Boston Marathon Corral Cutoff Times

Looking at this, you can see what the cut off may be for different Boston starting waves:

Practice Has Begun / Choosing Goal Paces

As we move into the first week of training, let's start with some perspective from Gladwell.... (Via twitter feed of @Running_Junkie): 

"Practice isn't the thing you do once you're good. It's the thing you do that makes you good." ~Malcolm Gladwell 

We all begin practicing this week in preparation for our respective goals.  In talking with several of you, I know there are those with specific goals and others not so much. I wonder if the specificity of the goal is linked to current life demands/circumstances and how much time we have to devote to practicing for the goal.  

This week is also the moment where a plan might become useful-for those who prefer that scaffold. 

My goal is to improve upon my last marathon performance from April at the Lansing Marathon, and I've already mentioned I'm using a Hal Higdon plan.  

Deciding on goal paces for race day and for training should be considered now also. For me this is based on my recent benchmark times and figuring what those times tell me I can reasonably expect to do in a marathon.  My most recent benchmarks are 10K races, so I will use those times to predict what I can do in a marathon (with proper training).  To do this I look at freely available online running prediction calculators like the Jack Daniels one linked at http://www.runsmartproject.com/calculator/.  From there I can get an idea of how fast I might be able to run my next marathon but also of how fast I should run different types of training runs. I've found this type of tool helpful in that it guides me in deciding how fast to train. In other words it reminds me to keep my easy runs easy and my hard runs hard. 

Sharing:

- I enjoyed this article from Outside magazine on nutrition: http://www.outsideonline.com/fitness/nutrition/The-Secret-Food-of-Athletes.html

- from bengreenfield.com: When choosing protein powder, look for an organic protein source, zero soy or artificial sweeteners, and ingredients to help digest protein. Dave, please post a link to the protein powder you use - the one you were thinking about entering into holy matrimony with

- Lots of indoor running this weekend for me.  What about you? Did you get outside?

- Here's my perspective from the treadmill I was on this morning (Jackson Pollack style):

Tempo Runs

From Competitor.com

Photo: Rihardzz / Shutterstock.com

Internalizing pace is one of the most difficult training components for runners to learn.

Tempo runs have long been a staple of all good endurance training plans, so the majority of experienced runners have encountered them before. Tempo runs have been defined in numerous ways, but in the Hansons Marathon Method, they are marathon pace runs. Over the course of training, your tempo runs will span a number of months, requiring you to maintain race pace through an assortment of challenges and circumstances.

Internalizing pace is one of the most difficult training components for runners to learn. If you feel great at the start line and go out 30 seconds per mile faster than you planned, you'll likely hit the halfway point ready to throw in the towel. No significant marathon records have ever been set via a positive split (running the second half slower than the first half). If you want to have a successful marathon performance, you are better off maintaining a steady pace throughout the entire race rather than following the "fly and die" method. Tempo runs teach you an important skill: control. Even when the pace feels easy, these runs train you to hold back and maintain. Additionally, tempo runs provide a great staging ground for experimenting with different fluids, gels, and other nutritionals. Since you are running at marathon pace, you get a good idea of what your body can and cannot handle. The same goes for your gear. Use the tempo runs as dress rehearsals to try various shoes and outfits to determine what is most comfortable. Regardless of training, these things can make or break your race; tempo runs provide perfect opportunities to fine-tune your race day plans.

Tempo Workout Guidelines

In the Hansons Marathon Method, the tempo run is completed at goal marathon pace. For many other coaches, a tempo run is much shorter, at paces closer to strength pace, but for our purposes, tempo and marathon pace are interchangeable. Your pace should remain at goal pace, even early on when it may feel easy. It will take a good number of tempo workouts before you fully internalize the pace and can regulate your runs based on feel. What does change throughout training is the distance of these workouts. Tempo runs are progressive in length, adjusting every few weeks, increasing from 5 miles for a beginner and 6 miles for an advanced runner to 10 miles over the last few weeks of training. As an advanced runner begins to reach the heaviest mileage, the total volume of a tempo run, with a warm-up and cooldown, can reach 12–14 miles and approach 90 minutes in length.

Tempo Workout

For this workout, let's assume you're training for your first or second marathon and you're in week 7 of training (the base period).

1-3 mile warmup

5 miles at marathon goal pace

• Goal marathon finish time of 5 hours = Tempo run pace of 11:27
• Goal marathon finish time of 4 hours = Tempo run pace of 9:09
• Goal marathon finish time of 3 hours = Tempo run pace of 6:52

(Hansons Marathon Method includes paces for a wide range of 5K finish times.)

1-3 mile cooldown

Planning and Day 1 Training

I'm about to get out of bed, strap on my running shoes and get started with the training for Boston 2014!  I'm excited to say the least. 

As some of you know, I like a plan when I prepare for a goal race, something that says what my workout regimen should be on a daily basis as I prepare for my race. I'm using Hal Higdon's Advanced 1 plan for Boston which is the same plan I used to prepare for the Lansing Marathon last spring where I ran my Boston qualifying (BQ) time. I don't always do exactly what the plan says, but I stay pretty close to it. I considered a couple other plans this time around (Hansons included) but decided to stay with the same plan to see how it worked a second time around while changing the goal marathon pace (MP) to being faster than what I used to prepare for Lansing. 

The question of why I use a plan is something I've recently been told was found to be  humorous by "friends" Mark and Dave Who?  What's to marathon training than running almost every day, one long run each week, and one or two days of speed each week, right?  Well boys.....when it comes to my preparing for important middle-life goals, I like more definition. Perhaps if I had run 20+ marathons including a 2:25:00 marathon previously, I wouldn't care too much about a plan.  

Now that I've got that out, please note the text of the email below where Dave Who? is asking for a copy of my Boston plan....probably going to give it to Mark Who?

On Dec 14, 2013, at 4:44 AM, dwchomet@....wrote:

Where is the email with the Boston plan?   What kind of friend are you??????   

Today I'm doing five miles at MP however, I'm still debating what that pace will be. I will start today at 7 minute pace but may back off that after more analysis of my most recent races.  More on that later. 

Out of bed...

Tweet from rêve endurance (@Reveendurance)

	rêve endurance (@Reveendurance)
12/10/13, 2:05 PM keep the easy stuff easy & the hard stuff hard. #trainingtips