Enough is Enough

Winter please be over. There is a growing rumble within the running community that happens almost exactly at the same time each year. The drudgery of Winter running seems to reach it's peak around mid-February. I know that I am really tired of running in multiple layers of clothes in the dark. I am tired of wearing the same basic clothes each day. I am tired of doing the additional laundry necessary to keep the stink to a minimum.

I have tried to mix it up a bit by hitting the Kent State track on Tuesday nights. I have also done a few treadmill workouts. These are all temporary actions to avoid the simple truth that Winter running is a drag.

My only race prior to the National Marathon will be the Shamrock 15K - hosted by the Summit Athletic Running Club. It is a tough tough course where times really skewed because of the hills. I am looking to run close to my best time there. I won't be as fast in the beginning downhill sections, but I hope my hill strength can even things out a bit.

Here is my schedule for the current week. Things are going well.

Mon: 4 easy
Tue: 9 miles with 6 x 1000 meter repeats + strides
Wed: 13 miles
Thu: 9 miles
Fri: 3 easy miles
Sat: 13 miles
Sun: 24 miles with 6 easy/6 marathon pace/1 tempo/6 marathon pace/1 tempo/ 4 easy

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Training 02/08 to 02/14

A solid week of training behind me. 77 more miles in the bank. I had two confidence boost workouts this past week. Tuesday I was able to hit my marks with 3x1 mile repeats - 3x1000 meter repeats - 3x400 meter repeats. All good numbers. Sunday called for a 22 miler with 4 mile pace work at the beginning and end. The pace for those segments hovered around 6:10 for each with the final sub 6. I felt pretty fresh most of the way. It will be good to get out of the Winter gear for some of these runs.

Weekly Schedule
Mon: 5 miles easy
Tue: 2mE+4x(5minT+5minE+4minT+4minE+3minT+3minE+2minT+2minE)+2mi
Wed: 13 group run
Thu: 8 miles
Fri: 10 miles
Sat: 2mE+4mMP+10mE+4mMP+2mE
Sun: 12 miles
Total = 87

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Training Boost

National Marathon
I received an email today indicating that I will be placed in the elite group for the National Marathon in Washington DC on March 20th. This means that I will be given a low race number and will have access to the front of the starting area. During the online registration process I submitted my expected finish time (an honest estimate), and based on the results over the last few years my time predicts that I should be competing for the top 3 Masters spots. I really appreciated the gesture and will use it as a boost to my training and commitment to the race.

My friend Al let me borrow a book called "The Competitive Edge" by Richard Elliott. I have read several books that address the mental approach of racing, but this book is the first to really strike a chord with me. It contains a few gems that I will begin using in preparation for the marathon.

Workout Schedule
Mon: 8 easy
Tue: AM 4 easy. PM 2 mile warm up + 3x1 miles with 3 min recovery + 3x1000 meters with 2 min recovery + 3x400 meters with 1 min recovery + 2 mile cool down
Wed: 13 group run miles

Publish Post

Thu: 10 miles
Fri: 10 miles + striders
Sat: 5 miles easy
Sun: 2 miles easy + 4 miles tempo + 10 miles easy + 4 miles tempo + 2 miles easy

Chaney Event Management
I have added a few more races to the schedule and look to be busy this Summer. Next up is the Chase Your Shadow 5K....a new race in Portage Lakes State Park.

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Stress + Training

Stress
Until May of 2009 I had worked with the same group of people in the same industry for nearly 22 years. There is a lot to be said about being in a comfort zone for your profession and with the people you work with. Over the years, I know times bordered from comfort zone to taking things for granted. It's not until you are out of your comfort zone that you realize how stressful something new can be. While I am back in the industry (after an 8 month hiatus), it is with a new company and EVERYTHING falls solely on my shoulders this time. No margin of error here. Today is one of those days where little things that go wrong get MAGNIFIED and weigh on me like a ton of bricks. I know things will settle down over time. I just hope I recognize the tipping point.

Training
The miles are building and the marathon is not too far away. February promises to be a big month and will dictate my marathon success. Jo and I are in for the National Marathon. I want it to be my "one and done" marathon for 2010, but will hold the Cleveland Marathon as a backup if things don't look to be on target.

General
I revamped the www.copleycc.com website. I had a tough time deciding if I should bag the website and rely on Facebook, but in the end I think there is a place for both.

Maddie will be going to Ohio U for siblings weekend in February along with one of her friends. She will stay with the friends sister rather than with Logan. Hopefully he makes time to see her while she is there!

Wish I could find a way to make Chaney Event Management a full time gig.

Parents are in Aruba once again. I hope they have an uneventful and fun time.

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Training 01/04 to 01/10

A good solid week of running in the bank. I ended up at 91 miles which is pretty good for me. A few highlights included the New Years Day run and the Nakel Doughnut run. Temps have been pretty low and clearly Winter is here.

Mon 1/4: AM 8 easy miles
Tue 1/5: AM 2 mile warm up + 4x1 mile repeats + 4x400 meter repeats + 2 mile cool down
Wed 1/6: AM 13 with Damon / Matt / Rich / Nilesh / Ed
Thu 1/7: AM 8 easy miles
Fri 1/8: AM 10 miles
Sat 1/9: AM 20 miles
Sun 1/10: 14 miles
Total = 72 miles

My race schedule is starting to fall into place as well. I will do races each weekend for a month leading up to the marathon. Some will be marathon pace, some will be workouts, some will be all out. Here they are: Last Chance for Boston Half Marathon, Shamrock 15K, Malachi 5 miler, National Marathon.

Logan is back at OU for Winter Quarter. At the moment he has a single room. His roommate decided to move out. Hopefully he either keeps the large single or at least gets a good roommate.

Maddie starts back on Monday. I know it is going to take a few days to get back in the groove of things. Time to buckle down!

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National Marathon Training - 12/28 to 1/3

I have been pretty good about following my training plan for the National Marathon, but have had a few schedule conflicts disrupt it a little. This is the first week where I will really lock onto the schedule. I will only hit 90+ three times during the cycle...so this week is important.

Mon 12/28 - 10 miles easy
Tue 12/29 - 2 mile warm up + 4 miles @ 6:30 pace + 4 mins easy + 3 miles @ 6:20 pace + 3 mins easy + 2 miles @ 6:15 pace + 2 mins easy + 1 mile @ 6:15 pace + 2 mile cool down
Wed: AM - 8 miles with Damon / Matt / Rich. PM - 9 miles with Seymour and Dobos.
Thu: 10 easy miles
Fri: 10 easy miles @ Boston Store with Ed and group
Sat: 10 miles with Nakel at doughnut run
Sun: 2 miles easy + 4 miles @ 6:00 pace + 10 miles easy + 2 x 2 miles @ 6:15 pace with 2 min easy between + 2 miles cool down
Total = 95 miles

I have to remember that easy means easy!

+ Logan heads back to Ohio U on the 3rd. I think he is really ready to get back!
+ Maddie got a guitar for Xmas. I hope she stays interested in it. If so....lessons will start in the Spring.
+ Jo will hopefully be running the half in DC while I do the marathon. We will be staying a block from the Capitol. I am really looking forward to the trip.

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Plan in Place

Well my 18% chance for Western States may have well been 0%. I didn't get in, which is too bad because I really doubt I will run another 100 just to qualify for Western again. So the table is set for the National Marathon in DC on March 20th. This gives me enough time to train and not overtrain. It also gives me a second chance should the National not go according to plan. I can always regroup and do either the Flying Pig or Cleveland.

Congrats to the Burning River 100 miler. It has been selected as the 2010 USATF Trail 100 National Championship. I am timing / webcasting / helping this race...so national exposure to Chaney Event Management is on the way.

Got a good 18 miler in today. Final pace was around 6:54 which is not that big of a deal. What was important was that I ran miles 2-5 around 6:20 pace with no impact on the rest of the run. I backed it down on the carriage trail then picked it back up on the way back. The 6:45-6:55 remainder of the run seemed pretty relaxed. This is a good starting point. The key will be to hook up as much as I can with people who run faster than me.

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