Boston Training Begins

Monday, January 25.....BOSTON TRAINING BEGINS

Good morning everyone. This week has special meaning to me. This is the start of my 12 week Hal Higdon Boston Marathon training program. I have waited a long time to say this.

I remember early last year when I signed up for the Chicago Marathon. I was not even a V Teamer yet. Then as the year progressed it came time to start Chicago Marathon training. I chose Hal's intermediate II program. As the training picked up I learned that you really did have to qualify for the Boston Marathon. This was a serious race!! Needless to say I have learned a lot over the last year about training and racing. Much of the credit must go to Hal and the V Team. Thank you!

After I made my goal to BQ I trained for that result. Training is wonderful and I love it. As I ran the 2009 Chicago Marathon obsticals presented themselves. The pains and cramps! The quads were being stabbed with each stride after the halfway point. My hamstrigs were cramping. I'd have to stop and stretch them. This happened four times. My motivating thought that kept me going was, Boston, Boston. Must keep pushing. The last cramp occured with the finish line in site about 250 yards away. I had to stop for a hamstring stretch, damn it! Then I took off for the finish. As I went I thought to really push it because you do not want to miss BQing by a few seconds. It was an all out sprint.

I made Boston with 8 seconds left with 3:35:51!! That whole race came down to 8 seconds. All the stopping and stretching and quad pain. Eight seconds! It just made me truely realize what an all out effort is. What it means to keep pushing no matter what. It was: Mind Over Marathon.

I look forward to bringing that same training dedication and gutsy racing to Boston with my minimum goal of 3:30 or less. It could be lower. We will have to wait and see.

Yesterday I went for a nice slow 9.22 mile run with my wife. It was sort of a recovery run from Saturday's 21 miler. Our average pace was 9 minute miles and my average heart rate was approx 124 bpm.

Later in the day I got on my bike in the basement and trained for 26 miles.

WEEK IN REVIEW:

SWIM:

Yards..........6250..Miles...3.55..Time..2:05..Calories Burned..1500

BIKE:

Miles..........36...Time..2:38...Calories..1851

RUNNING

Miles.........61.28....Time..8:52...Calories..7667

TOTALS:

Miles: 100.83

Time: 14:21

Calories: 11,018





Edited by Silentrunner 1/25/2010 7:47 AM

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" Beyond the very extreme of fatigue and distress, we may find amounts of ease and power we never dreamed ourselves to own, sources of strength never taxed at all because we never push through the obstruction."