I am a Marathon Runner. I must run

I've been busy for the past 3months training for the Marathon, and I'm targeting the Coach Rio's 1st Marathon, the Philippine International marathon on October 28. I hear the registration's really expensive at P3,000.00 - I may have to cancel my plans for that in case the rumors were true and train for the QCIM on December instead. But if the actual registration is cheaper, say P2,999, I think I could afford Rio's Marathon.

My Target
I've noticed that at each of my succeeding serious marathon effort, I cut about 9minutes off at each race. Since my last marathon PR was 3:29, I believe a realistic good target would be 3:20. That's 7:37/mi or 4:44/km pace.

Mileage
One of the things I've noticed in my body's behavior is it really respond well to higher mileage training, around 50miles to 80miles per week(80 to 128kms/wk). Any lower than 50miles/week(80kms/wk), I wouldn't be as strong or fast as I would want to be, and any higher than 80miles/week(128kms/wk) I would start to feel my legs are falling apart. Also, before I started my Marathon Training last July, I was lifting weights in the gym, trying to look good building upper-body muscles and trying to grow some abs. I would go to the gym during lunch time about 3 to 5times a week. I have to admit it's really hard work for me.

Unfortunately, no matter how hard I try, and it's been a year since I've signed up, I am nowhere close to having a stunning body for a magazine-cover, or something you would show-off on the beach. To add to that frustration, my race times and daily runs got slower. The reasons for that, I've realized, is added upper body muscle doesn't add running endurance. I also read somewhere that in running, what we would ideally want is a high ratio of capillaries over running muscles, to deliver as much oxygen and blood as possible to the working muscles. In other words, abs won't make you faster in the marathon. Gym workouts slow you down. Consistent Long runs and high mileage lets you grow more capillaries and are the key to stronger marathon times.

Now after a month or two of not going to the gym, I've easily lost 5pounds, although I looked scrawny, I'm quite happy I look lean and fast -- my workouts are getting faster and longer as well.

In the first two months of my training, I focused on the endurance build-up where I started at 40mi/wk(60kms/wk) and gradually built it to 77mi/wk(123kms/wk). My average pace were around 8mins/mi on almost all my workouts. I was able to run five 20-milers during this period ranging from 8:20 to 7:50/mile pace. Now I am on the VO2max section of my training phase, where I would run 600meters to 1,000meter intervals at approx 5K race pace about 6:19/mi or 3:56/km. I later realized I was running my easy runs and long runs too fast! If I were to target a 3:20 marathon at 7:37/mi pace, my long runs would have to be 20 to 10% slower than this, and should be only 9:09 to 8:23/mi, (or 5:41 to 5:13/km). Last week I was scheduled to do a long run of 24miles or 38kms, and if I were to follow this pace, I should finish at exactly 3hours and 20minutes, my marathon target time. I ran with my Team Power Puff Boys teammates at UP Diliman, and I have to say, although this was slower, i felt exhausted. It did simulate what I feel at the end of the marathon, but without the extreme muscle soreness/fatigue. I believe it is the ultimate Marathon workout, and I'm glad I have passed it with 2months to go!

24miles Long Run with Team Power Puff Boys at UP Diliman

VO2max workouts
After the exhausting 24miles last Sunday, I thought I wasn't ready to perform 5x600meter intervals at 5K race speed on Tuesday. I felt awful on the 2.5mile warm-up. But then when I started running those 600meter at fairly fast pace, my muscles didn't feel fatigued anymore, and they were all fired-up! My legs have the bounce and my strides were powerful. I was able to practice what I thought was the best running form, I thought I was copying Haile Gebrselassie or Ryan Hall :-) The next day I felt tired and ran my recovery day at very slow pace. Then the next day I ran 15miles at 8:16/mile pace, no big deal. It may be because I've been recruiting different sets of muscle types - long runs like 24miles and 15miles use the slow twitch muscles, while the 5x600meter intervals use the fast twitch muscles. So I guess the slow twitch take a bit of rest during these intervals. Crazy, but it could be true. It just works.

Recovery Runs (Jogs)

I also remember during in one of my "easy runs", I overtook this known elite Pinoy runner who could run 31-minute 10K and sometimes beat the Kenyans in our local races. 

 Jogging at about 8'10"/mile only, I was surprised to be faster than him during training. He didn't mind me overtaking him, unlike those other younger elite runners who seems to have more pride and wouldn't let you overtake them. After a few minutes, I stopped and drank my gatorade, he overtook me, but I later caught him. We chatted for quite a while, he asked me if I were doing a tempo run, and I said no, I am doing an easy run. He said he was running from home to work, a total of 90minutes, and he works in the Army. That was his normal pace. Then it occurred to me, if this guy could run 31minute 10K's, and I could only run 42minutes 10K's, shouldn't I be a lot slower than him during my recovery runs???!!!  He therefore inspired me to jog my easy runs slower. From 8'10"/mile(5:05mpk), I slowed my recovery runs now down to 9'15"/mile (5:45mpk) or sometimes even slower. I guess it must have worked, for weeks now, I seem to recover faster and better from my hard workouts whenever I really slow down my recovery workouts. Muscles never seems to get sore anymore like before, although I am now running faster intervals.

I've done six 20-milers+ already, so I'm quite confident with my endurance to run strong, I feel I'm at the best shape to run another marathon. However, I still have 3 or 4weeks of hard VO2max workouts ahead of me before peaking, I just hope I don't overdo them and get overboard by inducing another injury.

What wakes me up in the morning
Every time I wake up in the morning, I am motivated to getup from bed and run with the thought of a 3:20 marathon finish. Even if it's raining really hard, as long as there's no sign of another Typhoon or flooding, I am very eager to run. Okay the intervals and speedwork still scares me a bit. But before all that, I I would drink my coffee, surf the web for facebook, runnersworld, dailymile, runningtimes, takbo.ph. Then after about 30minutes I would go to the toilet and do my thing for 15 to 20minutes. That leaves me about 10minutes to change into my running clothes and shoes. Then this small clip reminded me of myself and laughed when he said it takes him also an hour from waking up to actually hitting the road :-)