Boston Marathon 2011 & Matt Larsen's Final Boston training blog

We check in with Matt Larsen for his final training update before the 115th running of the Boston Marathon today.  You can follow the live action of the race today on Universal Sports.  Good luck to to everyone racing today, the Boston weather is predicted to be amazing with a tailwind on top of it.

I don’t have any exciting workouts to post about as I get closer to Boston but am excited to race as I get closer to the big day.  My intent in training was to put three solid weeks of running in once the track season started. The final three weeks leading up to Boston would be down weeks, less with the intent of tapering and more with recognition of the fact that I would take days off if time was unavailable on meet days.  I’ll give you the rundown of the workouts/runs that I ran and I’ll give you my mindset heading into race day.

4/02- Trail Breaker half- My intent was to run marathon pace (6:00 per mile) early and close a little more quickly as from about three miles out.  Well, things did not go well, and I only got about 4 miles in at marathon pace.  I did not find a groove and shut the race/workout, whatever you want to call it, down early.  I warned you in my first post that you might see this as a theme surrounding my mental weakness.  The fact was that I did not have it on this day and pulled the plug pretty early.  I’m not going to lie and say that this did not shake my confidence, but at the end of the day, I’ve always been pretty good at justifying rough days, and historically, I have shaken them off and bounced back relatively well.  I hope that is the case this time around.  The final time was about 83 minutes for the half or about four minutes slower than I plan on going out for the first half on the big day.

4/03- 10 miler with Mr. Thull- Our intent was to run easy, feel good, and dodge the bad weather- Mission accomplished.  The legs felt very good on this day, and there was no evidence that I had done anything remotely close to racing the day before.  I took that as a pretty good sign. 

So that is about all I have for workout related stuff.  I am very excited and also a little nervous for my third marathon.  The other marathons that I have run have gone completely differently.  In 2002, I was very fit for me coming off of a summer of 70, 80 and up to 90 mile weeks.  I ran the Lakefront Marathon in Milwaukee, went out hard, and faded badly…. really badly and finished in 2:47.  Man, did I feel good early, and then everything went bad from blisters, to nipple chaffing, to me having a pity party and throwing an 8 minute mile in there somewhere.  Anyway – I wasn’t mentally prepared for and didn’t know what to expect in the race.   

More recently, in 2009, I ran the Chicago marathon.  I was coming off of a summer of 40 mile and 50 mile weeks and had to start the race toward the back of the start line.  In this marathon, I also raced with a training partner, Bart, and things went about as well as I could have hoped.  I ended up negative splitting to a finishing time of 2:50.  This race went so much more smoothly because I respected the pace and didn’t get ahead of myself.  Heading into Boston, I don’t have the same type of fitness that I had in 2002, but most of my training is well ahead of where I was in 2009. If things go smoothly like they did in 2009, I think this can be a very positive experience.  The plan is to be patient.  We’ll see how it goes. 

Featured Runner of the Week - Dave Romano

ThunderDome Running works with runners of all abilities all over the United States.  Each runner has their own awesome story within a story getting to the starting line of their goal races by the way they balance work, family, and training.  This week the ThunderDome Running featured runner is Dave Romano from Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

Dave just passed his one year running anniversary beginning jogging 1-2 miles on the treadmill last March/April 2010!  He has raced several shorter distance races but had not tackled the half marathon distance. I have no idea if Dave planned it this way, marking his one year running anniversary;  but Dave jumped right into the fire by racing a half marathon over the weekend the Garden Spot Half  in New Holland Pennsylvania.  Dave raced to a 58th overall place out of a field of 506 runners in a time of 1 hour 43 minutes and 40 seconds.... over a crazy hilly race course.

Dave is a perfect example of how runners make their own breaks and racing opportunities by putting in the work. Dave's typical training schedule has (4) total weekly runs ranging from 4-6 miles with a long run being built back up again to 11-12 miles on cross training days he is in the pool.  With the 4 running days and 2 days of swim work Dave's total mileage is currently around 25-30 miles a week with summer plans of working towards a long run of 14-15 miles and total weekly mileage climbing to 40+ total miles.

Having the opportunity to coach and work with Dave has been great and a lot of fun. I think we can all learn from each other in how to approach race week and finally stepping to the line race day and wanted to share with everyone Dave's first half marathon experience. For everyone our race days play out like mini movies each time we all make that journey to the starting line for a key race. Dave's keen perspective and prep for his race makes up for only being in this running game for about a year. Check out Dave's race journal.

Best of All -Time Races (Martian Invasion of Races)

The ThunderDome Running racing team took a little field trip to Dearborn, Michigan this past weekend for the 6th annual Martian Invasion of races.  Over the years I have probably raced more times in Michigan than in Wisconsin. The racing community and the road race scene in Michigan is amazing.  This weekend I jumped into a 10k.

Running Fit presented the Martian Invasion of Races with the opportunity to race a 5k, 10k, half marathon, marathon relay, or full marathon Saturday April 2.  To pull off that sheer number of races on a single race day morning takes a ton of work and organization, but the Michigan racing community did not disappoint.  The race organization was top notch from the police dept, to the race volunteers, to the support from the city of Dearborn. There were aliens all over town!

I think the best part about the Martian racing weekend is that the race organizers realize there can be something for everyone that raced from beginners, to seasoned veterans, to elite runners.  That is what I love about Michigan races.  The race had the charity arm but also had a prize $$$ purse. The race host hotel had a pre-race/post-race breakfast that had more food than many finish line spreads. I cannot think of anything better than finishing up a tough race and getting to reward yourself with a huge Belgian Waffle.

If you get a chance jump on www.runmichigan.com and checkout the menu of Michigan road races, and hopefully you can make the quick trip to try a race outside of your home turf.  A big thank you to Running Fit for putting on  the Martian Invasion of races and to Ian Forsyth the elite race director.

Top Secret Training - Matt Larsen #3 Boston Marathon

The road to the Boston Marathon is now down to 3 weeks for many area runners. Matt Larsen checks in with how his training has gone over the past few weeks.

 Since I posted last, I have started coaching track. With this transition, I’ve made some slight changes to mileage and how I approach mileage, but I’ve still tried to stick with the same basic plan of attack in training. My primary focus has still been on one workout per week and one long run per week.  Recently I’ve noticed that in a typical week, either the workout or the long run will go well (but usually not both).  I’ll give you a few of the highlights and low lights of training, along with showing you my creative approach to chasing decent mileage while coaching high school girls. 

3/09/11- Pettit party- The plan was to run a three mile warm up followed by 5 miles at 5:30 and a 3 mile cool down.  I was coming off of being sick the previous week, but I was cautiously optimistic that I could find a groove.  On the drive down, I thought about my love hate relationship with Pettit Center running.  Overall, I love having the Pettit Center as a place to escape the nastiness of winter training.  I love running into old friends who are getting a workout in during the holiday season. And, I get a kick out of how the Pettit almost becomes like a trusty watering hole for the run-aholics who spend countless hours logging miles and miles and talking shop.  My love for the Pettit Center usually lasts through late January and early February, but as spring rolls around, and the weather is still crappy, I get impatient with dodging people, running in circles, always having dry skin etc. 

As  I warmed up for the tempo, I still reflected on the Pettit season coming to an end, and I saw what I thought was a sign about the night’s workout- I saw a lady grooving along on a run in a pair of jeans.  This awesome display had to mean that I would have a great workout that night.  I hate to disappoint you guys, but even with such a rare sight as an athlete maximizing her potential in denim, I still had a letdown of a workout.  I got through 3 in 16:30 and pulled the plug on the tempo run.  I chalked this rough workout to getting over illness- no worries- I still woke the legs up a little bit. 

3/12/11- I had a 50 minute run with 1 minute pickups every 10 minutes scheduled with the fit members of our ladies team, and they gave me a good run.  I followed that up with a 50 minute run with Coach Olson after practice. This has become one of my new ways of chasing mileage.  Both runs went well and the company was good. I was pretty hungry by the end of the run, however, and felt a little like bonking in the end. 

3/13/11- I needed 19 miles to get 70 in for the week, but I settled for 17 and a 68 mile total.  I ran with Eamon on a hilly course and felt a little run down.  I attributed the fatigue to the first week of track.  I was pretty run down for the remainder of the day, but was pleased that I was able to maintain respectable mileage. 

3/16/11-The weather was great, and I was meeting up at Hart Park with Matt and Eamon to run 3x2 miles with about 4 to 5 minute recovery in between.  I felt run down and was not excited about the idea of doing a workout.  I tried to wimp out and talk these guys into any easy 13 miler, but to be honest, that also seemed like a lot of work.  With feeling flat, I tempered the expectations to 5:40 starting pace with an opportunity for a pace increase as deemed doable.  We rolled the first 2 miler in 11:17 on the Parkway as we dodged some snow and mud.  I felt crappy and was almost longing for the flat Pettit Center that I had been cursing one week earlier.  The next repeat was run back toward the track on the Parkway.  We covered 2 miles in 10:57, and I was still a little fatigued.  I talked the guys into running the final repeat on the track and let them know that I would cover one mile for sure and assess the situation from there.  We went through and a mile in 5:25, and it felt pretty comfortable.  I completed the total 2 in 10:48 and felt much better on this than I did on the first two repeats.  I was very satisfied with a long day of work and a decent workout.  I got home to fill out a couple of brackets. I picked a risky final four of VCU, Butler, Kentucky, and UConn (hoping it would turn out well).  Then I went to bed. 

3/26- Plan was to get in 10 total for the day.  We had a meet, and I decided to run 5 before it and 5 after.  I got out the door at 6 am for a really cold 5 miler.  About 3 and a half miles in, I tripped on a blade of grass, but with a cat like reflexes, I executed a very smooth log roll and transitioned back into the run.  I hope that someone was able to see this display of agility as they started their Saturday morning.  Coach Olson, Irvine and I ran a nice five mile after a good meet for both our guys’ and girls’ track teams.  It was cold. 

3/27- Plan was to get in 20 with Matt and Eamon at a reasonable pace. We average just under 7 minutes for the first 10 and just over 6:30 for the second ten.  I felt smooth through about 16, but felt like I had to work for the last 4 or so miles.  I spent the remainder of the day on the couch watching to see how the NCAA picks turned out. 

Race Week Workouts

Is there a magic formula for doing just the perfect race week workout?  There may not be an exact formula for the ideal race week workout, but there is a smarter way to train race week. The race week workout is important to stay sharp and to hopefully add just that little last bit of confidence going into your big race. Many times runners fall into the trap of doing too much just so they can feel at ease that they are fit and ready to go for their race.

For example let's say you have a 10k race on Saturday?  What day of the week should you be doing your race week workout? What kind of interval/workout volume should you log? What about pace of the workout?  Some general direction I can give is to make sure the workout is not too close to your just completed Sunday long run or previous weeks' race. The best day to do the race week workout would be Tuesday and as a backup day on Wednesday.  This should allow for enough recovery on both sides of the Long Run and before race day that week. It would be great if your workout goal would be to hit race pace splits, but make sure to give adequate rest between intervals. If you normally take 60 seconds rest in between 800m repeats race week take 2 minutes. If you normal volume of workout mileage is 4-5 miles drop that to 2.5 or 3 miles so you can still get in the work to stay sharp but not overdo it.

Error on the side of taking "too much" rest and doing "too little" volume and you will be fine for your weekend race.  Make sure to give yourself that best chance to race well and this does not come from doing 20 x 400m or some type of time trial the week of a huge 5k or 10k race.

Extra Recovery - Without a Day Off

There are times in your training that you just "can not" take a day off but you are tired and want max recovery before your next run possible.  Examples of this might be if you have to keep a running streak alive or if you have a training week where your mileage is too high to miss a day of running. 

There are a couple of different recovery tricks that you might want to try and still be able to log miles. Try splitting your 8 mile run day to a 4 mile run in the AM and a 4 mile run in the PM.  That way you still get in the mileage for the day but the training is split into what is supposed to be two baby easy runs. Another really good recovery trick so you can get around 36 hours of recovery time before your next run is to run in the morning one day and the following day of training log your mileage at night. That way you do not miss any mileage and you max that recovery time without having to take a day off.  This trick works especially awesome by doing your Sunday long run in the morning and then logging your Monday mileage at night.

Those two options sound very simple, but you would be surprised how many times I hear of runners just slogging through the same mileage every single day at the same scheduled time of the day.  Weekly schedules are tough to re-arrange but maybe first try these recovery tricks in your Saturday and Sunday training schedule.  You will recover much faster and get rid of stale running legs.

Boston week - wrap with John Zupanc

As you can see by John's Boston Marathon racing history snapshot today you have to be ready for anything when you step onto the line. It is OK to adjust pre-race goals based on weather, be a tad more patient early, or hopefully just get out there and roll.

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 John's Boston Splits

1981  49 and NW winds cross to tailwind perfect day

2:27.11 A big pr by 5 minutes

28.10-56.20-1:24.30-1:52.45-2:20.35-2:27.11

73:45/73:26

205^th place

This was a dream marathon, everything went perfect.

                       

1985  75 to 78 with cross to tailwind HOT

2:27.13 Felt I was in shape to run 2:22 my pr at that time but had to adjust to heat

27.30-55.30-1:23.30-1:51.45-2:27.13

18^th place

There was basically no one to catch over the last 10k, suffered but not like most.

1987  50 and nice

2:24.46  My best Boston time

27.15-54.30-1:22.00-1:50.00-2:24.46

71:40/73:06

36^th place

This is probably a more typical half marathon split for me, close but not even

1994  Sunny, 53 and tailwind

2:35.56  I was 41 and my best masters time at Boston

29.28-59.00-1:28.32-1:58.30-2:35.56

77:28/78:28

143^rd place

I was pleased with this effort

2004  75 with 84 at the finish, HOT, and a strong wind swirled around

3:05.49  I run better than most in the heat

35.37-70.37-1:45.50-2:21.08-3:05.49

92:23/93:26

476^th place

Happy to survive

2007  A big NorEaster with rain all day, strong swirling winds and 45, COLD

3:12.41  I was very conservative early to not die in the cold, big negative split

37.39-74.51-1:52.08-2:24.15-3:12.41

98:06/94:35

Not sure of the place but an example of the extremes you can get at Boston