Meb Falls Off His Elliptigo!

My Pre-Lincoln Marathon Training Rundown (Meb makes a cameo below, please read on!)

I ran just 27 minutes today. Crazy.  Below is how I taper.

From page 266 of Jack Daniels' book Daniels’ Running Formula. This is the 24th week of the "elite marathon" plan. I didn't really follow the training plan this time around, but I still like the taper. And I believe the Daniels pace tables, which tell you exactly how fast to run your workouts, are still the best out there. 

In college I thought Coach Schmaed was crazy for relying so heavily on his paper binder with Daniels' "VO2 Max" tables, but like most things, coach was right.

Since I have this extra time on my hands from tapering my training, now seems like a good time to put out an update on my training. Only two more days to the Lincoln Marathon. 

I have been intending to get going on Strava or some other site that I can connect directly to my website, but I’m not there yet. I do use Training Peaks and log everything religiously, I’m just not sure how to make that public yet, despite a chat with Training Peaks help desk. 

If anyone wants to explain all this new-fangled technology to me, feel free. I’m due for a new GPS watch anyway.

Today I cracked 1300 miles for the year so far. And I’ve also biked 446 miles on a stationary recumbent.  I got into the biking early this year when my hammy was pretty tight, but I found a recumbent bike wouldn't aggravate it (Spin bikes do aggravate it). I still bike about once per week now for variety, usually as a second workout.

4 months of training summarized in one pie chart.

And, no, I don’t have an ElliptiGo! It would need fat mud tires to go on the trails and gravel I like to run. Plus the Nebraska wind (or a drunk Husker Football fan) would knock Meb on his butt if he rode that contraption down the street in Lincoln. I would pick him up and dust him off though. Love you, Meb.

Photo credit: Running.competitor.com

Meb also made a cameo in a dream I had last night. I was warming up for the marathon and when I went to put on my racing flats, all that was in my bag were track spikes. Several pairs of track spikes with a plastic bottom! They started the race without me and Meb took the early lead. Guess I had no chance of winning that marathon, even in my dreams. Sad but true.

But back to my training.

My training mileage the last 8 weeks looked like this: 

33 miles + 11 bike (recovery week after 50k)

79 miles + 53 bike

102 miles + 17 bike

85 miles + 51 bike

104 miles

96 miles + 14.5 bike

85 miles + 14.5 bike

58 miles (week ending 4/27)

This wasn’t a full marathon build-up/training cycle by any means. It was more of a “hurry up and recover and then do all I can” with these 8 weeks between my March 1^st 50k and the Lincoln Marathon the first weekend in May. So it has really been an abbreviated cycle, but I did have a decent base of easy January and February miles coming in.

Two training weeks from April.

My mileage goal in most any training cycle these days is to have a peak mileage between 110 and 120 and then stay in the 85 to 105 range for the “meat” of the cycle. Basically, I train (mileage-wise anyway) like I’m 22 again but I run the easy stuff easier and I stay under control on my speedier work. 

Although, I didn't really hit my mileage goals this cycle in pure running miles, the biking must be worth something. And my goals are a bit high for coming off a lingering hammy issue anyway. 

That being said, February through April getting mileage in wasn’t as challenging as I had expected. My body has been allowing me to log easy miles without too many issues. Adding the sufficient intensity (SPEED WORK!) while keeping my hamstring/glute area from rebelling has been my issue. So I’ve slowly dialed up the intensity this year (while working my hams/glutes along the way). From no speedy workouts at all, to one per week, and now to two per week. And I’m day to day. But I have the sports chiropractor (Rob Lane in Lincoln) put me back together every week with soft tissue work, strength exercises, Graston, ART, whatever is needed. 

Would I take another 3 or 4 weeks and move the Lincoln Marathon back to the last weekend in May if I could? Probably.

But Thankfully, I have really started to feel fitter and have increased the intensity (actually adding track work for the first time this year) these last few weeks. I have been careful not to push the pace too much on my track or tempo work.

But, long story short, I feel good this week and I look forward to a big run at the Lincoln Marathon this Sunday May 4^th! My goal is to break 2:40 and a have a top 10 finish. My bib # is 2539 is you want to track me. 

Lincoln is a great American running town and this marathon sells out in a matter of hours every year, so I know this will be a great experience........Even if Meb falls off his Elliptigo in front of me and steals my racing flats out of my bag before the race.