Spinx Marathon Training Update

Week of training was well and coming very close to coming back full strength in my base after being sidelined for bursitis I received from the National 50 Mile Championship in June.  Running pain free and able to get out the door whenever and run whatever at this point so that is a confident feeling! On the other hand of confidence you have your deepest and darkest insecurities which I also encountered this week. I registered for my first Triathlon at the Greenville Tri being hosted by setup events and the Westside Aquatic Center. I have only biked 30 miles total this whole year and swam less than 1600 meters. Needless to say I was ill-equipped and unprepared for a surprisingly tough effort.  I struggled through the water when I swallowed a quart of water and on the bike when i had competitors zip past me with ease. What I can say is that I had the faster if not fastest run split with a 15:45ish 5kish (I say that because they lost my timing chip and the course was a far cry from a full 5k!Anywhoo! TRAINING
Monday – 8
Tuesday – 6
Wednesday – 10 (14 x 400 in 76-78 with 45 rest)
Thursday – 6
Friday – 8
Saturday – 6 up and down Paris Mountain
Sunday – Sprint Tri and cool downed an additional 10 miles giving me about 16 total effort
Total: 60

I am about 1 week from being able to crank out some big miles in preparation for the big chunk of running needed to gain the result that I am seeking at Spinx. On top of these miles I am integrated into a full strength and preventative rehab program to bring me back faster and stronger than I was before!

Building a Base!Considered the most important part of any training plan is the base. It sets the tone and the foundation for all things to be built on top. The wider and more stable a base, the more pressure and force that can be applied to the building blocks that will go on top. You can only build a sky-scrapper so tall with a 2 x 2 foot base.
I am focusing on the foundation of my training with weeks in advanced training already written out. I know what key workouts I am doing this week as well as week 12 of this plan. It gives me a sense of purpose for each workout as well as a sense of security that we have a blue print and a vision of what we want to build in the future.
Had a fun time racing the last GTC All Comers meet and paced 2 miles at 5:20 pace for 6 laps!

Monday – 7
Tuesday – 7 + 6 Lap time trial at 5:20 pace
Wednesday – 6
Thursday – 4
Friday – 3 + 15 Mile Bike Time Trial + 400 Meter Swim Time Trial
Saturday – 8
Sunday – 6 + 4
Total Effort = 50

Feeling much stronger than last week and my diet is stipend greatly now in preparation for my training race vs my racing weight. ( on average I train 4 pounds heavier than I race) I am racing the Greenville Triathlon next weekend and the Michelin 5k the following weekend. These are fitness assessors and not my B-A races. I indicated in my previous week that we should all write down our racing schedules annually and label A-B-C races for importance and timeline reasons.

Question of the week: When building an empire what tools do you need? When building a city what tools do you need? When building a building, what tools do you need? What do you need to build tools?

Coming off a very difficult racing schedule this spring where I raced 18x in 26 weeks including 3 Half Marathons, 1 Full Marathon, and a 50 Miler, needless to say I took 6 weeks off and am in the current rebuilding phase of my training. As a successful week 1 in training I can tell you without a doubt the 3 most important aspects of marathon training will include a Plan, Support group, and a Goal. Without one of these 3 components the other will falter/fail.

Everyone needs a different plan and each plan will direct that individual towards their goal following their unique time schedule, priorities of life, and the support provided. My plan for this marathon is similar to ones I have done before with the progression of key workouts that give me some guidelines of fitness levels. I am following a race/training plan set off by my coach. YES, as a coach we still have coach’s. It is important to get outside perspective and that 3rd party objective dictator that will tell you what you need to work on and give you the things that you are not good at.

The support group I have includes several concepts:

• Training Journal
• Coach
• Schedule
• Resources (I am a personal trainer and coach so I am lucky enough to surround my life with positive environments and nutrition..
• Athletes/Colleagues (its always nice to confirm training concepts with people with a great knowledge and skill base)

The goal for me which is relative and should always be remembered when looking at other peoples goals. I am not Meb, I am not a coach potato. Each of these people have different goals based off of the two concepts I stated above. Meb has a greater support group and plan than an average couch potato does. I would like to state that I DO BELIEVE that if certain individuals who reside on the couch were given the same plan/resources/support as Meb that they too could reach these levels of achievement. Desire is the single factor that cannot be accounted for. ANYWHOO….. MY goal for Spinx is a top 3 Finish and I would like to run a PR of 2:31. The course is suited but as a good goal it has its doubts. I am not giving myself much time 13 Weeks before. I say the word “Doubt” because if you do not doubt your ability to reach a goal then you simply did not set the goal high enough. You can not achieve something GREAT without the risk of failure.

Easy base mileage ending my week with 50 miles and a LR of 8 miles incorporating a daily regiment of core exercises, rehab drills, dynamic drills, and and injury prevention exercises. (cannot stress these drills/exercises enough and their importance.