training for the shamrock marathon

I ran 3 miles while focusing on interval training. My first mile was around 10 minutes long, the second mile was around 8:59 minutes, and the third mile was completed around 7:50 minutes. I found that I run faster as I warm up. Right now, I am concentrating on interval training with a two minute rest period. Tomorrow, I will run four miles with a focus on keeping my miles under 8 minutes if possible. I will gradually increase my mileage everyday by one mile while trying to work on increasing my speed.

4 miles of semi-hilly terrain with the sun setting. The temperature was around 85 degrees, and it was humid outside. I did interval training and continued with my plan to run intervals of a mile with a two minute break in between. Each day, I am increasing the amount of laps by one mile, and I plan to do so indefinitely until I get to the half-marathon mark (around 14 laps, I'll round up the number). My goal is to run each of these laps at least under 9 minutes for the time being. I would like to be close to my goal of reaching one mile times under 7:21 because my qualifying time for the Boston Marathon would be under 3:16. So far, I have only run a marathon in 4:26 minutes or so (the Richmond Marathon). The upcoming marathon I am training for will be on the 11th of November in the Outer Banks. It is a qualifying marathon for the Boston Marathon. Today, I ran 4 laps with an average time of 8:30. I will have to cut this time by one minute. I am going to have to try to run at a different time of day tomorrow. It would be best to run in the night because it was hot outside, and the sun was very strong. I need to run faster and must concentrate on running faster. It would also be good if I lost some weight. I have gained 6 pounds since my last marathon, and I now weigh 175 pounds, which is slightly overweight (I am 5'9).

treadmill

I ran 3 miles in 33 minutes onhilly terrain in Washington, DC.

I ran 3 miles in 25:30, with some rest in between because the temperature was 94 degrees under the sun. I plan to run another 3 miles on the treadmill, and then another 3 outside if time permits. I hope I can keep running miles under 9 minutes on the average.

I didn't run enough in terms of distance tonight, but I was able to accomplish one of my most recent goals, a mile under 7:21, the qualifying time for the Boston Marathon for my age group. My last mile was completed in 7:16, which is an achievement for me because I intend to qualify for the Boston Marathon this November. Tomorrow night, I will try to run at least 5 miles, with at least one of the miles under 7:21.

I ran a 5K in 25:13, with a sub-8 minute mile during the last lap. I've been really busy lately, so I missed running yesterday. I am concentrating on speed training because I didn't concentrate on getting a better mile pace when I trained for my first two marathons. I am planning on running two 5ks a day, one in the morning and one in the evening, in order to prepare for the marathon. I could do one long run per week (a half-marathon distance). That would give me above 40 miles a week if I keep disciplined. I have improved my average 5k time by about 5 minutes (before, I was averaging around 30 minutes).

Concentrating on improving my mile time has helped enormously.

6:44 minutes time. I just wanted to see how fast I could run in 90 degree weather!

I ran 6.22 miles (10 K) in 52:43 seconds. It was surprising that I started out running 8 and 9 minute miles and finished off running sub-8 minute miles. I am planning on running more 10 Ks because I apparently can maintain a faster pace than I expected. Now, I will try to beat this record this evening and run another 10 k, a little faster than 52:43 seconds if possible. The weather was very humid, and it began raining heavily during my last mile. I am trying to run during the night because the humidity and the sun are unbearable during the day.

25:45 seconds

I practised interval training today with 1/2 mile intervals, with an average of a 3:45 pace. It was hot outside, but there was a breeze. I had cramps around the 7th mile. At one point, I ran a 3:05 1/2 mile. I haven't had time to run as much as I would like.

I am planning on running again tonight if possible.

A pleasant jog through Binghamton,NY to South Mountain

A jog through downtown Binghamton

I jogged 5 slow miles across Binghamton to a mountain. I was running one mile intervals with an average pace of 9 minutes per mile.

It was very hot outside.

slow pace... I should do interval training. It is getting cooler in the night, which will help me pick up some speed.

Today, I felt tired and out of shape. I think I've gained 2-3 pounds, and it was hot outside, so running wasn't too pleasant. However, I felt much better towards the end of my run. I am trying to work on not concentrating on my time, mileage, or speed. Instead, I am trying to dissociate from the excessive emphasis on running fast; I am looking at the trees, the sky, or a point in the distance as I run. Ultimately, I want to pick up more mileage, and I want to concentrate on running faster, but only as a side-effect of the pleasure that I receive from running. I want running to be an experience of letting go achievement-style mindset that I have in my daily life. 

My main advice to myself is to do more half-marathons. It is difficult because I am commuting large distances and teaching many courses, writing a book, etc. I have a little more than a month until my marathon, so this weekend, I will do a long run. If I need to walk at one point, I will walk if necessary (I may be too out of shape at this point to run the full marathon, although I hope I will be able to do it). I'd like to increase my mileage.

This long run should at least be 20 miles.
 

My time was around 1:53 hours for the half marathon.

I think my main error in my training for this upcoming marathon was not to log in enough long distance runs. In August, I tried to train intervals, thinking that I would increase my speed and not concentrate on mileage. Then, my semester teaching began, and it was no longer possible to make up for lost mileage without running at least one long run per week (at least 10 miles or more, preferably a half-marathon or more). In October, I ran at least one long run every week, which helped me a great deal. I even ran a half-marathon and achieved my best time ever (1:53). However, I am not sure that I will even beat my existing time for the marathon, 4:25, because I should be logging in consistently 35 miles per week minimum. My future goal will be much more humble: to run the Shamrock Sportsfest Marathon, but to train consistently until the race by running at least a half-marathon per week. I am going to concentrate much less on speed/interval training and work on improving my long distance runs by running more of them. I feel that if I run a half-marathon per week, I will significantly improve my time.

Winter is the best time of the year to train! 

I still think that I will be able to beat my existing time, 4:25, because I have willpower and strength of mind.

I ran the OBX marathon in Nags Head. I placed 45th for my age group with a time of 4:08, which is an improvement over my last time. I felt pretty good throughout the entire course and was able to beat my previous time of 4:25. Now, I will try to get under 4 hours while preparing for the Shamrock marathon. My new strategy will be to do a long run of 20 miles every Sunday rain or shine. That way, I will be more accustomed to running long distances. I also will try to increase my overall weekly mileage to over 40 miles per week.

Since I am an amateur, I will concentrate less on speed training and more on getting at least the mileage per week I would need to train effectively for a marathon.

All in all, I am satisfied with the improvement I made.

I had a really refreshing run. I am concentrating on simply enjoying running. Running can be a process of meditation, of letting go of stress, and of deep relaxation. Being outdoors is a plus as well. Running is a spiritual exercise; speed can come as a by product of relaxation. While my goal is to achieve a better time, I am always focused on relaxing and being aware as I run.