Half way through Marathon training

NYCRUNS Labor Day, 10K; photo by NYCRUNS

I thought it is time to give a little update on what I am up to. It's mid-September, the NYC Marathon is 7 1/2 weeks away from now, and I am almost 2 1/2 months into my training for it. Despite all the fears about getting injured again I signed up for the NY Flyers Marathon Training Program which follows Jack Daniel's (no, not the whiskey) training method. So far, I must say that while my ankle and my hip are still in need of some more fixing (which will wait until after the Marathon) it has been very successful and rather pain free. My fitness is approaching levels not seen since summer of 2014 and I am really excited to be able to race 26.2 miles down NYC streets. This is what has happened since the beginning of July:

• It all started with the NYCRUNS Firecracker 5K on Governors Island in which I surprisingly placed first in my age group
• As part of the marathon program I got a gait analysis by Finish Line PT which pretty much came to the conclusion that my current running form sucks. I don't use my arms to propel me forward, my feet roll a lot after they touch the ground, and my hip extensions are almost non-existent, i.e. I pull myself forward instead of pushing. Oh, and I do some kind of claw thing with my left arm while running. It's interesting to see yourself running in slow motion. Well, I got a few exercises prescribed (stretching) and if I can gather up the $150 or so that it would cost me per session I can get it all improved. For now, I just watch my form (swing those arms, lean forward a bit more, focus on these extensions) and I must say there is a lot of potential in me to run faster and longer.
• I ran a few more races to check that my form indeed is improving. I ran the NYRR Fifth Avenue Mile with a new PR of 5:43, I ran a 5K while on vacation down in Virginia where I placed once more first in my age group, and I ran the NYCRUNS Labor Day 10K on Roosevelt Island where I came in fourth in my age group (so close, or not; I was a minute behind the third place holder). I also ran this year's NYRR Team Championships.
• I've been running five times a week with very few exceptions and, as mentioned before, without injuries.

For the curious ones here is the training plan for this week:

Monday: rest

Tuesday: 8 miles, easy

Wednesday: 6 miles easy, 3 miles threshold, 1 mile easy

Thursday (that's today): rest

Friday: 8 miles easy

Saturday: 5 miles easy

Sunday: 20 miles easy (my first 20 Miler)

My current weekly mileage is around 45-50 miles and I am filling up my months with 100+ miles. Not too shabby.

My take aways from the training program:

NYRR Team Championships
Photo by Richard Brounstein or Bob Cowin

• It is hard work. It is doable, though. Trust your coach.
• Don't fret if you mess up a workout. Once you do it again you will notice that it will get easier. My marathon pace long runs, for example, have always been really hard. I noticed, though, that the wall I keep hitting comes later and later, the more often I practice. It's mostly mental. If I take water breaks that are too long, for example, I am having a hard time to go back into my rhythm and the thought of calling it quit intensify.
• Doing hard workouts or long runs in a group is a lot easier than doing them on your own.
• Eat! Refuel! Get those calories, protein, and carbs in you. I have been scarfing down food like there is no tomorrow and I rarely feel like I ate too much. The good thing is that the next workout will burn another 1500 calories again.
• Refueling during a run is tricky. I still have to figure this out. Everything is going swell until it's time for a gel and some water. Maybe I still have to find the right flavor? I sure found plenty that I do not want to try ever again. Oh, and gels are nasty. They are sticky and the texture is just ugh. 
• You are not going to lose too much weight. You will eat and then run and eat again. It's pretty much a zero-sum game with very gradual changes. I am still a bit overweight and while the hard workouts are chiseling on my pounds it is very slow going. That's fine with me, though. I am going to run a Marathon and weight loss is really not my goal here.

I am still planning on writing about some of the races I have done this year, especially the ones that were the most fun, like the 5K in Virginia. I hope to get to do that soon.

I do not have many more races planned for this year. The NYC Marathon is the big one, and then there is of course the Bronx 10M and the Staten Island Half. I am really, really going to make sure I'll get into the NYC Half in 2017. I will also have plenty of races behind my belt to get into the NYC Marathon in 2017 as well. I am thinking of making this my two major races for the coming years: NYC Half in the spring and the Marathon in the fall. In between I do at least 7 more NYRR races, and some of the NYCRUNS events, especially the ones that are part of the club challenge.

That was a quick update. Keep on running, folks!