Tag Archives: marathon training

Find your rhythm, one chant at a time…

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It’s a question of belief whether divine intervention can help your fitness program, but I can attest that God’s music can make you  a faster runner.

When it came time to train for my second marathon, I turned to Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina. Palestrina wasn’t a running coach but a 16th century composer of  sacred music. His compositions, still sung in Masses worldwide, helped revolutionize choral music in religious settings in the Western world.

A friend recommended I listen to jazz, because the improvisational style can aid in finding rhythm. It didn’t help. On a whim, I switched over to the Palestrina station and heard the Gregorian chants. Soon I would find them, well, instrumental to my fitness program.

In my guest post on the Washington Post’s To Your Health, I explain how Gregorian chants and attending the Church of the Long Run helped me focus and get faster. Read more here. And thanks to Lenny Bernstein and the Post for the opportunity!

D.C. training #7: To the starting line, once again

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3/7: 5:03mi, avg. 8:38/mi
3/8: 6:01/mi, avg. 9:09/mi
3/11: 4:79/mi, avg, 9:00/mi
3/12: 3.77/mi, avg. 8:45/mi

Winter is taking one last pass through, a victory lap perhaps. It surely did win the past few months. It goes without saying it has been one of the most brutal winters that I’ve experienced and as you can read from the posts, one of the hardest to train in.

But here we are. The Rock and Roll marathon is Saturday and weather should be good. Light wind, some precipitation but nothing too extreme. Assuming metro runs on time, it should be a smooth time getting to the starting line. I feel a sense of “good tired.” This winter wiped me out, my eyes are still adjusting to moisture in the air and my lungs aren’t quite sure how to deal with milder breathing. It should lead to better running on Saturday but it is an adjustment.

My friend Greg comes up to D.C. tonight and it’ll be great to run the race with him. He was one of the initial catalysts for getting me to start running, for which I greatly appreciate him.

Not much more to say at this point, other than I’ll see you at the starting line!

D.C. training #4: Too much cold

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2/11: 6.67 mi/ avg, 9;27/mi
2/12: 6:88 mi/avg. 9:26/mi
2/15: Gym workout: round the worlds, free weight squats, push press, bench press, dips
Approx 2.5 miles running
2/16: Approx 7 miles, 3 walking.

About a foot of snow fell this past week in D.C., the most since Snowmeggedon four years ago. Temperatures are above freezing, which is good but Old Man Winter is making his final push before we start to move to spring.

Sunday’s run was awful. The running app wasn’t functioning, I slipped on ice and almost face-planted. I re-injured my right foot and to top it off, my phone died and I forgot my wallet. So, it’s walking three miles home.

I’m hoping a few days’ rest and some RICE (rest, ice, compression, elevation) will do the trick. We’re at t-minus a month or so before D.C. Rock and Roll. My times have been good and I’ve been running the best I’ve ever ran. Perhaps the over-exertion got the best of me this week. That and trying to avoid all the tourists in town for President’s Day weekend didn’t help.

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My Wave for runners are great for running, bad for mud. Very bad for mud.

Speaking of my shoes, they got broken in nice and good. What I thought was a shortcut to get by the Capital pond was just mud, ice and a near face plant on the grass. The battle scars are a nice touch but to avoid continued pain with the tendons on top of my foot, I need to figure out a better way to lace these bad boys up.

Talk back: Any tips or methods to lace the shoes so they don’t exert direct pressure on the top of my feet?

 

Training #12: The long week

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Monday: 7.80/km, avg 6:56

Tuesday: 9.70km, avg 6:12

Wednesday crossfit: Handstands, split jerk (105)
4 stations – 30 seconds – 3x through
Sideways med-ball throw – 5 feet away, alternate sides – (16)
Renegade Rows – (40)
Ab mat sit-ups
Barbell Thrusters – (75) Total: 119

Friday: 12.55km, avg 6:00/km

Saturday; 32.01km, avg 6:39/km

Total kilometers ran: 62.06 km (about 39 miles)

No wonder I feel tired.

As you can see from the marathon countdown, the days are coming closer. Not going to lie, it’s very real now. I’m making plans with my dad and getting the last details together. What has been a dream, an idea and some plans is about to become reality.

And that’s terrifying.

No matter. My goal the next 2.5 weeks is to eat well. Aside from the Ben and Jerry’s ice cream I just ate, I feel pretty good. I ate some bread over the weekend to help ease the 20-miler. It does help but I was warned that nutrient deficiency will be in full force. Three days out, I’m still feeling it.

By the way, did I mention I ran a 20-miler? 20 miles! Combined with the 7 I ran the day before, I was pooped. Still am. With tapering, I should have enough time to regain my legs and have full energy going into the marathon.

Now the goal is to get to Argentina. Just get there.

 

 

A Capital Birthday

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I finished a 10k on a gorgeous D.C. afternoon. It’s almost scary how beautiful it is and its prognostication of a cold winter. But no matter.
This time last year, D.C. was in all its swampy glory. I had aimed to run from my place to the White House and back. It’s about 4 miles total and despite the incline coming back, it’s a very pleasant run.
But I wasn’t ready and it was too damn hot. I didn’t want to turn the next age. More accurately, I didn’t care. My goal was to make it through the year and move forward. Birthday be damned.

This year, however, it was time to run.

I’m sure the tourists are besides themselves. It’ll be warmer next week and I’m sure our heat wave will come on Labor Day. For now, it’s bliss.

I turn 33 tomorrow and start my Jesus Year. It’s gonna be something.

Happy running!

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Training #6: About the scenic route…

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Tuesday: 9:43 km/avg 6:24/km with strides

Wednesday: Jump rope, 5 min, mobility stretches, clean (focus on proper technique and squats), 85 lbs, pull ups 4×6 (banded), banded good mornings, 4×12

Conditioning: 5 rounds, dumbbell clean and split jerk, 4x at 30 lbs, side shuffles. Time: 3:41

Friday: 7:06km, avg 6:23/km

Saturday: 6:46 km, avg 6:39/km

Sunday: 28.04/km, avg 6:39/km

I ran a full marathon this weekend. Really, it wasn’t my fault.

Sunday’s long run was meant to be 23km. I knew the route and was ready to go, even after two previous days of decent-size runs and somewhat humid weather.

Making my way into Rock Creek Park was easy. The weather was nice, a cool breeze ruffled the leaves on Beach Drive. Lots of runners, walkers and  bikers were out. It was a great time to be out.

Alas, I was supposed to turn left on Beach Drive to get to Oregon Drive, which would have dumped me on Western Ave (the border between the District and Maryland). Well, Apple Maps had other ideas. Instead of left, I went straight. Four kilometers, I got onto the Rock Creek Trail. Four miles to Connecticut Avenue. Okay, that won’t be too bad.

The trail wasn’t bad but I should know by now that Connecticut is always bad. ALWAYS. I eventually got to Connecticut Avenue. It should so happen to be Connecticut Avenue at 495. (If you’re like me and don’t understand D.C. directions, just know that 495 is the Beltway and a hella far distance from where I live in the District.)

After walking a mile, I figured there’s three options to get home: Walk, get a taxi and hope it costs less than $5 or, well, run. I have to do the mileage anyway, so off I went. I was tired as hell and my legs weren’t happy but I’m glad I did it. I experienced the mid-race slump at mile 13, which is pretty crucial to understand and have a game plan to overcome. I had plenty of energy gels and after a quick stop at the Chevy Chase Safeway, I was good on water. So, three hours and some change later, I got 18 miles under my belt.

It also gave me a confidence booster in knowing I really can finish the marathon race. I’m about half-way through my training and barring no injury God willing, I’ll be able to go the distance.

Another training score was Wednesday’s jump rope session. After mounting frustration on the blasting jump rope, I was about to give up and as a Hail Mary pass, I tried looking down at a spot on the gym floor and watching when the rope neared my feet so I knew when to jump.

In previous posts, I’ve lamented my complete lack of rhythm, jumping too soon, jumping more than I need to, stepping on the rope, etc. Everyone looks up when they’re jumping rope, happy, content and full of rhythm. I look forward and just feel my feet step on the damn rope. Looking down wouldn’t hurt at this point.

Then, it happened. I saw when to jump, when to land and when to jump again. It took my brain a few moments to process that I just completed 10 singles in a row with no problems. I tried it again. Another 10 singles. I focused on an unmovable point on the floor and allowed myself to move around it.

A small victory but a big one.

 

Training #5: Speed in the time of change

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My apologies for the late post. This would have gone up yesterday but big news at work delayed this.

Tuesday: 7.57 km, average 6:29/km

Wednesday:

Mobility: Mountain climbers/dive bombs/spiderman stretch

Clean and jerk: 105 (new PR!)

Handstand pushups: 3×5

Tabata: barbell rows (85lbs)/burpees = 57 total.

Thursday: 8.06 km

Saturday: 10.17 km, splits from 6:40/km to 4:59/km

Sunday: 12.92 km, average 6:16/km

I’m getting faster and stronger. My negative splits exercise Saturday was one of the best ones I’ve had. Granted, our freakish great weather helps immensely but I can feel the training starting to took hold. The key is to maintain the pace, not over exert or over-train. Keep going, one step at a time.

As you can guess from the news above, lots and of major change in the horizon. With lots of talk about “security” and “stability,” I’m always leery of folks who stake everything on those types of things. Don’t get me wrong: Stability and security are important, in its proper context. What’s more important is resonance and meaning. Those elements come with more risk and greater need for vulnerability but the reward is worth it.

Anyway, onward!