tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62596028639915088652024-02-06T19:20:22.626-08:00Road to Boston 2009Tom Ritchiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10528666945590759385noreply@blogger.comBlogger53125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6259602863991508865.post-55748526415461921342009-04-22T12:53:00.001-07:002009-04-26T14:30:04.735-07:002:37:13 Official Time!!!!I had a great race on Monday. I don't have time now, but will post more later. Here are my splits:<br /><br />mile 1: 6:10<br />mile 2: 5:51<br />mile 3: 5:50<br />mile 4: 5:47<br />mile 5: 5:55<br />mile 6: 5:51<br />mile 7: 5:56<br />mile 8: 5:58<br />mile 9: 5:57<br />mile 10: 5:57<br />mile 11: 6:02<br />mile 12: 5:51<br />mile 13: 5:54<br />mile 14: 5:48<br />mile 15: 6:01<br />mile 16: 6:05<br />mile 17: 5:57<br />mile 18: 6:13<br />mile 19: 6:18<br />mile 20: 6:02<br />mile 21: 6:27 "Heart Break Hill"<br />mile 22: 5:57<br />mile 23: 6:00<br />mile 24: 5:56<br />mile 25: 6:06<br />mile 26: 5:56<br />last .2: 1:16<br /><br />Total: 2hrs. 37min. 13sec. ( 131st place overall)Tom Ritchiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10528666945590759385noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6259602863991508865.post-87923567737834058172009-04-12T12:03:00.000-07:002009-04-12T12:38:19.258-07:00I'm Ready!<table width="391" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" bgcolor="#000000"><tr><td><a href="http://www.adidas.com/campaigns/verticalsrunning/content/fw08/modules/runningmaps/asp/marathon_image_redirect.asp?id=08b6fc837f3c" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.adidas.com/campaigns/verticalsrunning/content/fw08/data/us/images/top.jpg" width="391" height="24" border="0" alt="undefined" target="_blank" /></a></td></tr><tr><td><object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" data="http://www.adidas.com/campaigns/verticalsrunning/content/fw08/modules/runningmaps/countdown_widget.swf" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=7,0,0,0" width="391" height="248" ><param name="movie" value="http://www.adidas.com/campaigns/verticalsrunning/content/fw08/modules/runningmaps/countdown_widget.swf" /><param name="flashvars" value="id=08b6fc837f3c&language=us&labels=http://www.adidas.com/campaigns/verticalsrunning/content/fw08/data/us/xml/labels.xml" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#000000" /><param name="quality" value="high" /><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /><param name="allowNetworking" value="all" /></object></td></tr><tr><td><img src="http://www.adidas.com/campaigns/verticalsrunning/content/fw08/modules/runningmaps/images/sponsor_alt.jpg" alt="" width="391" height="26" /></td></tr><tr><td><a href="http://www.adidas.com/campaigns/verticalsrunning/content/fw08/modules/runningmaps/asp/marathon_image_redirect.asp?id=08b6fc837f3c" target="_blank" style="width:391px;height:57px;display:block;overflow:hidden;background-image: url(http://www.adidas.com/campaigns/verticalsrunning/content/fw08/modules/runningmaps/asp/marathon_image_back.asp?id=08b6fc837f3c);background-repeat: no-repeat;"></a></td></tr></table><br /><br /><br />Happy Easter!!!<br /><br /><strong>17 weeks down and 1 to go! </strong><br /><br />I did my last medium distance run today of 12 miles with Jerry Ross on my hilly Boston route. Since it was Easter morning we decided to run a little earlier at 8 am. It was a cool 28 degrees and the wet spots on the roads were still icy. It was actually nice knowing that this was my last longer run for awhile.<br /><br />I am ready to race this Marathon. I put in the training. My confidence is high, but I'm also aware that thing can turn bad during a race, so I need to be smart and pay attention to certain details during the race. I was telling Jerry this morning that my goal is basically a 2:37-2:40 range marathon. I'm also going to commit to 6 min. pace right away. I will run the 1st mile a little slower (6:15-6:25 pace), but then get after it. I have the confidence that I will be able to keep this up for the marathon.<br /><br />I have committed 4 months of my life to Boston. I was a college wrestler and I have put just as much effort (if not more) into this race. I'm 35 years old, but I still consider myself an athlete. I am not scared to fail. Last year I ran really conservative and had a good race and I'm proud of my 2:44, but I could've ran faster. This year I'm going to see how fast I can run a marathon. If I fail, then I know that I went after it. Like I said, it's not always about the end result its the process and the road to get their that we sometimes need to be proud of.<br /><br /><strong>Here is the week of 4/6-4/12 (Taper week #2)<br /><br />4/6- Off (1st Day off in 113 days)<br />4/7- 9 miles (8 X 100m striders)<br />4/8- 6 miles<br />4/9- 9+ miles ( 3 X 1600m @ 5K pace w/ 2 min. rest) (5:03, 4:59, 4:57)<br />4/10- 5+ miles<br />4/11- 7+ miles (8 X 100m striders)<br />4/12- 12 miles<br /><br />Total: 48 miles</strong><br /><br />Boston: Here I come!Tom Ritchiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10528666945590759385noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6259602863991508865.post-78557260349625762552009-04-06T15:41:00.000-07:002009-04-12T12:37:33.316-07:00No Running Today!No running for me today. I've run 113 days in a row (6 miles or more) and its time for a day off. I'm on the taper phase for Boston and I just want to make sure my legs are going to be fresh for race day. I didn't plan on having a running streak, it just sort of happend this year. I was in a great groove and I like to stick to a plan. The plan had me running everyday and I wanted to make sure I stuck to it. Last week I managed 70 miles and would like to take it down to about 45-50 this week. 2 Weeks until Boston!!!!!!!!!!Tom Ritchiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10528666945590759385noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6259602863991508865.post-90276698409158230832009-04-05T08:53:00.001-07:002009-04-22T12:44:16.395-07:00Boston Course PreviewAnother week of training in the books. Even though I began my taper this week I still managed to get 70 miles in. I had a couple of good workouts too. Yesterday tempo run was very encouraging to me and today was a great long run.<br /><br />Jerry Ross and I ran around Lake Hood and then ran the totem run out by the airport for a solid 18+ miles. We ran at a pretty good clip too. We progressively got faster during the run and we probably averaged about 6:30-6:40ish pace. We doubled back on the totem run to be able to work the hills some more. We picked it up on the uphills and downhills and ran a little Marathon pace too. I believe it was the perfect amount of effort 2 weeks out from Boston. Plus, it was really nice outside. The sun was shining and the roads were dry. It's nice to actually be able to see the roads for a change.<br /><br />As they say, "All the hay is in the barn. The work is done. Just need to get to the starting line ready to roll."<br /><br /><strong>Here is my mileage for the week 3/30-4/5<br /><br />3/30- 6 miles<br />3/31- 10 miles<br />4/1- 13 miles<br />4/2- 7+ miles<br />4/3- 6 miles<br />4/4- 10 miles (5 @ Tempo) Tempo miles ranged from 5:36-5:20 range<br />4/5- 18+ miles<br /><br />Total: 70 miles</strong><br /><br />Next week I'm probably going to take it down between 45-50 miles. Suppose to be in the 40's this week too. I hope that is true!Tom Ritchiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10528666945590759385noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6259602863991508865.post-18334134367872488332009-03-29T14:13:00.000-07:002009-04-05T08:54:25.457-07:00The Hard Work is doneI just finished my 15th week of training and 106th straight day of running. Most of the hard work is done for Boston and now it is taper time. I need to do everything I can to feel fresh and energized when I toe the line on Monday, April 20th. <br /><br />I had a great confidence booster workout today. Yesterday Anchorage received a little dusting of ash from Mt. Redoubt (volcano) so we decided to do the whole workout in the sports dome (Indoor 400 meter track). Here is the workout:<br /><br /><strong>3 mile warm-up<br />2 X 2 miles @ Tempo (5:40 pace) w/ 400m jog in between sets<br />7 miles (6:45-6:50 pace)<br />3 miles @ Tempo (last mile was at 5:22 pace)<br />3 miles cool down<br /><br />Total: 20 miles</strong><br /><br />This workout gives me a lot of confidence to run well at Boston. I was able to run some pretty good miles toward the end while I was tired. Just like I'll have to do in Boston. This workout teaches you to run fast while you are still tired. We were also able to run some of the warm-up and 7 mile portion on the indoor turf field. It was nice to be able to mix it up and not do the entire run on the track.<br /><br /><strong>Here is my mileage for the week 3/23-3/29<br /><br />3/29- 20+ miles<br />3/28- 11 miles (6am/5pm)<br />3/27- 7 miles<br />3/26- 17 miles (13am/4pm)<br />3/25- 12+ miles (6 X 1200 @ 5K pace w/ 2 min. rest) 5:08 pace<br />3/24- 11 miles (6am/5pm)<br />3/23- 10 miles (6am/4pm)<br /><br />Total: 90 miles</strong><br /><br />Now that the Race Preparation phase is finished I now move into the final phase which is the Taper phase. I'm going to try and get 65-70 miles this next week, then 45-50 miles the following, then it's RACE WEEK!Tom Ritchiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10528666945590759385noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6259602863991508865.post-9822592917036263392009-03-27T12:35:00.000-07:002009-03-29T14:37:46.455-07:00Ready to Race!I've been training for awhile now and I'm ready to race. I've been serious about preparing for Boston now for 15 straight weeks. Am I getting burned out? I wouldn't say that, but I'm definelty ready to move on from this high mileage and taper down for the race. <br /><br />All the hard work is almost done and I need to make sure I get to the starting line healthy and ready to run. Sometimes it can be hard to find the motivation to put on the shoes and run. I felt this a little last year too, toward the end of my Boston training. I hear it is normal though to have these feelings. I really have no problem getting my runs in because I have set a good goal for myself and I know I need the mileage. <br /><br />I am really excited for Boston this year. I've prepared correctly and I'm going to have a great race. I truly believe I will run under 2:40. My good friend Jerry Ross told me that their really shouldn't be any big suprises if you are ready to run on race day. If you did all the training you should have a good estimation of what your time will be on race day. Of course things out of your control can pop up like the weather or illness, but I can't worry about those things. I've learned that through my long runs and Marathon Pace workouts that I should be able to run right around 6 min. pace.<br /><br />Today, my legs feel pretty tired from the last couple of days. Wednesday night I ran 12 miles at the dome <strong>(6 X 1200m @ 5K pace w/ 2 min. rest)</strong>and yesterday I did 13 miles in the morning on my Boston route and another 4 super easy on my treadmill in the evening for a total of 17 miles. So, today I will run an easy 8 miles on the treadmill because it's snowing pretty good outside. Sunday will be my last hard effort before I start to taper down. Sunday's workout should look like this:<br /><br /><strong>2 mile warm-up<br />2 X 2 miles @ Tempo<br />10 mile run (outside)<br />3 miles @ Tempo<br />2 mile cool down<br />Total: 21 miles</strong><br />This is a workout I did last year that gave me a lot of confidence leading to Boston. It showed me that I can still run fast when I'm tired.<br /><br />Well, I'm almost to Boston!Tom Ritchiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10528666945590759385noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6259602863991508865.post-23043491619224547412009-03-23T19:10:00.000-07:002009-03-27T12:53:32.037-07:00100 Days in a row!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNUV3dNI485EV3RNw8zpoyorvNkVJ30vKPfYzqpd8jofpgOSXpndj8B4wH4nzUrSTG97yJa90W36b1uaYZ8vso1pjChMDds8xkM7WyQcMNt6dI29E_i0XOsxuxMvFzqsf8r1AWF6RBtA4/s1600-h/MountRedoubtEruption.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 215px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNUV3dNI485EV3RNw8zpoyorvNkVJ30vKPfYzqpd8jofpgOSXpndj8B4wH4nzUrSTG97yJa90W36b1uaYZ8vso1pjChMDds8xkM7WyQcMNt6dI29E_i0XOsxuxMvFzqsf8r1AWF6RBtA4/s320/MountRedoubtEruption.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5316573220451634690" /></a><br /><br />I started my journey to Boston on Dec. 14th and I've run every single day so far, which gives me 100 days in a row. It isn't one of my goals to run x amount of days in a row. Its just that my marathon training program called for it, so I followed it. I've also been really lucky to not be injured or super fatigued to miss a run. As long as you take your recovery days correctly or slow, it isn't that hard to run everyday.<br /><br />Today was just a recovery day. I ran 6 miles in the morning and 4 more miles in the afternoon. Both runs were done on the treadmill. <br /><br />On another note Mt. Redoubt finally erupted last night and we have been very fortunate that the ash isn't blowing toward Anchorage. It would be a bummer to have to run everyday inside for awhile.Tom Ritchiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10528666945590759385noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6259602863991508865.post-63553526773906012172009-03-22T16:00:00.000-07:002009-03-23T19:21:00.279-07:00Sticking to your Goals!I had a pretty tough week. Not just physically but mentally. I came down with a sore throat on monday morning that progressively got worse all week. It never got super bad or anything, but I coughed a lot, runny nose, and felt weak at times. Normally I would just take days off, but I have set a goal to follow a program to give me the best shot of breaking 2:40 at Boston. I probably could've taken some days off and been fine, but mentally it would of made me weaker. I didn't want to falter from my program. I did all the key workouts, but made sure that the easy recovery days were done correctly (which means SLOW!). Also, I did my best to get <strong>rest</strong>. I ate pretty good and made sure I wasn't staying up late. I drank a lot more water then I was accustomed too also. <strong>If you want to become the best athlete you can you have to make sacrifices.</strong> Sure, it would've been easy to not run and watch some NCAA basketball or take a nap. I tell my wrestlers all the time that sure it's not fun to go for a run or get an extra weight lifting session in, or go to practice when your friends are going out or to a movie. But, when you can achieve a goal it makes all those sacrifices worth it. <strong>If achieving goals were easy, then it wouldn't mean a damn thing if you achieved it!</strong><br /><br /><strong>Here was my training week for 3/16-3/22:<br /><br />3/22- 20 miles<br />3/21- 12 miles (10K Time Trial- 33:47)<br />3/20- 6 miles<br />3/19- 7 miles<br />3/18- 14 miles<br />3/17- 10 miles (5 X 600m @ 5K pace w/ 90 sec rest)<br />3/16- 7 miles<br /><br />Total: 76 miles</strong><br /><br />I have one more week of high mileage (90 miles) than I begin the taper phase. On another note, it was good timing to be sick. Better now than in the upcoming weeks!Tom Ritchiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10528666945590759385noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6259602863991508865.post-67887611467157132522009-03-18T19:45:00.000-07:002009-03-22T16:18:20.714-07:00A little under the weatherI started getting a little sore throat on saturday night and it just has slowly gotten a little worse over the past few days. I coughed a lot last night while trying to sleep. Then today I have a runny nose and feel a little run down. I'm training my way through it, but I'm being careful to make sure I'm eating good, drinking plenty of water, and resting. I think today will be the worse of it and I should slowly start getting better everyday. I figure it is better to get sick now then the week of Boston. So actually good timing.<br /><br />I had a pretty good workout yesterday (VO2 max) and today I ran 14 miles. I ran my hilly Boston route which is 12 miles then I ran the last 2 miles on my treadmill. It seems kind of pointless to run the last 2 on the mille and not just finish the whole run outside. I had all intentions too, but I was gettig tired of running on the ice, slush, and dry pavement with my ice bugs on. Plus traffic was starting to get really busy and the sidewalks kind of sucked.<br /><br />On another note, the Boston Bib #'s came out yesterday and I am Bib #1323! Which also means I'm in Corral 1, which is really close to the starting line. I should cross the starting line within 5-8 seconds only. Not bad considering their are 26,000 people entered.Tom Ritchiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10528666945590759385noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6259602863991508865.post-45740650437356136432009-03-15T11:44:00.000-07:002009-03-18T19:56:52.772-07:00Watching the sunriseI had a super workout today! I have to say that today's workout gives me a ton of confidence heading into the last month until Boston. I woke up at 6am to get an early start on this <strong>key</strong> workout. I was able to drink 1 1/2 cups of coffee and eat one waffle before I began. I watched a little tv (music videos) and played around on the internet a little while I waited for my food to settle. I started running around 8am.<br /><br />I did the entire workout on my treadmill to make sure that I was on pace. It is just too hard in Anchorage to do this type of workout outside because of all the ice. It was just barely getting light when I started and I was able to see a beautiful sunrise over the mountains.<br /><br />Here it is:<br /><br />3 mile warm-up<br /><br /><strong>15 miles @ MP</strong> <br />mile 1: 6:07<br />mile 2: 6:07<br />mile 3: 6:07<br />mile 4: 6:03<br />mile 5: 6:03<br />mile 6: 6:03<br />mile 7: 6:00<br />mile 8: 6:00<br />mile 9: 6:00<br />mile 10: 5:56<br />mile 11: 5:56<br />mile 12: 5:56<br />mile 13: 5:52<br />mile 14: 5:52<br />mile 15: 5:52<br /><br />2 mile cool down.<br /><br />Total: 20 miles<br /><br />I have to say that I'm really happy with it. I started off easy just like I would in a race and gradually picked it up a little. In all honesty the last 6 miles felt the easiest. I felt like picking the pace up a little for the last 3 miles, but resisted the urge because I wanted to really absorb this workout and be prepared to keep my high mileage for the next 2 weeks.<br /><br />Here is my mileage for the week:<br /><br /><strong>3/8- 11 miles (6am/5pm)<br />3/9- 12+ miles (6 X 1000m @ 5K pace w/ 2min. rest)<br />3/10- 15 miles<br />3/11- 10 miles (6am/4pm)<br />3/12- 16 miles (12am/4pm)<br />3/13- 7+ miles<br />3/14- 20 miles (15 @ MP)<br /><br />Total: 91 miles</strong><br /><br />Here are a couple items from last year's race.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd25YkeO70NbGMBVpzyD1Wt1oOdqy12S1COAO0KLCZilaJFMzqRPJOqrn6Z4tpFXsrKAtZ8MPDsDJ9AZdebhZGQz3AA5sNWIHPeNz85T8PAuzSxuj_2dKYR5vPyWOo8xJcmd4jR377gYk/s1600-h/Boston+Marathon+008.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd25YkeO70NbGMBVpzyD1Wt1oOdqy12S1COAO0KLCZilaJFMzqRPJOqrn6Z4tpFXsrKAtZ8MPDsDJ9AZdebhZGQz3AA5sNWIHPeNz85T8PAuzSxuj_2dKYR5vPyWOo8xJcmd4jR377gYk/s320/Boston+Marathon+008.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5313491562560391938" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjapiVlshWxalE8w5lMW1bGbAs9Q-MsnEhNhPbUwTceWy-vh56JQNz6RYHBuMDuQZzCBhvNSB2LEFb2QePvnyDJdEghFljnnClfk9EH2J56ZzquUc7s9y0dx2dDts_VC0-yvpOnuQR_ic4/s1600-h/Boston+Marathon+007.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjapiVlshWxalE8w5lMW1bGbAs9Q-MsnEhNhPbUwTceWy-vh56JQNz6RYHBuMDuQZzCBhvNSB2LEFb2QePvnyDJdEghFljnnClfk9EH2J56ZzquUc7s9y0dx2dDts_VC0-yvpOnuQR_ic4/s320/Boston+Marathon+007.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5313490868188068610" /></a>Tom Ritchiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10528666945590759385noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6259602863991508865.post-14296531460934773482009-03-10T12:13:00.000-07:002009-03-15T12:04:21.433-07:00Good workout in the Dome!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp2N3jfDvbekOrqCNafXxCPq01P-fDnjqvPM71-W2tmTniNt_K-X-9orQA1YY0sI7LP9al3mRRrGAWQecQiyydlxajkkUypflHF4J5Z8hjMZ19vZrohZu0VHgcpZ3fF4snjdV5NxSVqj8/s1600-h/Boston+Marathon+004.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp2N3jfDvbekOrqCNafXxCPq01P-fDnjqvPM71-W2tmTniNt_K-X-9orQA1YY0sI7LP9al3mRRrGAWQecQiyydlxajkkUypflHF4J5Z8hjMZ19vZrohZu0VHgcpZ3fF4snjdV5NxSVqj8/s320/Boston+Marathon+004.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311643449296925618" /></a><br /><br />I had a good quality workout today on our 400m track in our indoor sports dome. It was a little chaotic because all the ASD track teams were doing some spring break workouts, but it was nice to get it out of the way in the morning. The sports dome is such a great thing for our community. It's almost a must for our high school track and soccer programs. Every track and soccer field in Anchorage is still under snow and ice.<br /><br />Here were the details of today's workout:<br /><br />4 mile warm-up<br />6 X 1000m @ 5K pace (3:15) W/ 2 min. rest<br />4 mile cool down<br />Total: 12+ miles<br /><br />Here a couple of Boston items from last year for motivation.Tom Ritchiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10528666945590759385noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6259602863991508865.post-52117894886396586372009-03-09T13:06:00.000-07:002009-03-10T12:30:13.146-07:0086 Days of Running in a row!Not that it is important to run everyday when you are training for a marathon, but I have run everyday since the State Wrestling Tournament on Dec. 13th. Which means I am at 86 days in a row. Obviously you can't run hard or long everyday but if you throw in recovery runs then it is possible to run every day and still absorb the training. I've talked in other blog posts about the benefits of recovery runs. The key is to run them slow enough that it helps speed up recovery for your next run or key workout. Here is a run down of last weeks training:<br /><br /><strong>3/8- 20 miles<br />3/7- 11+ miles (10K Time Trial)<br /> 10K- 34:20 (5:37, 5:36, 5:36, 5:31, 5:26, 5:14, 1:20) = 34:20<br />3/6- 6 miles<br />3/5- 8 miles (6 X 100m striders)<br />3/4- 15 miles<br />3/3- 9 miles (5 X 600m @ 5K pace w/90 sec. rest)<br />3/2- 7 miles- recovery<br /><br />Total: 76 miles</strong>Tom Ritchiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10528666945590759385noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6259602863991508865.post-59749312687406718462009-03-07T12:07:00.000-08:002009-03-09T13:17:25.109-07:0010K "Time Trial"<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij7PCS1HFWI6st9iBxf9dfU0LEXvU1YVDB2vDcMTfYXkoz7imybFp3erS3SM5HLKM6KGAc556SPzOEdA4cmm5dov6GJw8IXlSfh4WtrMQPtZYgFXqTri62Vrs5f5TNhGEjd1k5qE4VbC4/s1600-h/boston-marathon-medal-2008.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 197px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij7PCS1HFWI6st9iBxf9dfU0LEXvU1YVDB2vDcMTfYXkoz7imybFp3erS3SM5HLKM6KGAc556SPzOEdA4cmm5dov6GJw8IXlSfh4WtrMQPtZYgFXqTri62Vrs5f5TNhGEjd1k5qE4VbC4/s320/boston-marathon-medal-2008.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5310541835529916114" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSHTXPekeAwiRu96Oecpk7YUuKfkVTjquqqydhcgPgsyYOnwPM5_Ym-Q8U4ui7Rp_XqpVfqdocd6CAEgbeeNZEA_KixwCtIWoTmsWH5S0RVU3UTr0wneQ6HKYdrKrPAm0ZAUb7ifJatzk/s1600-h/apbostonmarathon.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 203px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSHTXPekeAwiRu96Oecpk7YUuKfkVTjquqqydhcgPgsyYOnwPM5_Ym-Q8U4ui7Rp_XqpVfqdocd6CAEgbeeNZEA_KixwCtIWoTmsWH5S0RVU3UTr0wneQ6HKYdrKrPAm0ZAUb7ifJatzk/s320/apbostonmarathon.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5310541824525205410" /></a><br /><br />My 10K "Time Trial" went pretty good. It was the first time I've ever done a 10K on a track. I've never even done a 5K on a track before either. It went pretty good. We did a 2+ mile warm-up and then we started. Lots of runners their today, which was awesome. Here are a few that I remember: Jerry Ross, John Clark, Sam Hill, Jason Hofacker, Jake Moe, and lots more from Jerry's Marathon training group.<br /><br /> I ended up getting a <strong>2 second PR!</strong> But it was super easy. We'll not super easy, but the easiest 10K I have ever run. I probably took it out a little too easy the first 5K, but I finished strong. When I ran my 34:22 last year it was the opposite. I ran my first few miles at 5:26 and then died. So, I'm happy I ran it pretty smart. Here were my splits: (I hit the last mile hard, and had a lot left in the tank, so I could've run this a lot faster).<br /><br /><strong>Mile 1: 5:37<br /><br />Mile 2: 5:36<br /><br />Mile 3: 5:36<br /><br />Mile 4: 5:31<br /><br />Mile 5: 5:26<br /><br />Mile 6: 5:14<br /><br />.2: 1:20</strong><br /><br />Total: <strong>34:20</strong><br /><br />I would've liked to run a little faster, but I gotta be happy that I did this after running 94 miles last week and specifically marathon training. Plus, I felt recoverd really fast after the race.<br /><br />Did approx. 3 mile cool down.<br /><br />I'm getting some good confidence for Boston. 18 miler tomorrow!Tom Ritchiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10528666945590759385noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6259602863991508865.post-19796013055230429082009-03-01T17:39:00.000-08:002009-03-07T12:15:47.821-08:00Treadmill Simulation of the Boston Hills<OBJECT class=BLOG_video_class id=BLOG_video-7973cca2e426bbac height=266 width=320 contentId="7973cca2e426bbac"></OBJECT><br /><br />Here is what week #12 on the Road to Boston looked like:<br /><br /><strong>3/1- 24 miles<br />2/28- 8 miles<br />2/27- 16 miles (4am/12pm)<br />2/26- 10 miles (6am/4pm)<br />2/25- 15 miles<br />2/24- 11 miles (6am/5pm)<br />2/23- 10 miles (6am/4pm)<br /><br />Total: 94 miles</strong><br /><br />I had a great workout today and a great week of training! I need to reflect on where I stand right now with 7 weeks to go until Boston. I'm definetly in position to run a sub 2:40 but I need to make sure I'm doing the right things to get to the start line in great running shape and injury free. I just ran my first ever 90+ mile week and I feel pretty good. I'm hitting my workouts with this higher mileage, but I'm definetly feeling like I need those recovery days. My fitness is getting so good that I have to make a conscious effort to run slow on the recovery days. It's hard to run over 7 min. pace, but I need to know that it's in my best interest to do so.<br /><br />My legs are feeling really well, with the exception of my feet. My feet feel like that have been taking the biggest toll with this new mileage. They ache a little in the evening and when I wake up. I almost need to warm them up before I begin running. I'll roll them a little on a can of corn in the evening and morning to get them loosened. Once I'm warmed up they feel a lot better. <br /><br />I just finished Mesocycle 2 (Lactate Threshold + Endurance) in the Pete Pfitzinger "Advanced Marathoning" program. Next in Mesocycle 3 is considered "Race Preparation". It lasts 4 weeks with a total of 4 VO2max workouts and 2 8-15K tune up races. I planning on running 10K's for both of them. I'd like to set them up in the dome. <br /><br />Today I had a 24 miler. I did the first 15 miles outside. I ran the south loop w/service extention and added on 3 miles at the end. Lots of hill on this route. I quickly changed clothes and hopped on the treadmill for the last 9 miles. I ran 1 mile pretty easy then I did the Treadmill simulation Boston Hills workout. I found this on the internet. Here it is: <br /><br /><strong>Treadmill equivalent of Boston Marathon Hills.<br /><br />Hill 1: +96 ft, 0.6402 miles long~ 2.83% Grade (use 3%)<br />Hill 2: +78 ft, 0.3363 miles long~ 4.39% Grade (use 4.5% or 5%)<br />Hill 3: +75 ft, 0.4698 miles long~ 3.03% Grade (use 3% or 3.5%)<br />Hill 4 (HBH): +100 ft, 0.4788 miles long,~ 3.96% (use 4% or 4.5%)<br /><br />Between hill 1 and hill 2 the distance is about 3/4 mile<br /><br />Between hill 2 and hill 3 is slightly over 1 mile. Like 1.1<br /><br />Between hill 3 and hill 4 (heartbreak) is about 1/3 to 1/2 mile</strong><br /><br />The last 4 miles I gradually picked up the pace and was at 6:08 pace when I finished. My legs were a little tired, but I felt great. I wasn't wearing a heart rate monitor, but I felt like I was barely breathing. I finished the workout with a nice 12 minute Ice bath. 7 more weeks until Boston! <br /><br /><A href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7FZa8D8JGUHDbaISVEpl312wvDDCB6IKwrGT-L05uPojaYZHA08lPDvl7cpXgkPTEkeCDQbo2NA1IpsQ7vxSLlnCAPIj3iAOOoP_HNu3IlFKXONPxHRjPkEGO3B_JupbdLsOZAZhGviE/s1600-h/Treadmill+003.jpg"><IMG id=BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308404953099199634 style="WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7FZa8D8JGUHDbaISVEpl312wvDDCB6IKwrGT-L05uPojaYZHA08lPDvl7cpXgkPTEkeCDQbo2NA1IpsQ7vxSLlnCAPIj3iAOOoP_HNu3IlFKXONPxHRjPkEGO3B_JupbdLsOZAZhGviE/s320/Treadmill+003.jpg" border=0></A> <br /><A href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi55jw1t5qtbG71I3UTP7Td6LiR3yPPfOt4TrUmT_aXU2WvBgYBJFhmZXiGS3m-YCCfWyupfMsIjqL4JR5DMGv7N-XNFYdnbx_EDpY3CS7YfGyCbv_Z6xlJ6iYpFccIZ7ytg5FvLQj4kyo/s1600-h/Treadmill+002.jpg"><IMG id=BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308404944635769234 style="WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi55jw1t5qtbG71I3UTP7Td6LiR3yPPfOt4TrUmT_aXU2WvBgYBJFhmZXiGS3m-YCCfWyupfMsIjqL4JR5DMGv7N-XNFYdnbx_EDpY3CS7YfGyCbv_Z6xlJ6iYpFccIZ7ytg5FvLQj4kyo/s320/Treadmill+002.jpg" border=0></A>Tom Ritchiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10528666945590759385noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6259602863991508865.post-31583249034599997752009-02-27T22:50:00.001-08:002009-03-01T18:17:36.360-08:00Lactate Threshold RunI had a real good day of running today. I woke up at 5am and ran an easy 4 miles on the treadmill. After work I had a good workout 12 miles total, which gave me 16 for the day. Here it is:<br /><br />3 mile warm-up<br />7 miles @ Tempo pace (6:00, 5:56, 5:52, 5:49, 5:46, 5:42, 5:39) Kind of progressive.<br />2 mile cool down<br /><br />As I got faster during this workout I actually felt better and the effort seemed a little easier. I'm also excited about how quickly I recovered from the workout. For my cool down I never got off the treadmill, I just slowed the pace down to 7 minute miles and within 30-45 sec. my heart rate was low again. I think it shows that I'm getting into pretty good shape! <br /><br />Went to Bears Tooth for dinner. They have the Best Burritos!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUXZ-PAWmFP63BdlYGYJd9kkbxPJzyirzZyGK4NoFNFHAD8wlZAt2ZPW_Lmp_J-IzlpgaNG0Gfvz7TWOifv9tnSNMiT0k4je1VFdAGR3_GOVpEzy07R22oBeKa1sE4TE3ZIvJdFf9HKFM/s1600-h/Bears+Tooth.gif"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 202px; height: 102px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUXZ-PAWmFP63BdlYGYJd9kkbxPJzyirzZyGK4NoFNFHAD8wlZAt2ZPW_Lmp_J-IzlpgaNG0Gfvz7TWOifv9tnSNMiT0k4je1VFdAGR3_GOVpEzy07R22oBeKa1sE4TE3ZIvJdFf9HKFM/s320/Bears+Tooth.gif" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307738706612364514" /></a>Tom Ritchiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10528666945590759385noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6259602863991508865.post-91696663110544345512009-02-25T20:22:00.000-08:002009-02-27T22:57:51.330-08:00Need to run more hills!I had a real good 15 mile run today. I did the south loop w/ Service extention and did the last 3 miles on the treadmill. I really like this run because I think it prepares me well for Boston. There are some real good hills on the hillside. The hill up Huffman is pretty steep and a mile long. It makes Heartbreak Hill look like an ant hill. The other reason I like these Hills is because I get to run down them too. I need to get my legs use to the pounding of running downhill since their is a lot of downhill in Boston too.<br /><br />The temperature outside was nice and so was the footing. I still wore my Ice bugs but alot of the stretches were pure pavement. I also ran at a pretty good clip. I did the whole 15 miles in 1hr. 42 min. (which is 6:48 pace).<br /><br />I'm going to try and run this route at least once a week until Boston. Today was the Fur Rondy track meet at the Dome. I was going to try and PR in the 5000m. but learned it was only going to be a 3000m race. Their is also the Frostbite 5K this saturday but my training doesn't call for it this week and I don't want to get off track for a little race. Since things are going really well thier is no need to mix things up with a race right now. I am looking to try and do a 10K at the dome the following saturday if I can get it set up.Tom Ritchiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10528666945590759385noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6259602863991508865.post-45235820570164358922009-02-22T21:40:00.000-08:002009-02-25T20:35:26.841-08:00Road trips make me tiredAs I write this at 8:45pm on sunday night I am very very tired. I had a road trip to Fairbanks this weekend for my son's state wrestling tournament. I really enjoyed watching him wrestle and have to admit that the tanana junior high state tournament is really cool. Probably the best Junior high athletic event in the state!<br /><br />The trip wasn't the best for my training though. I had to drive through a snow storm on the way up to fairbanks, so it was almost 7 hrs. of driving. Standing and sitting in the bleachers for 2 days kind of hurt my feet and made my legs tired. I was still able to get my runs in, but I felt tired. I also didn't get much sleep because we had to be up early in the mornings and the tournament was over late each night.<br /><br />I really have to focus and start taking better care of myself. I need to start working my core more, stretching after workouts, sleeping, eating healthy. Only 8 weeks until Boston!<br /><br /><strong>Here is a recap of the week 2/16- 2/22:</strong> It was also a recovery week, so mileage a little lower.<br /><br /><strong>2/16- 10 miles (6am/4pm)<br />2/17- 9 miles<br />2/18- 10 miles (5 X 800m @ 5K pace w/90 sec. rest)<br />2/19- 7 miles<br />2/20- 11 miles<br />2/21- 8 miles (10 X 100m strides)<br />2/22- 16 miles<br /><br />Total: 71 miles</strong>Tom Ritchiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10528666945590759385noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6259602863991508865.post-61412954041961319492009-02-18T23:09:00.000-08:002009-02-18T23:40:56.514-08:00VO2 Max Workout!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgplYR75YlwEpGVGgIib08HdhifPIBNQrjhI3GpTDpLMt7yjxgbaJCjVr6e95-KzV-onz_LkeV0z_FIc8Djw3m_n_ZEc9EEUaBobgfWoV-OCSpZaJrb6WQGCz7rlkNXlZz1X3HiFLcIQuI/s1600-h/Boston2009.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 314px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgplYR75YlwEpGVGgIib08HdhifPIBNQrjhI3GpTDpLMt7yjxgbaJCjVr6e95-KzV-onz_LkeV0z_FIc8Djw3m_n_ZEc9EEUaBobgfWoV-OCSpZaJrb6WQGCz7rlkNXlZz1X3HiFLcIQuI/s320/Boston2009.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5304408901520472226" /></a><br /><br />Today I was finally able to turn the legs a little faster today. I had my first VO2 max workout of the Boston Marathon 18 week program. Since my treadmill only goes up to 11.0 mph (5:27 pace) I decided to do the workout at the dome. Here it is:<br /><br />3 mile warm-up<br />5 X 800 meters @ 5K pace w/ 90 sec. rest. (I did all 5 exactly the same 2:33)<br />3.5+ mile cool down<br /><br />It was kind of nice to turn the legs faster today. It wasn't all that hard, but I was really trying to concentrate on getting my heart rate down and ready for the next one in 90 seconds. During my cool down it felt like I was going super slow, but was still running 7 min. pace. <br /><br />Yesterday, I ran a general aerobic 9 miler and then headed to East High school for a wrestling practice. I couldn't resist and did a little live wrestling with the top high school kids in the state. Even though I could easily handle these kids, I still got kind of sore in my upper body and quads from staying in a wrestling stance. Probably not the smartest thing to do if I'm trying to do my best at Boston. I need to be smarter and avoid live wrestling until after the marathon.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEWnnxDkytrHamOmgjXG499g4Kdtb74p0uANGI-Zcc58aJe4E8VrUJUWDv77M1Kr4imN4O6APHUnArwEOHeu5eY-9uni9dGgaLZf8dsRFsVWEdl3AUkmsJPTTvaxC7lIbQrxeJ8zC7774/s1600-h/boston20091.bmp"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 118px; height: 117px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEWnnxDkytrHamOmgjXG499g4Kdtb74p0uANGI-Zcc58aJe4E8VrUJUWDv77M1Kr4imN4O6APHUnArwEOHeu5eY-9uni9dGgaLZf8dsRFsVWEdl3AUkmsJPTTvaxC7lIbQrxeJ8zC7774/s320/boston20091.bmp" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5304409949648220530" /></a>Tom Ritchiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10528666945590759385noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6259602863991508865.post-31555601233079111442009-02-15T18:01:00.000-08:002009-02-22T21:54:07.040-08:001/2 Way to Boston!<strong>9 weeks down and 9 weeks to go!</strong> I had another good week of training and a great workout today. Here is today's workout:<br /><br />3 mile warm-up<br /><br />12 miles @ Marathon Pace (6:03, 6:03, 6:03, 6:03, 6:03, 6:03, 6:00, 6:00, 6:00, 5:56, 5:56, 5:56)<br /><br />1 mile cool-down<br />16 miles total<br /><br /><strong>Here is the mileage for the week of 2/9- 2/15:<br /><br />2/15- 16 miles (12 @ MP)<br />2/14- 7 miles-recovery (6 X 100 strides)<br />2/13- 13 miles<br />2/12- 8 miles- recovery<br />2/11- 19 miles (15am/4pm)<br />2/10- 11 miles (6am/5pm)<br />2/9- 8 miles- recovery<br /><br />Total= 82 miles</strong><br /><br />This is my 3rd straight week of 80+ miles and I'm feeling really good about it. I believe I am handling the mileage well because I feel strong after all my recovery runs. This upcoming week is considered a recovery week where I will drop my mileage down to the mid-70's. Then I will have my first ever 90+ mile week! I still need to do a better job on my nutrition and sleep habits. It would be nice to try and get 8 hrs. of sleep every night and I'm going to try and make a conscious effort to do it. No more late night seinfeld episodes.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnSvcaX4yxiTIsDEKpnhW9bdxIn4qjOcx5sq3Sovf88vzJ08zfcEmduObmkA6SPbu8yUDkwfJKvGeudidPfEcdUGglZHsLSSbd0iihvTufGWkSVbvv4BNirOLmZvISPIbg9OErIwrt74g/s1600-h/seinfeld.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnSvcaX4yxiTIsDEKpnhW9bdxIn4qjOcx5sq3Sovf88vzJ08zfcEmduObmkA6SPbu8yUDkwfJKvGeudidPfEcdUGglZHsLSSbd0iihvTufGWkSVbvv4BNirOLmZvISPIbg9OErIwrt74g/s320/seinfeld.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5303213083420348754" /></a>Tom Ritchiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10528666945590759385noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6259602863991508865.post-79581606219499515512009-02-11T21:37:00.000-08:002009-02-15T18:16:55.997-08:00Epic RunI had one of my favorite runs of my Boston training program today. I met Jerry Ross at his house and we took off towards UAA and went over the bridge on Tudor and into the trails. We found some awesome hard packed dog sled trails that were perfect to run on. It looked like they were groomed and it made the footing perfect. Running on hard snow has a lot more cushion than the pavement. It was about 10 above zero and snowing lightly. It was fun to run in the woods for a change and at times we were on single track trails. We eventually ended up on the tank trails and took the Mayors Marathon trail to Campbell Airstrip Road and took it back to Jerrys. <br /><br />In all we ran between 15-16 miles. I ran an additional 4 miles for recovery in the evening to make it 19-20 miles for the day. It was sure nice to get this medium distance run done outside and not on the treadmill. Things are moving as planned for Boston!<br /><br />I also bought the New Asics DS Trainers from Todd. I will wear these shoes for the Marathon. I'm going to break them in on Sunday when I do my Marathon pace run.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ8ivUHlAYgPbogmklr-cnxonlLiyyjuHC5CrsmScuTL8sKQ4VK4Y_4pIVgfUkPruootAlFcD5-H7uuWlH2EbxiztRi1AORwYLEoTWO0oNmqilDp2VzyvOa3OGv6cNLqHxxqg29J-jjU8/s1600-h/dstrainer13.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 204px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ8ivUHlAYgPbogmklr-cnxonlLiyyjuHC5CrsmScuTL8sKQ4VK4Y_4pIVgfUkPruootAlFcD5-H7uuWlH2EbxiztRi1AORwYLEoTWO0oNmqilDp2VzyvOa3OGv6cNLqHxxqg29J-jjU8/s320/dstrainer13.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5301783870021430690" /></a>Tom Ritchiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10528666945590759385noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6259602863991508865.post-63708559698166092632009-02-08T15:53:00.000-08:002009-02-11T21:45:41.072-08:00Another solid week of TrainingToday was a solid long run. I met Jerry and some of his training group at the dome at 9am and we ran 18 miles outside and then Jerry and I ran another fast 4 miles in the dome to total 22 miles. The running outside was great! We went out on Raspberry and ran all the way to Kincaid Chalet on the multi-use trails which were in pretty good shape. We ran down toward the inlet and ran the coastal trail until we reach Pt. Woronzof and then got on the Totem run route and headed back to the dome running past the airport. We kept a pretty good pace, but we had to work a little harder on the coastal trail because every once in a while we would fall through the hard snow pack. Changed into shorts and t-shirt and slammed some water and we took off to run our last 4 miles. I'm pretty sure I went a little too fast, but it didn't kill me. I was able to concentrate and just run. I think it is good practice for Boston. If things are going good, I should feel tired toward the end and I must be able to run through it. The last couple miles were around 5:45 pace. I can definetly feel it in my legs, but I took my recovery drink and took a 14 minute ice bath. I should absorb this week as long as I take the next couple of days and run true recovery pace.<br /><br /><strong>Here is a run down of the week of 2/2- 2/8<br /><br />2/2- 10 miles (6am/4pm)<br />2/3- 10 miles (6am/4pm)<br />2/4- 15 miles<br />2/5- 10 miles (6am/4pm)<br />2/6- 12 miles (6 @ tempo pace)<br />2/7- 8 miles<br />2/8- 22 miles<br /><br />Total: 87 miles</strong><br /><br />I'm looking forward to relaxing a little tonight and watching the Reebok Indoor Meet on tape delay on ESPN. I want to see Shalayne Flanagan break the 5,000 meter indoor record. I believe she ran 14:47! Amazing!Tom Ritchiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10528666945590759385noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6259602863991508865.post-38439541984938023022009-02-07T18:15:00.000-08:002009-02-08T16:08:14.912-08:00Tempo is my favorite workoutYesterday (Friday) I had a great workout. I ran 12 miles with 6 miles at tempo pace. It was sunny and 25 above outside and I really wanted to run outside, but this workout called for the treadmill. Here is how I ran it:<br /><br />3 mile warm-up (7:30, 7:14, 7:03)<br />6 miles @ tempo (6:00, 5:52, 5:52, 5:52, 5:52, 5:52)<br />3 mile cool down (7 min pace)<br /><br />I really like tempo runs because of the feeling of going fast, but not giving it everything you have. Like I said before, tempo is a pace that you should be able to keep up for an hour. My workout room was a little warm and sweat was starting to fly everywhere toward the end of the tempo run. I had a towel nearby and was trying to dry myself off the best I could. I know that training is going well for Boston when I can keep this pace and feel comfortable while doing it.<br /><br />Today was an easy 8 mile recovery run. I was very happy to do it outside. It was cool out but the sun was shining which made me feel really happy. Sunshine can sure make you feel positive.<br /><br />One of the great things about training for Boston is that the training is done during the worst time of year in Alaska. There is little sunlight, it's cold, icy, and snowy. That probably doesn't make sense. It's probably why a lot of Alaskans don't run a spring marathon. But, I'm getting in great shape and getting those endorphins kicking in the winter. It's much better coming out of winter in great shape, than coming out of winter having gained 10 lbs. Tomorrow calls for a long 22 miler. I'm meeting Jerry at the Dome at 9am. I hope to do 16+ outside and then finish up in the dome.Tom Ritchiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10528666945590759385noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6259602863991508865.post-81566306257844756342009-02-05T20:37:00.001-08:002009-02-05T20:37:55.373-08:00Reasons to run the Boston Marathon<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/hFe8d4pC-lc&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/hFe8d4pC-lc&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Tom Ritchiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10528666945590759385noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6259602863991508865.post-78717628142416836422009-02-04T15:19:00.000-08:002009-02-07T18:27:48.084-08:00The treadmill has been a good friendToday it was -5 below on the way to work (I can't wait for the summer). I only worked a 1/2 day because I had to go home and take care of my daughter who stayed home from school because she still has a bad cold. I was able to get her some lunch and get her crafts, etc.. all set up and I was off upstairs to get my workout done.<br /><br />Today I ran 15 miles on the treadmill. I was pretty tired the last couple of days, but I felt great today. I started really easy at 7:30 pace (8.0 mph) and every mile I picked up the pace by .1 mph. So, after 6 miles I was already at 8.6 mph which is 6:58 pace. I picked it up again every couple of miles until I was running 6:31 mile pace the last couple miles.<br /><br />Tomorrow calls for double recovery runs and then friday I'll be doing some tempo. I'm pumped my legs felt great today.<br /><br />Here is another great coldplay song live in Toronto. (Death and all of his friends). I love this album. Wish I could watch them live someday.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/L2v_veGST9o&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/L2v_veGST9o&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Tom Ritchiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10528666945590759385noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6259602863991508865.post-14656640798765920542009-02-03T20:10:00.000-08:002009-02-04T15:32:24.012-08:00Legs tiredThe last couple of days my legs have felt pretty tired. I'm coming off an 86 mile week and I'm glad that my marathon plan called for 2 easy recovery days. Both days I ran 6 miles in the morning and 4 miles in the evening all at a super easy pace. My legs would warm up and I would feel good when I was running, but the rest of the day when I was walking around work or at home my legs felt pretty tired. I'm sure my legs will get use to the higher mileage and I will feel strong again. I just have to make sure to keep the easy days easy and the hard days hard. Does that make sense?<br /><br />Both of my kids are sick now with some pretty bad colds. They have been keeping me up at night coughing so my sleep hasn't been the greatest. Lots of kids at school are sick too. I believe it is that time of year. I just need to make sure I'm eating right and drinking lots of fluids and try to get as much rest as possible. It is a challenge to have a full time job, have a family, and run 80-90 miles a week. I'm enjoying the challenge though!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5ATaGv3VtGbNbJZoWNlXClPFy_YxOwSZtl2fjvMlZUr3Mv7HoltgwwnvauIQo6cvVm_KwRzPT7mawpg82Fzh4OrrRN3UNLKm8gdgAKPEvmPGQuQvbhIZT16AgD6IaCQV4lkaXEbvcbcg/s1600-h/sickkid.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5ATaGv3VtGbNbJZoWNlXClPFy_YxOwSZtl2fjvMlZUr3Mv7HoltgwwnvauIQo6cvVm_KwRzPT7mawpg82Fzh4OrrRN3UNLKm8gdgAKPEvmPGQuQvbhIZT16AgD6IaCQV4lkaXEbvcbcg/s320/sickkid.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5298794591150934258" /></a>Tom Ritchiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10528666945590759385noreply@blogger.com0