Marathon Training Update for Rock-n-Roll Raleigh

Well the Rock N Roll Raleigh is less than a month away. How well is my training going?

Training started way back in October. I ran Tobacco trail 10 Miler and did okay. Never went over 10 the rest of 2013. The start of 2014 I changed that.

Frankly my running at the end of 2013 was not good enough to do a marathon. For 2014, I needed to improve so I would be ready in April. Well it hasn't been going to well. I went 14 miles one week, regular miles the next, and have basically been keeping this pattern so far this year. After my 15/16 mile week my right knee started to hurt. That forced me to change. I added biking during the week (no impact), and still do long run on weekend. That plan worked pretty well and I had no knee pain for awhile. Well the knee pain is back and marathon is a few weeks away. IT band issues and walking isn't all that easy.

How far along did I get before ITBS kicked in (left knee this time)? Well I had a 22 mile weekend and a 40 mile week. I felt like the distance should be enough for a first time finisher attempt. With the injuries, a sub 5 hour finish time is out the window. I have done a few half marathons and finished in 2:12 and 2:15, so sub 5 was reasonable I thought. Still have to run the race, so we will see what happens, hope the knees hold up or I'll finish by taxi service.

http://runrocknroll.competitor.com/raleigh

My Recent Umstead Runs

First off, running isn't easy but I get out there every other day and run/walk 2 to 5 miles, sometimes more. One of my preferred places to run is William B Umstead Park. Its close by, challenging for me and its scenic. I run many loops, Sycamore Loop (3/4 miles based on where I start), a Graylyn to Reedy Creek to Turkey Creek back to Graylyn (8mi), Sals Branch (2.7mi) and a few others. All fun and all present different challenges.

A map:



My runs the last 3 weekends were quite fun. First was my post Christmas run in the snow. I have only been running a year and have not had many chances for snow running. Anyway, I got to try out my YakTrax, they worked great.

Here are a few pix:





Back to the run its self, it was great, the snow was blowing off the trees, there were 2 others on the trail, and the YakTrax kept my feet planted well. My running buddy liked it too, here is a pic of him while waiting on me to get ready. This run ended up being short and fun, 2mi.



On to the New Year, I went on a run around the Sycamore Loop. This loop is pretty easy but does have many roots and rocks to watch out for in a few sections. Being that my normal parking location was blocked off due to weather I parked at the Church on Ebeneezer Rd. Not supposed to, but I did anyway. This run started very flat on Graylyn, but soon I took a right onto the Sycamore Loop. Down a hill I go and my dog (Rocco) picking his own path in front of me. This presents challenges when Rocco takes the other side of the tree...brakes!!! A few switchbacks and a little hill and I'm down by the creek (1mi). Along the creek it is quite flat for the most part and its about a mile until you cross Graylyn (2mi). Time for another pic, taken from a ridge above the creek.



Once across Graylyn it continues for another mile along the creek, crossing it several times. The bridges still had ice from the previous weeks snow. As I come around toward a cut out to N. Turkey Creek I see some runners flying by. I decide to stay on my loop which at this point is all uphill for about 3/4 of a mile till back on Graylyn. Feeling Pretty good and back on a flat open muddy dirt road I pick the pace up and cross the 4mi on my GPS (Nike + GPS App). The run ended up being 4.29mi and I finished with my fastest pace of 9'02". I went slower too as I get tired and walk, also, my dog had a few nature calls and a play time in the creek.

Run number 3 at Umstead was today 1-8-11. It was 39 degrees, shorts weather for sure. I didn't feel that good but still managed 3 miles on an abbreviated Sycamore Loop run. The run started at the Sycamore Loop parking area and then followed the same downhill and run next to the creek and to Graylyn. This time I didn't cross Graylyn, I took a left and went up the Graylyn hill. Being I didn't feel all that hot I walked half of this. Once to the top I brought it home, running the last 3/4 mile back to the truck, done!!! This was the first time this winter I saw more than a runner or 2 on the trail. You would of thought 39 degrees was a beautiful spring day as I saw 10 runners, 8 or 9 walkers and a few cyclist.

Well thats it for this post, I hope to post several times a month this year and actually gain a few followers lol.

Still going strong!

How is my new running plan going? So far so good.

Yesterday, I went on a trail run over at Umstead, Sal's Branch. Many roots, rocks, and small but fairly tough hills. I'm new to running and not built like a runner, so jumping over, and stepping around roots and rocks makes me feel like I'm on Dancing with the Stars, and it takes toll on me. I still completed but did walk the hill leaving the lake. Total distance was 3.91K.

Today, I ventured over to the Tobacco Trail. It was my first time over there and I liked it. Being new to running, flat equals very good! I ran from the White Oak Church Rd. entrance to the bridge just past the Wimberly Rd. entrance and back to the White Oak Church Rd. entrance. Total distance was 6.33K.

So going into my last day of the week my total distance is around 21K.