Saturday, August 28, 2010

Weekend Potpourri - Six weeks to Chicago

I don't know if many have noticed, but now that the oppressive summer heat has given way to cooler and milder weather, it can only mean one thing - fall marathon season is fast approaching! As of this writing, there are only six training weeks left before "Marathon Weekend" on 10/9-10/10 commences. In honor of this occasion (and frankly because I have too much material to cover in not so much time and space), I present to you running highlights from my past week in six points:
  1. Running/Training Update - This was a peak week of training for me. After rocking out a tough tempo run Tuesday, track work on Thursday and a 20 mile long run today (as a pacer), I'm on my way to a 70+ mile training week, which is a new mileage PR for me. Yet despite all that, I'm still relatively healthy with minimal pain, soreness or tightness to report. I have really taken to heart the old adage of running slow runs slow so you can run the faster runs fast and it has really worked well for me. I have two hard weeks of hard training left and a 24 hour relay race in mid-September before the taper. I can hardly wait.

  2. Running Relays - Speaking of relays, did you know that I'm running the Reach the Beach Relay next month? I'll be running with Team Saucony as part of a 12-person team that will cover a distance of 200 miles in 24 hours. Judging from the insane fun I had at Ragnar NY back in July, I am expecting much the same in this one. And since I've had one relay race under my belt, I'll be more experienced and be more prepared to run my best in this race. I'm so excited to run with this crew. Woohoo!

  3. Running Podcast - A week ago, my friends Jason and Ray at "Geeks in Running Shoes" invited me on their podcast to talk running, hydration, and injuries. Apparently, it has gotten rave reviews from many so far so I wanted to make sure my bloggy friends get a chance to listen too. You can download the show from ITunes or directly from the site here. I promise lots of laughter, some nonsense and a bit of medical knowledge too! If you listen, be sure to leave some feedback for us. Thanks!

  4. Running Strides - As a followup to my last post where I spoke about using a faster and shorter stride to gain speed and improve running form, my friend Pete L forwarded me this article from Runner's World detailing a research study where it was confirmed that this was true. The study showed that increasing turnover and taking shorter strides does indeed lead to runners landing closer to their center of mass and reducing energy absorption on joints. As the researchers concluded from their study, "Our findings demonstrate that subtle changes in step rate can reduce the energy absorption required of the lower extremity joints, which may prove beneficial in the prevention and treatment of running injuries." (Thanks Peter!) Those who are interested in transitioning to minimalist/barefoot running and those who are looking to improve their performance should pay close attention.

  5. Running Shoes - Meanwhile, Pete L, the running shoe guru himself also wrote up a splendid review of the Saucony Kinvara and how the shoe resembles a gateway drug for the minimalist running. I have been running races and long runs in my Kinvaras and have felt great in them. My take on them is that although they are not strictly minimalist per se, they are by far the shoes with the lowest heel drop I've ever worn. They are lightweight (7.7 oz) and feel extremely comfortable on my feet. I am already on my second pair and will most likely run my fall marathons in them.

  6. Running Marathons - Speaking of marathons, I posed this question to the twitternation earlier this week - If you were to receive a full ride to run just one single marathon, which would you choose? Out of 20+ people, the top three vote-getters were London, Great Wall, and Antartica. Interesting. I'm now opening the survey up to the masses - What say you blogger people?

Have a great weekend everyone! I hope the final days of summer are kind to you and you are all rocking those workouts!

12 comments:

pen said...

i do not know what you are talking about with "cooler weather." I'm still struggling through 90-100 degree runs and throwing tantrums about global warming.

Questionably Texan said...

Hmm, a full ride to any marathon? It would be a no-brainer for me. The "Big Five" marathon in South Africa would be where I'd go. How much fun would it be to run a marathon on an African Game Reserve?

Andrew Opala said...

thanks for the link from Runner's World. very useful for me!

Jamie said...

I think the cooler weather may have been only a teaser. Congrats on 70+ miles! That's incredible! Good luck with the rest of the Chicago training - can't believe it's only 6 weeks until 10/10/10.

Anonymous said...

Couldn't decide on just one marathon, but there are so many great options out there!
Glad the weather is cooler there. It's not as oppressive, but still pretty warm in AZ.

Anonymous said...

Re: a "full ride" it would be expensive one to get to, like Antartica or maybe an African race. How fun would that be?

Julie said...

Hi Lam,
You are training like a rock star as always! You have been super busy...awesome miles! I love that you were a pacer for a 20 miler:) Also, I would love to do a relay sometime, perhaps next season. Good luck to you in the next 6 weeks of training!

I have been super busy too! Life sure does get crazy at times:) I am only posting once a week due to my own insane life! Take care and happy training Lam!

Greg Strosaker said...

Great update Lam - I like you have been putting in record mileage lately (68 miles two weeks ago, may target 70 this week) and, despite the warnings from other runners, have been thrilled with how I've held up. I've actually been pushing my easy runs a bit harder, trying to get in the 3:00 marathon-runner mindset. This is my last big week as my marathon is 9/25. The links you have shared are all valuable, and I'd commented on Pete's post earlier that I look forward to trying the Kinvaras after Akron - your comments on them are just some of many that have sung their praises, so thanks for sharing your thoughts on the shoes.

J said...

Well I thought there was cooler weather coming, but this week we seem to be up the 90s again! At least the humidity is gone for the most part!

I really don't know which marathon I could run if I could run any one. I know it would be one in the US, maybe somewhere in the mid west or California since I haven't been out there.

Spike said...

Ahhh, we are nearing the end of our training, and I'm starting to get that excited feeling.

I'm doing my first relay in Nov. So excited.

Anonymous said...

Huge week 70+ miles!! Nicely done. You have lots of running going on between now and the marathon, enjoy it!

I'll have to check out your podcast.

zbsports said...

This is a very nice post, so informative and interesting. Thanks for sharing such a great post.

 
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