Sorry for the lapse in posting here....being a techno phobe I can never remember how to sign in and post...sometimes I get lucky and remember.....unlucky for all of you.
Life is about the same...would much rather be running, cycling.....just about anything but work...don't get me wrong although there are many aspects of what I do that I dislike....when i get to help other people either resolve an issue or do something positive...like buy or sell or refinance a house or write their will and/or set up an estate plan and therefore but one of life's worries behind them...its a real good day...the minutia that is in between is the part that I don't enjoy.
Over the past week I had a few of those reminder moments of why I love runing and especially running and coaching with Team in Training...at our midweek run last Thursday there were two runners...one who is on the Country Music Team so I knew what that runner was capable of even if s/he does not realize it yet and then a brand new runner....s/he ran 4.2 miles which was a new mileage high and I had to advise this runner NOT to run Friday as s/he had run a previous mileage high the day before so s/he needed a REST day...YES we do encourage them!!!! And this runner was so happy upon finishing...it was one of those AH HA moments that reminds you just why we are here doing what we are doing to help in our own small ways...Then this runner spent their Sunday afternoon at a grocery store fundraiser....Thank you!!!
And on Saturday....I saw some real tenacity among thsoe that ran at Mountain Lakes...there was still a layer of light crunchy snow on the path along the Boulevard and some ice patches along the 6.4 (6.5) mile loop that Melissa has planned....great job by all the runners.....and again on Sunday in Mahwah...many runners hit a new all time high in their mileage over what is a pretty challenging course...and one runner has the pleasure??? of running with one of my running buddies....a runner who runs a sub 3:20 marathon and has completed several Ironman Triathlons...so in other words a pretty serious endurance athlete....congratulations to all of those runners who brave the elements or the boredom of the dreadmill to get those scheduled miles in every week....
I know that there is a personal reason for everyone that is out there and some of you are looking to achieve a personal goal BUT you are also doing it to unselfish reasons.
So many thoughts in my head I could ramble on for hours but you would stop and be bored to death (if you aren't yet) and the work that is sitting in a large pile on my desk would feel neglected and the clients would be very upset that I am not doing it.....my therapy break is over and its back to work for me.... enjoy the day ...Spring is coming.....
Happy trails,
Bill
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Friday, February 8, 2008
It's Finally Friday
So its finally Friday....its been a bit of a frustrating week...could not seem to get out of my own way....did not get everything I had set out in my mind done in the office....but it WILL get done...However, on a positive note...I received my email confirmation for my entry into Boston!!! Its a bit of a relief as I was concerned that my entry was somehow missed and I was watching the entry numbers rise....almost a thousand ahead of last years pace and you are never sure when the Boston Athletic Assn will close the entries...so that concern is out of the way.
Now, my concerns turn to being ready... have been fighting a slight cold but am finally back on the roads...nice 7 miles last night...2 on my own and then 5 with three NJM Half Team members...great job by Marie, Meghan and Jacky...all are running well. Keep up the good work and the 4 or 5 you did yesterday will seem like a short run in a few weeks as your long run distances increase.
This weekend I will head to Palisades on Saturday morning...love to run across the GWB especially on a cold crisp clear morning when it seems like you can see forever...but with the sweet there always seems that you get some bitter and when I look South off the Bridge and look to the end of Manhattan....its never fails that my mind always rushes right to September 11th and the day over 3000 people lost their lives including my friend Wayne Hobson...if you live in Hoboken you may have enjoyed a beer or two at his bar "Hobson's Choice"....and that reminds me once again how lucky so many of us are...despite not getting all of the work or errands tahtwe intended to accomplish done or a little nagging cough that its good to be alive and healthy and to be able to brave a cold windy day on the GWB or a run through the woods in High Bridge or 13 miles through the Bronx....remember on those tough days when its easy to slide back into bed or grab that extra cup of coffee that you are all incredibly selfLESS people who are running, biking, swimming or walking fo rthose who can't in the hope that one day we all can run without having to raise money to find a cure for cancer and that we have finally won the battle...and we can all move on to winning that next fight whatever that may be....we all have our own reasons for being out there but regardless of why remember that you always have many people pulling for you during every mile...me, the other coaches, your mentors, the Staff, your friends and family AND those who's faces you may never see but to whom YOU ARE A HERO...accept that title and wear it with honor because you have earned it and you earn it again everyday that you tie your running shoes and step outside your comfort zone and run further that you ever imagined two months or two years ago
THANK YOU
Now, my concerns turn to being ready... have been fighting a slight cold but am finally back on the roads...nice 7 miles last night...2 on my own and then 5 with three NJM Half Team members...great job by Marie, Meghan and Jacky...all are running well. Keep up the good work and the 4 or 5 you did yesterday will seem like a short run in a few weeks as your long run distances increase.
This weekend I will head to Palisades on Saturday morning...love to run across the GWB especially on a cold crisp clear morning when it seems like you can see forever...but with the sweet there always seems that you get some bitter and when I look South off the Bridge and look to the end of Manhattan....its never fails that my mind always rushes right to September 11th and the day over 3000 people lost their lives including my friend Wayne Hobson...if you live in Hoboken you may have enjoyed a beer or two at his bar "Hobson's Choice"....and that reminds me once again how lucky so many of us are...despite not getting all of the work or errands tahtwe intended to accomplish done or a little nagging cough that its good to be alive and healthy and to be able to brave a cold windy day on the GWB or a run through the woods in High Bridge or 13 miles through the Bronx....remember on those tough days when its easy to slide back into bed or grab that extra cup of coffee that you are all incredibly selfLESS people who are running, biking, swimming or walking fo rthose who can't in the hope that one day we all can run without having to raise money to find a cure for cancer and that we have finally won the battle...and we can all move on to winning that next fight whatever that may be....we all have our own reasons for being out there but regardless of why remember that you always have many people pulling for you during every mile...me, the other coaches, your mentors, the Staff, your friends and family AND those who's faces you may never see but to whom YOU ARE A HERO...accept that title and wear it with honor because you have earned it and you earn it again everyday that you tie your running shoes and step outside your comfort zone and run further that you ever imagined two months or two years ago
THANK YOU
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Two Mistakes Not To Make
Hi all,
I found this blog entry online written by "The Squirrel" and rather than re-invent the wheel I am posting this for your reading pleasure....I could not come close to writing anything this good and it sums up what the coaches try and ingrain into your heads....running too much AND/OR too fast doe not help BUT ACTUALLY HURTS YOU RACEDAY....Enjoy!
"Two mistakes not to make
Two weeks ago I talked about the importance of the long run for successful marathon training. I don't know if I would say it is the most important aspect of a training plan, but it is definitely up there. One thing that I have done in the past which I will probably be reluctant to do going forward is to somehow rank by importance, different aspects of a marathon training plan. I really think that every plan has to be (as corny as it may sound) a recipe. In other words, when you bake a loaf of bread, for example, even though the amount of yeast that goes in is far less than many of the other ingredients, one cannot say it is somehow less important. Every single thing that goes into either your mixing bowl (your training program) needs to have a reason for being there. I may not be able to physiologically explain every single run and its overall or specific benefit, but I have a basic understanding of why I'm doing it. And I know that whether you're baking bread or training for a marathon, you cannot cut corners or haphazardly rearrange the measurements without getting something utterly disgusting when you open the oven. You can try, I certainly have, it isn't pretty. But it does teach you a lesson.
There are, like it or not, those runners among us that are just naturally gifted. They have that "recipe" already made for them. I have a good friend that recently ran a 2:42 marathon who, in his own words "rarely hit 60 miles a week". Bastard. My usual a-hole reply to him would be, "Yeah, but imagine what you'd run if you really trained." Of course, he has plenty of other priorities in his life, and honestly, who can argue with a 2:42 race. Not me. But a lot of folks don't run those kind of times and they don't even come close to what our Lord God McMillan says they should run and they can't figure it out. Most likely, it is through their own faulty training.
There are too huge mistakes I see when people train for marathons. A marathon is not a mile. It's not a 5 or 10K. It's not a half, obviously. It is twenty six miles three hundred eighty five yards. In my opinion much further than any sane human should attempt to run. But we do attempt it, sane or otherwise. Some attempt it with the goal to finish the race. Look, anyone who can complete a race like that gets a big "Bravo" from me. I don't care if you do it in 2 hour or 5 hours, that's a long way. If you are looking to finish the race, that is a different story, you can go about things differently and still accomplish your goal. For now though, I'm discussing people that are looking to run their best time and maximize their performance. The first of these mistakes is simply not running enough miles. I don't know that there is any rule of thumb or formula for figuring out how many miles you should have in your legs before toeing that line, or any magical miles per week number that will get you to your goal, but most likely if you were disappointed in your last race, it's more than what you are running.
I didn't keep a log during my training for my first two marathons, but I could guess that I probably averaged somewhere around 40 miles a week during both of them. Considering I had normally been running 25-30 miles a week, that increase seemed quite significant. But considering I was attempting to run 3:10 or better, that mileage was far less than what I needed. Running, whether you choose to accept it or not, is a movement specific activity. What does that mean? It means that in order to become a better runner, the best approach is to run. That doesn't mean that cycling or swimming or rowing isn't going to help, but the less running you do, the less likely you are to succeed. I know, I know, plenty of folks out there have run very well while utilizing cross training like I have mentioned. I understand that. If that works for you and if you truly believe that this is the best way for you to train to meet your goals, I'm not gonna argue. But, for most of us, running is the way to the means.
During my training for my fall races, I averaged over 65 miles per week for about 22 weeks. I was able to drop my marathon PR by 18 minutes. Not convinced? Okay, maybe there's more to it.
The second biggest mistake goes hand in hand with the first. It is running too fast, too often. Again, personal experience here. I don't know of a single run under 10 miles during my first two marathon training periods when I ran slower than 7:30/mile. If I wasn't running long, I was running hard. Then on weekends, I'd go out on my long run and slog home barely making it to the door. I see tons of runners that have slower times than me in all race distances that are training faster than me almost every day of the week. I just don't get it. What are you trying to prove? I guess if you don't get the feeling from a race that you're fast, you're gonna try to get it in training. As I said, I was like that. I used to hammer all my shorter runs. Start fast, finish faster. But why? What purpose did this serve other than to wear me out, prevent me from running my important runs effectively, and above all, prevent me from running the mileage I needed to meet my goal.
During my training for any of my most recent races (fall 2007-current) I run five out of seven days at an easy, recovery pace. For me that means anywhere from 90 seconds to two and a half minutes slower than my current marathon pace. That's a big difference.
What has this done? Well, first off it has allowed me to run more miles than ever before. You saw what I ran last fall, and this winter has started out even higher. I have been above 70 miles a week for the past 6 weeks to start off my current training period. Second, it has allowed me, despite this new higher mileage, to race well, earning PR's this winter in the 4 mile and half marathon. Finally, it has allowed me to run hard when I'm supposed to. That is either once during the week and once on the weekend, or twice during the week. No more.
Being a successful marathoner is not about running the most miles you can. It's not about running the fastest you can. It's about mixing the proper combinations of everything. I'm not an expert, but I'm learning. I was pretty happy with the result last November, but I'd like to tweak it even more this May and October. Time will tell.
My Run Today: 20 miles. In Jersey. Awesome. Didn't get lost, but I kinda got to a point where I had to make a decision between continuing to run and possibly extend my run by a few miles or doubling back and make it home in 20. I chose correctly thankfully. I headed out my door at 6:30a. I wanted to try to increase my pace throughout the run and hopefully average around 7:30 or so. My first mile was 8:32. Ouch. It turned out just fine though. Following are my 4 mile splits:
32:52 (8:13 average pace)
30:43 (7:41 average pace)
29:53 (7:28 average pace)
28:57 (7:14 average pace)
26:47 (6:42 average pace)
2:29:29 (7:28 pace) Very happy with this. I wanted to get it in strong at the end and I was able to despite heading home into a headwind. This is a very good run for me and a great indicator of the shape I'm getting myself into. Sorry, no pictures this time. It was too dark when I left, and there wasn't much to look at anyway. But I did see 4 deer. That's not something you see in NYC, ya know." Blogged by The Squirrel
I found this blog entry online written by "The Squirrel" and rather than re-invent the wheel I am posting this for your reading pleasure....I could not come close to writing anything this good and it sums up what the coaches try and ingrain into your heads....running too much AND/OR too fast doe not help BUT ACTUALLY HURTS YOU RACEDAY....Enjoy!
"Two mistakes not to make
Two weeks ago I talked about the importance of the long run for successful marathon training. I don't know if I would say it is the most important aspect of a training plan, but it is definitely up there. One thing that I have done in the past which I will probably be reluctant to do going forward is to somehow rank by importance, different aspects of a marathon training plan. I really think that every plan has to be (as corny as it may sound) a recipe. In other words, when you bake a loaf of bread, for example, even though the amount of yeast that goes in is far less than many of the other ingredients, one cannot say it is somehow less important. Every single thing that goes into either your mixing bowl (your training program) needs to have a reason for being there. I may not be able to physiologically explain every single run and its overall or specific benefit, but I have a basic understanding of why I'm doing it. And I know that whether you're baking bread or training for a marathon, you cannot cut corners or haphazardly rearrange the measurements without getting something utterly disgusting when you open the oven. You can try, I certainly have, it isn't pretty. But it does teach you a lesson.
There are, like it or not, those runners among us that are just naturally gifted. They have that "recipe" already made for them. I have a good friend that recently ran a 2:42 marathon who, in his own words "rarely hit 60 miles a week". Bastard. My usual a-hole reply to him would be, "Yeah, but imagine what you'd run if you really trained." Of course, he has plenty of other priorities in his life, and honestly, who can argue with a 2:42 race. Not me. But a lot of folks don't run those kind of times and they don't even come close to what our Lord God McMillan says they should run and they can't figure it out. Most likely, it is through their own faulty training.
There are too huge mistakes I see when people train for marathons. A marathon is not a mile. It's not a 5 or 10K. It's not a half, obviously. It is twenty six miles three hundred eighty five yards. In my opinion much further than any sane human should attempt to run. But we do attempt it, sane or otherwise. Some attempt it with the goal to finish the race. Look, anyone who can complete a race like that gets a big "Bravo" from me. I don't care if you do it in 2 hour or 5 hours, that's a long way. If you are looking to finish the race, that is a different story, you can go about things differently and still accomplish your goal. For now though, I'm discussing people that are looking to run their best time and maximize their performance. The first of these mistakes is simply not running enough miles. I don't know that there is any rule of thumb or formula for figuring out how many miles you should have in your legs before toeing that line, or any magical miles per week number that will get you to your goal, but most likely if you were disappointed in your last race, it's more than what you are running.
I didn't keep a log during my training for my first two marathons, but I could guess that I probably averaged somewhere around 40 miles a week during both of them. Considering I had normally been running 25-30 miles a week, that increase seemed quite significant. But considering I was attempting to run 3:10 or better, that mileage was far less than what I needed. Running, whether you choose to accept it or not, is a movement specific activity. What does that mean? It means that in order to become a better runner, the best approach is to run. That doesn't mean that cycling or swimming or rowing isn't going to help, but the less running you do, the less likely you are to succeed. I know, I know, plenty of folks out there have run very well while utilizing cross training like I have mentioned. I understand that. If that works for you and if you truly believe that this is the best way for you to train to meet your goals, I'm not gonna argue. But, for most of us, running is the way to the means.
During my training for my fall races, I averaged over 65 miles per week for about 22 weeks. I was able to drop my marathon PR by 18 minutes. Not convinced? Okay, maybe there's more to it.
The second biggest mistake goes hand in hand with the first. It is running too fast, too often. Again, personal experience here. I don't know of a single run under 10 miles during my first two marathon training periods when I ran slower than 7:30/mile. If I wasn't running long, I was running hard. Then on weekends, I'd go out on my long run and slog home barely making it to the door. I see tons of runners that have slower times than me in all race distances that are training faster than me almost every day of the week. I just don't get it. What are you trying to prove? I guess if you don't get the feeling from a race that you're fast, you're gonna try to get it in training. As I said, I was like that. I used to hammer all my shorter runs. Start fast, finish faster. But why? What purpose did this serve other than to wear me out, prevent me from running my important runs effectively, and above all, prevent me from running the mileage I needed to meet my goal.
During my training for any of my most recent races (fall 2007-current) I run five out of seven days at an easy, recovery pace. For me that means anywhere from 90 seconds to two and a half minutes slower than my current marathon pace. That's a big difference.
What has this done? Well, first off it has allowed me to run more miles than ever before. You saw what I ran last fall, and this winter has started out even higher. I have been above 70 miles a week for the past 6 weeks to start off my current training period. Second, it has allowed me, despite this new higher mileage, to race well, earning PR's this winter in the 4 mile and half marathon. Finally, it has allowed me to run hard when I'm supposed to. That is either once during the week and once on the weekend, or twice during the week. No more.
Being a successful marathoner is not about running the most miles you can. It's not about running the fastest you can. It's about mixing the proper combinations of everything. I'm not an expert, but I'm learning. I was pretty happy with the result last November, but I'd like to tweak it even more this May and October. Time will tell.
My Run Today: 20 miles. In Jersey. Awesome. Didn't get lost, but I kinda got to a point where I had to make a decision between continuing to run and possibly extend my run by a few miles or doubling back and make it home in 20. I chose correctly thankfully. I headed out my door at 6:30a. I wanted to try to increase my pace throughout the run and hopefully average around 7:30 or so. My first mile was 8:32. Ouch. It turned out just fine though. Following are my 4 mile splits:
32:52 (8:13 average pace)
30:43 (7:41 average pace)
29:53 (7:28 average pace)
28:57 (7:14 average pace)
26:47 (6:42 average pace)
2:29:29 (7:28 pace) Very happy with this. I wanted to get it in strong at the end and I was able to despite heading home into a headwind. This is a very good run for me and a great indicator of the shape I'm getting myself into. Sorry, no pictures this time. It was too dark when I left, and there wasn't much to look at anyway. But I did see 4 deer. That's not something you see in NYC, ya know." Blogged by The Squirrel
Monday, February 4, 2008
Feb 4th Lessons Learned
It does not matter how long you have been running, how fast or slow you run, where or when you train....you (and that includes me) can learn something every day about running and yourself. I have been dealing with a cold since last weekend, I ran 6 Tuesday, and felt pretty good...Thursday I did not feel great but had the mid week run scheduled so I ran 4 and that was ok....Saturday I ran 12 miles through Mahwah up and down the hills and struggled a bit....but no cold was going to hold me down...it was only a cold so no need to slow down...WRONG!!! I finally listened to those who were telling not to run in Mahwah again on Sunday with a group of friends...I stayed home ... rested...did not run...drank plenty of fluids and felt alot better....however my neighbor came home from work and I was walking the dog and he came out his front door and came over to me. He asked whether I had already run for the day...I said no and he asked me to join him on a 5 mile "jog"...he is training for a 5k and wants to beat his brother in law who beat him last year by 30 seconds...he has lost 38 pounds...and is running well...I said no but he sort of begged saying that it was his only chance of staying with me if I was not 100% so I relented and we did 4.6 miles in 36 minutes...which is 7.49.56521739130437 mile pace or in English 7:50 per mile ...sorry folks thats not a jog!!!!!! I felt fine afterwards and am still ok BUT I have learned my lesson......get rid of the chest cold first THEN start training again.
Friday, February 1, 2008
Friday Feelings
On a nasty day I am feeling surprisingly good.....I feel refreshed today and really looking forward to getting out on the roads over the next couple of days....WHY DO I FEEL SO REFRESHED? Because of you.....last night Coach Melissa, Carrie Ginetto and I were joined at Montclair State for an evening run by a new runner.....we did 4 miles together and although this runner was apologizing to us for running so slow ....it was a great run and made me remember why I love running and especially running with newer runners so much. If you are feeling the way this newer runner was last night..."I don't want to go to the group runs, because 1) I am too slow 2) I will hold everyone including the coaches back 3) I am not running far enough yet....what ever the excuse.....DON'T !!!! Like I said I had a great run and it was because I saw a newer runner achieving a new plateau of 4 miles over a hilly route in the dark on a cold night...this newer runner was very happy with the run and will be attending their first group training this weekend.....
AND we have a group of new teammates on the RNR SD Team....a group of Lehman Brothers employees and as of 4 pm today 5 of them had already RSVP'd to me for Saturdays Mahwah Run...not sure if Glenn has received any RSVP's for Sunday at High Bridge and this is from a group who signed up Wednesday afternoon and from a group of 18 people...over 25% of the group attending a run 2 days after sign-up.....that is great!!!!
Stay safe if you are driving today and I will see you on the roads
AND we have a group of new teammates on the RNR SD Team....a group of Lehman Brothers employees and as of 4 pm today 5 of them had already RSVP'd to me for Saturdays Mahwah Run...not sure if Glenn has received any RSVP's for Sunday at High Bridge and this is from a group who signed up Wednesday afternoon and from a group of 18 people...over 25% of the group attending a run 2 days after sign-up.....that is great!!!!
Stay safe if you are driving today and I will see you on the roads
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