A Passion for Running

My goal for this training plan is to be super-consistent because if there’s one thing I’ve learned – especially while training for the last marathon – it’s that getting out there every day and doing those miles is the key to success.

So, by that measure, I’ve got a good start with three good runs in a row.

The plan is quite different than the last one Andrew had me on – I will fill in some details for you shortly. In the meantime, here are my last three workouts:

Monday: 90 minutes @ 160 heart rate
Tuesday: 60 minutes @ 150 heart rate
Yesterday: 75 minutes @ 165 heart rate

I’ll fill in the mileage sometime in the next couple of days.

Feelin’ good!

I’ve been just itching to get back out there. I’ve learned something – I really don’t enjoy not training. Without a schedule and a goal, I find I quickly get un-motivated and sluggish. My body really thrives on daily running.

So I was pretty happy to get Andrew’s instructions over the weekend. I was expecting him to take things up a notch and he did not disappoint. The plan starts out a bit light but gets heavy within a couple of weeks. More miles, more intensity, more hard core. YEAH!!!

I’m really excited!

I’ve never been one to celebrate birthdays but, I am feeling particularly blessed on this, my 40th birthday…

I am truly blessed. Happy birthday to me. Happy birthday to me…
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Edit: I just found out Nancy Toby is the big FIVE-O. Happy Birthday Nancy.

Related to today’s post, you may want to check out the debate Steve Runner and I have going on about fueling at CRN.
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Today marked the first day of “the big switch”. While training for the Red Deer Marathon, most of my running was done as a commute from work to home (I was bussing to work).

But, as cold as Edmonton winters get, we get equally hot summers. There’s no way I’m doing 70+ miles a week in mid-day heat so I’m switching things around – as of this morning, I’ve started running to work and bussing home.

There are advantages and disadvantages:

Disadvantages:

1. I have to wake up earlier.
2. I’ve never felt very good running in the morning (unless I’ve been up for 3 hours before I start)

Advantages:

1. My run is done early in the day
2. Running has even less impact on my family
3. Assuming I don’t get up three hours early and eat breakfast, it will teach my body to burn fat more efficiently

As I said, this morning was my first morning run and, as expected, I did not feel very good doing it. It was clear to me that I started the run low on glyogen. That’s good. That’s what I want. But it sure wasn’t easy.

It was the slowest I’ve run those nine miles in quite some time – about an 8:45 min/mile pace. It’ll be interesting to see how much I can improve my body’s ability to burn fat.

I’m looking forward to getting Andrew’s instructions – I’m about to start training for Regina!

A shout to Coach Andrew who just placed 2nd overall in a 10k. Way to go big guy!