10th, but I feel my new shoes and training plan will surely make me faster for my 26.2 miles on May 1st.

Good luck to all my fellow runners who are or will be training for spring races.