Goodbye Cold + Windy Training, Hello Fast Spring Races

By now, everyone knows I love training in the winter. The cold air allows for long runs without me ever getting over-heated, and the harsh winds create resistance which builds stamina and strength. As an added bonus, wearing six extra pounds of sweaty layers forces my legs to build stronger muscles as they try to lug the extra clothing. Then the warm spring air comes around, and after four months of training in wintery conditions and extra layers, I feel lighter and faster. As evidence, look at some of my PRs set in the spring (March to June):

Race Distance	Month of PR
Marathon	March
Half Marathon	May
10 Mile	June
10k	June
8k	April
5k	April

No fall PRs for me for race distances that I've run multiple times. It's likely due to the hot, muggy miserable training conditions we get in the summer. They don't help me build as much strength and stamina.

Since October, I have pretty much always trained with a jacket on and have not trained with shorts. I also haven't run in 50 plus temps in a similar amount of time.  I have been training in the 8:00 to 9:00 minute mile range for most of the winter and it has been an effort to run one of those training miles in the 7:00 to 8:00/mile range.

But on my second short run yesterday, I ran in 55 degree temps. My first mile, I ran super easy, and I thought it was slow. However, when I glanced down at my Garmin I had run it in 7:36! I was not even breathing hard! I ran the second mile in the easiest 6:42/mile I can remember. The effort felt like an 8:00/mile. I don't even need this speed for my marathon next weekend, but it is there now, thanks to my winter trained muscles/lungs combined with the mild spring temps.

This a.m. was one of my last lakefront runs before my marathon. Temps were cold, so I ran it slower than last night. It was another perfect windy + cold morning for strength building.

Enjoying a final skyline view before my marathon

I am thinking about calling it quits with running next Wednesday to give myself four days of recovery before the marathon.  I may add a swim and a stationary bike to get my muscles loose and to heal up any lingering injuries as much as possible. We will see how my taper plays out!

Good luck to all of the Shamrock Shufflers this weekend. I may go down and spectate.

Boston Marathon Training Starts Tomorrow

Tomorrow, I start my 18-week training cycle for the Boston Marathon in April. I took last week off from running and I am now feeling 95% healthy. After running 40 easy miles this week, I feel completely refreshed. I am ready to tackle whatever plan I come up with. As I make last minute adjustments to my training calendar I am left to wonder:

• Is my goal of a sub 3-hour marathon too aggressive? Should I just run Boston to say I ran Boston, enjoy the experience and not risk an injury which will sideline me?
• Which workout on the calendar (if any) could be my undoing (i.e. I push too hard and have to sit out for a few days/weeks)?
• Am I planning on running too many miles each week or not enough?
• Will I really be able to run the three tempo runs in weeks 15, 16 and 17 (my peak mileage weeks) which call for 10 miles a piece at marathon pace (6:52/mile)? 
• Will I really be disciplined enough with my sleep and eating habits to accomplish my goal?

That said, I am super excited to get started. I am hoping for lots of cold and windy workouts which will make me stronger and more battle hardened.

Winter by the Lake (Jan, 2012)

I want the workouts to be just tough enough that I won't fear a 6:52/mile x 26.2 pace and not too tough that I won't be able to recover for the next workout.

 But for a few weeks this winter, I really want it cold, and I want to run against strong winds whipping off of the lake. 

A training wish for a few weeks of this type of weather.

These are the kind of winds which gust in your face and make you fight for every step. Sometimes it's an absolute struggle to run 10 minute miles. Those type of training conditions gave me my half marathon p.r. in May 2010 and my marathon p.r. in March 2011. They will hopefully bring me a new marathon p.r. in April 2013.

Despite all of those lingering training questions, as of tomorrow morning, I will throw my full confidence behind whatever plan I have in place. Then I'll put my winter gear on, lace up my Mizunos, start running, and I don't plan on slowing down until April 15th!