Month in review

2013 – Looking back and forward

3 Comments

Today marks the last day of 2013 and the first full year keeping this blog up to date. It has been a most enjoyable experience writing my recaps, my thoughts and communicating with folks from all over through the comments and on Facebook. Thank you for your support.

2013 was a very busy year running wise with approximately 1,744 miles run (and a few chasing my kids which didn’t get recorded).

2013 Summary - Nike+

2013 Summary – Nike+

I started this blog at the beginning of the year to recap on the Walt Disney World ‘Goofy’s Race and a Half Challenge’ and finished this year writing about my training for the 2014 Walt Disney World ‘Dopey Challenge’. That’s a great start and end to my year. You can read all my race recaps here. The year included 3 full marathons and 5 half marathons. Most of these I had the pleasure of running with my wife (she ran 2 full marathons and 5 half marathons). It wasn’t a big year for PR’s but I did squeeze a fast 10K run (fast for me) in the fall. Overall I just enjoyed running with family and friends and staying fit and healthy which is what counts the most. PR’s will come I have no doubt.

2013 took me running across the country to San Francisco where my wife and I celebrated our 10th anniversary by running the 2013 San Francisco Half Marathon. That was such a great trip. We ran everyday to sightsee and walked all over the City. A great place to visit.

So now I am planning for 2014 and some upcoming races. On the slate for now (confirmed and paid up) are:

January – Walt Disney World Dopey Challenge (4 race, 4 days, 48.6 miles)

March – The Love Run, Philadelphia (Half Marathon)

April – Hot Chocolate 15K (Philadelphia)

April – New Jersey Marathon

My wife and I also entered our names into the lottery for the 2014 New York City Marathon and we will find out if we get in around the end of March. We do have a couple of other races in the hopper should we not get in, but we will wait and see.

Distance running is individual sport (no one else can put the miles in for you) but there are ways to use it to good effect. Back in January I raised a total of $3,406 for Autism Speaks running the Goofy Challenge. In 2014 I will be running the Dopey Challenge again to raise funds for Autism Speaks and as at the time of writing I have raised a total of $3,555. I was also inspired by watching a friend guide a blind athlete during the Trenton Half Marathon to look into becoming a guide for future events. This week I ran with the local chapter of the Achilles Foundation and in doing so introduced myself to the group and hope to be involved in some capacity working with them to volunteer as a guide during some races in 2014. I look forward to the opportunity.

Again, I would like to thank you all for taking time over the year to read my posts and wish you all the very best for the New Year.

Thank you.

Ian

November 2013 – month in review

Leave a comment
November 2013 - Nike+ Summary

November 2013 –
Nike+ Summary

128 miles this month but a very busy month.

I had been focusing my training on running the 2013 Philadelphia Marathon and strictly following the Hal Higdon Intermediate 1 training plan but somehow I managed to sign up for and schedule two races in the two weeks leading up to the marathon itself and one just over a week after. Yes, two races during the time I should have been tapering. Luckily they both went off without a hitch as did the marathon and I also managed to earn a PR in one event.

The weather was a big factor in each of the races I ran during November. The first race was the Benjamin Franklin Bridge 10K run. It was a cold start but I managed to warm up enough to earn a new 10K PR. I don’t run many 10K distances so it was one of my longer standing goals that I had to beat. I felt good on the day and just went for it.

The following week was the Trenton Half Marathon. It was a really nice course and I ran the race with my wife. We had a wonderful time despite the very cold weather. There was a delay at the start line due to a clock issue and so we stood around in the cold. It took me a couple of miles to feel my feet. All was good in the end. The goal was to do no harm as we were both running the marathon the following week and we stuck to that plan.

On Marathon day itself we ran in t-shirt and shorts. We lucked out for sure with the weather and again it was a wonderful race. It was my 6th marathon (3rd Philly Marathon) and my wife’s 2nd marathon (she ran the 2013 Walt Disney World Marathon with me back in January this year). We had a marvelous time together. Running 26.2 miles with your spouse is definitely both an enjoyable time and a test of how much we support each other. We are already looking to 2014 for another marathon together.

As the Philadelphia Marathon was a week earlier than usual this year I had a decent recovery week before we toed the line for the annual Turkey Trot 5 mile race that my running club hosts. This year my parents had flown in from the UK to join us on the day, taking our boys on the one mile fun run/walk. The temperatures were frigid. It was probably the coldest I had been all year. I had three layers on and was still shaking. Needless to say I warmed up with a nice fast time with my wife setting the pace and me following a step behind her.

With November ending I am now focused on the upcoming Dopey Challenge at Walt Disney World which is (at the time of writing) just over 5 weeks from now. I have spent the first two weeks following the marathon in ‘recovery’ mode, the next four weeks are the intense training weeks and then I will have about a week and a half to taper. Luckily I am spending a few days in Florida on the Gulf Coast perfectly timed (through a happy accident) for the longest runs of the training plan. Altogether my time in Florida will cover about 60 miles of running including one 20 mile long run which I am doing during the 8 weeks between marathons. I am looking forward to some sunshine.

Thank you for reading.

October 2013 – month in review

Leave a comment
October 2013 - Nike+ Summary

October 2013 –
Nike+ Summary

178 miles this month.

No races to speak of this month. It has been heads down training. I started off the month experimenting with a new pair of shoes. This didn’t go according to plan. Lesson learned. It is not wise to mess with your shoes in the peak of marathon training. Luckily this did not result in injury so I was able to continue as scheduled for the rest of the month.

Although this month was very tiring I did enjoy the training. The two 20 mile runs that I did felt good and didn’t leave me feeling tired or achy. In fact this month I reveled in the long runs. These were my chance to get out and be alone with my thoughts as I approach marathon day so I focused on my technique and strategized about my fueling, clothing and practiced some mental games to get me through the many hours out there. The carrot at the end of the stick for me was the taper time before the marathon. The last three weeks in the training plan where the mileage reduces closer to race weekend. This year I actually have a couple of races scheduled in the weekends before (Ben Franklin Bridge 10K and the Trenton Half Marathon). I have never scheduled other races so close to a marathon before but it has me looking forward to things and diverts me from the ‘taper madness’.

The weather played a big factor this month as it started to get cold and I had to break out the winter gear. My last 20 miler was in temperatures in the low 30s. On the plus side, the pumpkin spice coffee has become my reward after the long runs so that has been nice.

My focus has been on my upcoming events which are fast approaching. I am very excited for running the Philadelphia Marathon with my wife. She has been training well and although we have not been able to do our long runs together as we juggle family time it has been great having someone to cheer along with and encourage. We are both looking out for each other and planning our races together.

I’m also at the stage where I am looking forward to next year’s schedule. I am looking for a Spring and Fall marathon to set my sights on for next year. I don’t want to travel too far from home (something driveable) so I have a number of contenders for the Spring so far (Delaware Marathon, Pittsburgh Marathon, NJ Marathon, Poconos Marathon) which are all around the same date. For the Fall I am considering one of the big ones, perhaps New York (if it is not too prohibitively expensive) and Marine Corps (which is also going to be a lottery from next year). Again, there is always Philadelphia (my ‘go to’ marathon).

Lots to look forward to. November is a big month. 4 races including the Philadelphia Marathon. Then only a few more weeks until I start my preparations for Walt Disney World Marathon weekend in January.

There are less than 70 days to go now to Marathon weekend. I am looking forward to running in January in the first official Dopey Challenge. The good news is that I made my fund-raising goal to be able to run the event with Team Up for Autism Speaks. If you are interested in learning more about Team Up and the events they have for 2013 and 2014, please head over to my page on their site and go from there.

Thank you for reading.

September 2013 – month in review

Leave a comment
September 2013 – Nike+ Summary

September 2013 –
Nike+ Summary

175 miles this month.

I’m getting into the peak of my training for the Philadelphia Marathon. I’m well over half way through the training plan and luckily feeling healthy and not too tired. The weather has been great and I’ve been able to take all my runs outside still although it is definitely feeling like fall. The long sleeve shirts and gloves are coming out and now I am finishing my morning runs BEFORE sunrise. We don’t turn the clocks back for another few weeks so I’ll have to accept that as the norm for a little while. The training runs are getting longer and I just knocked out a 20 mile run yesterday with another couple coming in October. All the training is worth it as I appreciate the journey as well as the race although I am looking forward to taper time which I can see coming shortly.

Fall race is season is now in full swing. My friends are all training for their respective marathons (Chicago, New York, Atlantic City, Marine Corps) and I have to wait another couple of weeks after these for Philadelphia. I’m looking forward again to this race as this year I will be running the full maratthon alongside my wife. We have a time goal which is essentially to beat our Walt Disney World Marathon time (which should not be too difficult). I was actually featured on the Philadelphia Marathon blog earlier in the month for their ‘Why I love the Philadelphia Marathon’ [2013 ENTRY #6] series. As you can see from the article, as it was my first marathon it will always be special. Last year I broke the 4 hour mark so that helps too. 🙂

My wife and I ran the Philadelphia Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon mid month. The weather was perfect and we beat our time together from last year. You can read the race recap here. Not sure we would rush to do this again as there are many other races to run and places to explore (Disneyland 2014/Coast to Coast perhaps?).

Speaking of runDisney (as I often do) they just released some official photographs of the all new medals for the upcoming races. It brings everything closer to reality and is generating a lot of buzz. There are less than 100 days to go now to Marathon Weeekend. I am looking forward to running in January in the first official Dopey Challenge. The good news is that I made my fund raising goal this month to be able to run the event with Team Up for Autism Speaks. If you are interested in learning more about Team Up and the events they have for 2013 and 2014, please head over to my page on their site and go from there.

August 2013 – month in review

Leave a comment
August 2013 - Nike+ Summary

August 2013 – Nike+ Summary

129 miles this month.

I’m one third into the marathon training for this year’s Philadelphia Marathon and feeling good so far. The runs are begining to get a but longer and I’ve been lucky that it has been great running weather for August. There have been a couple of really warm days but more or less I’ve been able to run outside for most of the month.

I passed another milestone at the begining of the month when I celebrated my 3 year ‘runniversary’ and I still have plenty of goals to achieve and races to look forward to.

With my wife joining me in the Philadelphia Marathon this year we are both finding that we have to juggle things around to get those long runs in. We’ve got a couple of races together before then (Philadelphia Rock ‘n Roll Half and the Trenton Half Marathon) and judging by my wife’s recent runs she is probably going to leave me in her dust. She has promised to stay with me during the marathon though.

We took a couple of weekends away which meant I had to run 5 days in a row (including the long runs) for a couple of weeks. If anything this will be useful training for the Dopey Challenge (yeah…I keep telling myself that) but with school starting back up in September I don’t see too many of those cram weeks ahead and should be able to stay on schedule and enjoy the rest days. I dd miss a couple of cross training days this month but September should have me back on track.

With racing season now upon us I want to wish you well for any races you may be training for.

July 2013 – month in review

Leave a comment
July 2013 – Nike+ Summary

July 2013 – Nike+ Summary

110 miles this month.

I started off the month on vacation so I took advantage of the time to get a couple of long bike rides in and then a few rest days as I started my marathon training for both Philadelphia and the Dopey Challenge in the middle of the month.

It seems a little strange to drop my mileage back a bit as I have a pretty good base (typically run 10 or more each long run every week) but I’m sticking to the plan so I don’t overtrain. There are alot of miles to cover between now and January and I’ll be training 5-6 days a week for 6 months so maybe lighter is better for now.

No big races this month. Weather wise the heat was pretty intense at times making the long runs and late starts tough. The last couple of days of this month have been in the low 60s on my morning runs. Great weather for running but I admit I thought it was a bit chilly out there on the early starts. I should be counting my blessings not complaining 🙂

The training seems to have started out well. I’m experimenting with my run/walk ratios right now as I returned to using Jeff Galloway’s method to get me through my two big goals injury free. I’m also trying out alternative fuels (Accel and PowerBar) and some new gear (Pro Compression Marathon Socks). I’ve a good few runs ahead of me to get it right but I’m pretty much set on all my other gear. It is nice to try new things from time to time. I still have yet to start my core work on the new stability ball. It’s staring at me from the corner of the room and making me feel guilty. If I start working on this in August this should be plenty of time to start seeing the benefits.

I’m coming up to my 3rd ‘Runniversary’ soon so I have a special post lined up for that.

Thanks for stopping by.

June 2013 – month in review

Leave a comment
June 2013 – Nike+ Summary

June 2013 – Nike+ Summary

A couple of days late but I’m on vacation so that’s okay.

127 miles this month. A pretty light month in terms of activities. Just one race, the San Francisco Half Marathon, which my wife and I ran as part of our 10th anniversary trip. That was a great race. You can read my recap here.

2013 San Francisco Half Marathon

2013 San Francisco Half Marathon

Whilst on the trip to San Francisco I did my Dopey run. There is still chance to sign up for the race as it is open through July 31st or until all the spots have been filed. Head over to the event page or my Facebook page to see some of the great photos that participants have been submitted.

Dopey and me in San Francisco

Dopey and me in San Francisco

I’m on vacation this week and so I’m taking advantage of the time to run with my wife and my boys. The weather is cooler than last year (i.e. not great) but it’s perfect for running and biking. I’ll take a little rest after vacation as my training for the Philadelphia Marathon starts in mid-July. Once that starts it is all go all the way to the finish line of the Dopey Challenge next January.

I did sign up for a couple of races which will be new ones for me this fall. The Cooper Norcross Benjamin Franklin Bridge Run (a 10K crossing the Delaware River between Camden, NJ and Philadelphia, PA) and the Trenton Half Marathon (crossing the Delaware River between Trenton, NJ and Morrisville, PA). It sounds like I like to run bridges, but after running the Golden Gate Bridge who can blame me?

Running the Golden Gate Bridge

Running the Golden Gate Bridge

Have a happy 4th of July.

May 2013 – month in review

Leave a comment
May 2013 - Nike+ Summary

May 2013 – Nike+ Summary

115 miles this month. I have learned this month that looking just at the numbers does not tell the full story.

I started the month with high expectations for achieving a PR at the New Jersey Marathon. I was just coming off a PR in the Atlantic City April Fool’s Half Marathon which I thought would be a pretty similar terrain being by the shore and I had definitely put in the miles of training.

As you can read from my race recap things didn’t go according to plan. I didn’t achieve my PR and felt fatigued. This manifested itself about 10 days later when my body just ran out of juice. Rather than be in a funk about why I hadn’t achieved my goals and looking for a dozen reasons why I felt bad I took the time to look at how I got here, what I was doing right and what I was doing wrong. It basically came down to quality vs quantity. I took a couple of days off and readjusted my goals and my training. Hopefully going forward the changes I am planning will pay off. You can read about that here.

This month I launched a Virtual 5K run to raise funds for Autism Speaks for the 2014 Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend where I am running in the inaugural Dopey Challenge. So far the reception to this has been great. Many people have signed up and the first 100 medals have been ordered. I encourage you to sign up and participate if you can just for the fun of it. Remember, if you fully participate and post a picture of Dopey on your run you may be eligible for one of the prizes. See this post for details.

I have my Dopey ready for my run

I have my Dopey ready to run

At the end of the month we celebrated Memorial Day weekend and the official start of the summer. It was a fun weekend as I got to spend a lot of time with the family and celebrate my 10th wedding anniversary. You can read about that here.

Finally, based on a little encouragement, I am venturing into uncharted territory. I have basically been running using Jeff Galloway’s Run/Walk Method since February 2011. It has served me well and got me through 5 marathons. When I revisited what I had been doing as discussed earlier I noticed that although I was putting in the miles I was not getting any faster and all my runs were pretty much the same. Ultimately I want to improve on my marathon times going forward and during the New Jersey Marathon even my walk breaks didn’t seem to help. I am currently reading Pete Pfitzinger’s book on Advanced Marathoning and although I do not expect I will train at that level or follow his plans I am looking to change up my running experience.

Over the last three runs I basically threw caution to the wind and did not use the Galloway Method. I ran a 6 mile easy pace run, a 5 mile tempo run and this morning I ran 10 miles without stopping. These are the furthest distances I have run non stop. That sounds silly coming from someone who has run 5 marathons (including a Goofy Challenge) but I want to see what I can achieve. I believe somewhere out there is a 3:30-3:45 marathon that I can run. It’s worth a try. I’ll be watching carefully how my body reacts and I am open to using Galloway again in the future if I think it will be beneficial. I already plan on doing something like that during Dopey just so I can survive the event!

Looking at the last 3 days of runs it seems to be working so far and I feel okay. Judging from my splits over the last 3 runs my average pace is already that bit quicker. We will see what the future holds I guess.

6 miles easy pace - 5/29/13

6 miles easy pace – 5/29/13

5 miles Tempo run - 5/30/13: 1 mile warm up - 2 miles at tempo with 800m recovery - 1 mile cool down

5 miles Tempo run – 5/30/13:
1 mile warm up – 2 miles at tempo with 800m recovery – 1 mile cool down

10 miles long run - 5/31/13 - miles 1-5

10 miles long run – 5/31/13 – miles 1-5

10 miles long run - 5/31/13 - miles 6-10

10 miles long run – 5/31/13 – miles 6-10

Speaking of future plans, I have a 5K coming up this Sunday (June 2nd) which I will be pushing my two boys in the running stroller again…no PR there 🙂 and on June 16th I will be running the San Francisco Half Marathon with my Wife. I then have the 25 miles Cycle Bucks County event on the 22nd. Lot’s to look forward to. June should be a pretty low key month as the training for this year’s Philadelphia Marathon and January 2014 Dopey Challenge start in earnest in mid-July.

See you on the road.

April 2013 – month in review

1 Comment
March 2013 - Nike+ Summary April 2013 – Nike+ Summary

April 2013 – Nike+ Summary

I’m posting this a day late but there is quite a lot to look back on this month.

This month I logged 145 miles, logged a new Half Marathon PR, signed up for a new Disney race and began tapering for the New Jersey Marathon on May 5th.

Spring is definitely here and I clocked more miles outside than inside than I have since the beginning of the year.  I’m glad to be outside again although my podcast listening is falling behind (a decent trade off).

My new half marathon PR at the Atlantic City April Fool’s Half Marathon on April 7th is pretty much down to me chasing my wife who is more often than not leaving me in the dust these days. The weather for the race was perfect and the flat course and pace I was able to maintain gives me confidence that I can achieve my goal in the upcoming New Jersey Marathon. 🙂

runDisney also announced this month an addition for the 2014 Walt Disney World Marathon weekend.  The new Minnie themed 10K race and the new ‘Dopey Challenge’.  Needless to say I am in. I signed up to run again with Team Up/Autism Speaks and hope to beat my fundraising of just over $3,400 that I raised for the 2013 ‘Goofy’s Race and a Half Challenge’. Wish me luck.

The end of the month sees me in the last week of my taper with only a few days left before the New Jersey Marathon. Looking back at my mileage from month to month I am actually 40 miles or so less than March which was the peak of my training. That feels about a week less of running. I need to learn for future events that I cannot eat as if I ran that extra 40. I’ll worry about that for the next race 😉

The taper itself has not left me frustrated like people often say but the strange thing about running significantly less mileage and catching up on sleep (days without an alarm wake up call!!!) have left me achy and feeling exhausted. Running is definitely a daily energy boost and all the aches and tiredness is hopefully just a sign of my body recharging before the big day. I actually feel refreshed and good about this weekend and hope to meet my goals. If it works out it works out, if not I remember I am not an elite runner and there will be other races. It’s about overall long term health and enjoyment. PR or no PR I will still have run my race, met the distance and earned my medal (and dessert)…although I will be trying as hard as I can for that PR.

(If you want to follow me during the New Jersey Marathon my Bib number is #2492)

Hopefully I will be feeling fit and healthy and have a nice race recap or two at the end of May.

Thanks for sticking with me.

(If you want to support me as I raise funds for Autism Speaks you can do so at this link. Thank you.)

March 2013 – month in review

2 Comments
March 2013 - Nike+ Summary

March 2013 – Nike+ Summary

March is the step up month in my marathon training and I clocked just over 182 miles of which 100 were indoors on a treadmill and 82 were actually outside. Yes, March brings the beginning of spring and after finally getting outdoors on March 10th for a teaser of future weather I feel we got ‘punk’d’ by Punxsutawny Phil. What the heck happened?  We got snow in the last week of March and it sent me back inside the gym again.   

Not quite telling the truth

Not quite telling the truth

Anyway, as mentioned earlier, this was the month my marathon training started introducing the ‘longer’ long runs.  I had a 17, 18 and 20 miler to do and thankfully all were able to be done outside.  The 18 miler was the coldest and started off with me slipping on ice as I left my house.  Needless to say that was a very slow and decidedly steady run.  But run it I did and made it through the month.  I struggled a little with an ache in the arch of my right foot during the middle of the month and I had to cut a run short to make sure I didn’t push myself too far.  It had been nagging me for a couple of runs but I wanted to make sure I was fit for the long runs.  Thankfully all was okay.

My last long run was outside by the Delaware Canal and it happened to be on the first day of trout fishing season.  As the water level was high my progress was halted by some flooded areas so I repeated a 6 mile out and back three times as part of the run.  I ran multiple times past dozens of people sitting or standing by the banks of the canal fishing thinking to myself how can they sit there doing nothing, just waiting for something to happen?  They were probably looking at me thinking what the heck is that guy doing running past me again and again….is he lost?  They wore camouflage and I wore spandex.  Two very disparate worlds.  I struggled around mile 16 on that run and although I finally made it to mile 20 I actually was beat up.  I wasn’t using my regular energy gels and I feel that made a huge difference.  I actually for a couple of hours after.

I rotate a couple of pairs of Brooks Adrenaline GTS 12’s at a time and track the mileage on each and the pair I was running in had reached 450 miles by the end of the month so I feel that the arch pain and sore foot I experienced this month may be because I pushed that particular pair too far.  It may be that the discomfort was a sign that the shoes were basically past their due date. Nevertheless I now have a new pair of Brooks Adrenaline GTS 13’s to break in before the New Jersey Marathon on May 5th and another pair being delivered to keep on hand when my next pair (already at 294 miles) are ready to be retired.

My new Brooks Adrenaline GTS 13's

My new Brooks Adrenaline GTS 13’s

March was memorable in that runDisney announced a new event for 2014.  The inaugural ‘Dopey Challenge’.  You can read about it in my post from the day it was announced.  I am so pumped by the prospect of this event that I am very close to an intervention for sure.  I have decided that I will again be running with TeamUp to raise funds for Autism Speaks.  It is a cause near and dear to me as I have a family member who has been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder and I feel it is the least I can do to help.  Once registered I will be posting my training plan and fundraising ideas so watch this space!!!

Alternatively you can head over to my new Facebook page which launched this month.  It is linked to this blog and will offer a forum for people to post and share along with other news and some giveaways.  Take a look, ‘Like’ it and see what you think.

Tomorrow is April 1st and is the day the registration for the 2013 Philadelphia Marathon opens up.  This is a special event for me as Philadelphia was my first marathon back in 2011 (not that that was too long ago).  This year the plan is for my wife Shari and I to register and run together.  This will be her second marathon after Walt Disney World where we ran together too.  I want to take this one easy as I will be focusing on completing Dopey standing up and uninjured.  I will be focusing on the upcoming New Jersey Marathon in May as my time goal for the year.

April also is the start of what is our ‘race’ season.  We are not competitive runners but have signed up for a number of events over the next few months to keep us in shape.  First up is the Atlantic City April Fool’s Half Marathon on April 7th.  You can see the races that I have planned on my ‘Races and Events‘ page. I hope to be able to do some race recaps on these events whenever possible.

So final thoughts.  I am hoping that the weather finally breaks and becomes what we expect spring to be (although temperatures in the low 50s and overcast would be fine on race days).  April has one more long run and then the beloved taper.  I will also be signing up for the 2013 Philadelphia Marathon and the 2014 Dopey Challenge.

On to the next adventure.

See you out there 🙂