Running Partner Position Opening

January is over, and typically I enjoy this first month of the year as my birth month. However, this one has been suspect. It's been a January of ups and downs both from a running standpoint and on a personal side.

In this month of the marathon training plan I was supposed to do 177 miles. But, I only did 124. Although this month had some severe weather in Indiana with the blizzard of 2012 and some drastic temperature fluctuations this didn't seem to bother me that much. What was the real problem? The problem I suspect was a couple of things. First, I began to experience some issues with the treadmill, I would get dizzy during my runs. I still haven't figured out what's causing this, although one dailymile friend suggested that it may just be a visual thing. In other words I'm not able to find a fixed point to focus my vision on and thus I'm getting dizzy. This might be the case.
In the last week of January I had some leg pain that is unexplained. Basically I have pain in the upper quad, or hip flexor area and in the glut area all on the same leg. It makes it difficult to walk let alone run. Although this is getting better with rest. So, hopefully this will take care of itself. Thankfully this was a recovery week so I'm trying to stay positive. I've also lost my running buddy. I won't get into the specifics of this because it also revolves around the personal stuff which at this time I'm not comfortable with getting into. But, it is much easier to do the 20 milers with a friend than it is to do them alone. I've tried to reach out to others to do some group runs without success due to scheduling conflicts and such but it's never fun when you lose a close friend.
There are some other personal things that have been going on that have caused this month to not be that great. Again I won't get into these things here but it has to do with family issues outside of my immediate family. I will just say that there are multiple conflicts going on that although I'm not directly involved in it's taxing from a mental standpoint. I'm not sure how it is for most, but for me I have to be in a good frame of mind to complete big runs. I just haven't been there. So, the running has suffered.
One of the ups that I've been experiencing is the fact that I've actually had a sense of closeness that I've not felt with my children in some time. I chalk this up to my level of patience and attentiveness to them. This is a good thing and I feel blessed to have them reaching out to me. I love my little girls with all my heart, but I know I've not always shown them how much I love them. I want to be a good father to them and have been making more effort to show them this love, and it's paying off.
I'm looking forward to February, as today is the first day of this short month. This is the 182 mile month in my training plan in preparation for the Carmel Marathon in April. I've officially signed up for this run so it's a go! However with the set back that January provided I may have to adjust my goal pace back a little but I should be able to tell better where I am at toward the end of the month.
I hope all who read this have a good February, and appreciate the families they have. On a side note, if you would like to get together for a run and we live near each other I'm open to that. Just reach out because I have an opening for a running partner.

Rambling's of the Snag

I've hit a snag! I'm not sure what it is or what has caused this snag but I've hit it.
Everything seemed to be going well up until a couple of weeks ago. I started to feel sick so I missed a couple of runs. Then I had an emergency dental issue. I mean who really likes the dentist? Mandatory 72 hours no exercise. UGH!
Then the winter started, it snowed. I was actually looking forward to running in the snow, which I did and had a blast. Then it snowed some more. I enjoy running outside and in the snow but it can be hard to get out and get moving when it's below freezing. At this same time I had a wrench thrown in my schedule with my girls being out of school. I love the extra time I get to spend with them but it makes my routine get out of whack. More treadmill time is required. Who likes the treadmill? Not me!
I need to  figure out how to make the TM more enjoyable. New Years! Tammy and I had plans, and went out with some friends. Recovery, seemed to take a little longer than I would have liked. Ehm! Note to self, be more wise next time.
I'm having a hard time getting back on the routine that I had been on. I've run, and had some good runs.
I finished 2012 with 1232 miles, 32 over what my goal was. I have visions of doubling that this year, but I need to get my but moving. The last couple of days have been a struggle to get anything done. I wake up, the air is dry and my sinuses are kicking my butt. Headache! Not the kind of headache that you have when a brain aneurysm ruptures, but strong enough that all you want to do is nothing.
I got in a run the other day, in the icy snow. Now I have some knee pain. Shortly after that a fellow runner posted on his twitter feed to stay off of the snow and ice as he's seen  lot of issues arise, ie... knee pain. I wish he would have posted that sooner.
It's only 3 days away from finding out if I've been selected to be an Altra Zero Drop ambassador. I can't help but be a little nervous. Hopefully I will be selected, but if I'm not I'll still use their products because they have done me well.
I started a fb running club, and hope that it will turn into something bigger at some point. It's geared to local runners in my county of residence. If your interested you can find it here.
Bottom line, hitting snags suck! But, I am at the point where I need to suck it up and push through. Make myself get out there and get it done, even if I don't feel like it. Even if I'm tired. Even if I feel bad. Even if the TM is boring. Just get it done! The fun will come back, the days will get longer, I will get to run in the sun again instead of always in the dark. I need to kick my own butt and get moving.
I hope to have a better report of things next time....

Planning for the Carmel Marathon

Shortly after the Indianapolis Monumental Marathon that I ran in November, I began looking ahead to the next one. I decided to stay local again and run the Carmel Marathon in April of 2013.

Social media is a great thing, and I'm able to gather opinions and resources just from logging in to my account and reading for a little while. On one such day @ghein83 tweeted about setting up his next marathon plan and how he used Runner's World Smart Coach. Having met him before and knowing that he is fast I decided to take a similar approach and check out the smart coach program. I figured if it worked for Glenn then it could work for me as well. So I've decided to share my plan with the blog-o-sphere if anyone's interested. Also if you'd like to check out Glenn and Lindsey's blog you can at "Out for a Run"

As of this writing I've already completed the first five weeks and everything is going well with the plan.

WEEK 1: 31 Mi

Mon Nov 12 Easy Run Dist: 6 Mi @10:08 Wed Nov 14 Tempo Run Dist: 7 Mi, inc Warm; 5 Mi @ 8:44; Cool Thu Nov 15 Easy Run Dist: 6 Mi @10:08 Sat Nov 17 Long Run Dist: 12 Mi @10:08

WEEK 2: 33 Mi

Mon Nov 19 Easy Run Dist: 7 Mi @10:06 Wed Nov 21 Speedwork Dist: 6 Mi, inc Warm; 3x1600 in 8:03 w/800 jogs; Cool Thu Nov 22 Easy Run Dist: 6 Mi @10:06 Sat Nov 24 Long Run Dist: 14 Mi @10:06

WEEK 3: 34 Mi

Mon Nov 26 Easy Run Dist: 6 Mi @10:03 Wed Nov 28 Tempo Run Dist: 7 Mi, inc Warm; 5 Mi @ 8:39; Cool Thu Nov 29 Easy Run Dist: 5 Mi @10:03 Sat Dec 1 Long Run Dist: 16 Mi @10:03

WEEK 4: 27 Mi

Mon Dec 3 Easy Run Dist: 7 Mi @10:00 Wed Dec 5 Easy Run Dist: 7 Mi @10:00 Thu Dec 6 Easy Run Dist: 6 Mi @10:00 Sat Dec 8 Easy Run Dist: 7 Mi @10:00

WEEK 5: 36 Mi

Mon Dec 10 Easy Run Dist: 6 Mi @10:00 Wed Dec 12 Tempo Run Dist: 7 Mi, inc Warm; 5 Mi @ 8:36; Cool Thu Dec 13 Easy Run Dist: 5 Mi @10:00 Sat Dec 15 Long Run Dist: 18 Mi @10:00

Now I'm into week 6 and I've decided to make a few changes to my training plan. I'm going to add in an extra run through the week similar to my easy runs. I'll be adding these runs on either Sunday or Tuesday depending on my work schedule and if I get my long run in on Saturday or Sunday. This extra run isn't listed on the plan outlined below but it will be there when I do it. Also on Speed Wednesday's my pacing will and has been faster than outlined.

WEEK 6: 37 Mi

Mon Dec 17 Easy Run Dist: 5 Mi @9:57 Wed Dec 19 Speedwork Dist: 7 Mi, inc Warm; 4x1600 in 7:56 w/800 jogs; Cool Thu Dec 20 Easy Run Dist: 5 Mi @9:57 Sat Dec 22 Long Run Dist: 20 Mi @9:57

WEEK 7: 39 Mi

Mon Dec 24 Easy Run Dist: 8 Mi @9:54 Wed Dec 26 Tempo Run Dist: 7 Mi, inc Warm; 5 Mi @ 8:31; Cool Thu Dec 27 Easy Run Dist: 8 Mi @9:54 Sat Dec 29 Long Run Dist: 16 Mi @9:54

WEEK 8: 31 Mi

Mon Dec 31 Easy Run Dist: 8 Mi @9:51 Wed Jan 2 Easy Run Dist: 8 Mi @9:51 Thu Jan 3 Easy Run Dist: 7 Mi @9:51 Sat Jan 5 Easy Run Dist: 8 Mi @9:51

WEEK 9: 41 Mi

Mon Jan 7 Easy Run Dist: 7 Mi @9:51 Wed Jan 9 Tempo Run Dist: 7 Mi, inc Warm; 5 Mi @ 8:28; Cool Thu Jan 10 Easy Run Dist: 7 Mi @9:51 Sat Jan 12 Long Run Dist: 20 Mi @9:51

WEEK 10: 43 Mi

Mon Jan 14 Easy Run Dist: 10 Mi @9:49 Wed Jan 16 Speedwork Dist: 8 Mi, inc Warm; 4x1600 in 7:48 w/800 jogs; Cool Thu Jan 17 Easy Run Dist: 9 Mi @9:49 Sat Jan 19 Long Run Dist: 16 Mi @9:49

WEEK 11: 44 Mi

Mon Jan 21 Easy Run Dist: 9 Mi @9:46 Wed Jan 23 Tempo Run Dist: 7 Mi, inc Warm; 5 Mi @ 8:23; Cool Thu Jan 24 Easy Run Dist: 8 Mi @9:46 Sat Jan 26 Long Run Dist: 20 Mi @9:46

WEEK 12: 35 Mi

Mon Jan 28 Easy Run Dist: 9 Mi @9:43 Wed Jan 30 Easy Run Dist: 9 Mi @9:43 Thu Jan 31 Easy Run Dist: 8 Mi @9:43 Sat Feb 2 Easy Run Dist: 9 Mi @9:43

My easy runs have been run in the low 9 minute pace although I've been trying to make sure they feel easy to allow me to recover from either the long run or the speed work. After January is over I'll begin to add marathon pace onto my long runs. I'll be starting with the last 25% of the long runs at MP and ramp it up to just over 50% as I get into late March and early April.

WEEK 13: 46 Mi

Mon Feb 4 Easy Run Dist: 11 Mi @9:43 Wed Feb 6 Tempo Run Dist: 9 Mi, inc Warm; 6 Mi @ 8:25; Cool Thu Feb 7 Easy Run Dist: 10 Mi @9:43 Sat Feb 9 Long Run Dist: 16 Mi @9:43

WEEK 14: 48 Mi

Mon Feb 11 Easy Run Dist: 10 Mi @9:40 Wed Feb 13 Speedwork Dist: 9 Mi, inc Warm; 4x1600 in 7:41 w/800 jogs; Cool Thu Feb 14 Easy Run Dist: 9 Mi @9:40 Sat Feb 16 Long Run Dist: 20 Mi @9:40

WEEK 15: 50 Mi

Mon Feb 18 Easy Run Dist: 12 Mi @9:38 Wed Feb 20 Tempo Run Dist: 11 Mi, inc Warm; 6 Mi @ 8:20; Cool Thu Feb 21 Easy Run Dist: 11 Mi @9:38 Sat Feb 23 Long Run Dist: 16 Mi @9:38

WEEK 16: 39 Mi

Mon Feb 25 Easy Run Dist: 10 Mi @9:35 Wed Feb 27 Easy Run Dist: 10 Mi @9:35 Thu Feb 28 Easy Run Dist: 9 Mi @9:35 Sat Mar 2 Easy Run Dist: 10 Mi @9:35

WEEK 17: 51 Mi

Mon Mar 4 Easy Run Dist: 11 Mi @9:35 Wed Mar 6 Tempo Run Dist: 10 Mi, inc Warm; 6 Mi @ 8:17; Cool Thu Mar 7 Easy Run Dist: 10 Mi @9:35 Sat Mar 9 Long Run Dist: 20 Mi @9:35

WEEK 18: 53 Mi

Mon Mar 11 Easy Run Dist: 12 Mi @9:33 Wed Mar 13 Speedwork Dist: 10 Mi, inc Warm; 4x1600 in 7:34 w/800 jogs; Cool Thu Mar 14 Easy Run Dist: 11 Mi @9:33 Sat Mar 16 Long Run Dist: 20 Mi @9:33

WEEK 19: 55 Mi

Mon Mar 18 Easy Run Dist: 14 Mi @9:30 Wed Mar 20 Tempo Run Dist: 12 Mi, inc Warm; 6 Mi @ 8:12; Cool Thu Mar 21 Easy Run Dist: 13 Mi @9:30 Sat Mar 23 Long Run Dist: 16 Mi @9:30

WEEK 20: 57 Mi

Mon Mar 25 Easy Run Dist: 13 Mi @9:27 Wed Mar 27 Tempo Run Dist: 12 Mi, inc Warm; 6 Mi @ 8:10; Cool Thu Mar 28 Easy Run Dist: 12 Mi @9:27 Sat Mar 30 Long Run Dist: 20 Mi @9:27

WEEK 21: 30 Mi

Mon Apr 1 Easy Run Dist: 6 Mi @9:25 Wed Apr 3 Speedwork Dist: 7 Mi, inc Warm; 4x1600 in 7:28 w/800 jogs; Cool Thu Apr 4 Easy Run Dist: 5 Mi @9:25 Sat Apr 6 Long Run Dist: 12 Mi @9:25

WEEK 22: 30 Mi

Mon Apr 8 Easy Run Dist: 8 Mi @9:24 Wed Apr 10 Tempo Run Dist: 7 Mi, inc Warm; 3 Mi @ 7:54; Cool Thu Apr 11 Easy Run Dist: 7 Mi @9:24 Sat Apr 13 Long Run Dist: 8 Mi @9:24

WEEK 23: 36 Mi

Mon Apr 15 Easy Run Dist: 3 Mi @9:23 Tue Apr 16 Speedwork Dist: 4 Mi, inc Warm; 2x1600 in 7:26 w/800 jogs; Cool Thu Apr 18 Easy Run Dist: 3 Mi @9:23 Sat Apr 20 Marathon Race Day 26.2 Mi @8:10 Time: 3:34:13

The plan as it was written by RW smart coach will log 900 miles not including race day. In adding an extra run I'll pick up an extra 150 miles, for a total of 1050 miles prior to race day. This is a large increase over the miles that I completed in 2012 but I believe that with my current fitness level I'll be fine. I just completed a 15.5 mile run last week and I didn't have any negative effects. In fact I felt fresh after the run.

So this is my plan that will put me well below the 4 hour mark for 26.2 miles. In fact according to smart coach they believe I should be able to finish in 3:34:13. I guess I'll find out when I get to Carmel.

Let me know what you think by leaving a comment below, or give me a shout out on twitter @thebrainrunner

Now get out there and get your run in!