Today's Run, July 19

Battling heat and humidity, we luckily avoided the rain by a few hours on either side and had a pretty good run:

Time: 1:41:30
Distance: 10.06 miles
Average Pace: 10:06 minutes/mile
Calories burned: 1378

I'm really encouraged that most of the group finished together. We're getting used to running together as a group that is very important on marathon day. Being surrounded by friends makes running--and finishing--much easier.

This week, continue to keep up on your "homework." As I've said before, if you can stick to the training schedule, great, but if not try to drag yourself out for at least 20 minutes of good running (followed by a 3-5 minute cooldown) on the treadmill.

Today's Run, July 12

We had a nice, (mostly) easy run in the heat today and did a good job of sticking together. Here are the numbers:

Time: 1:37:11
Distance: 9.62 miles
Average Pace: 10:06 minute/mile
Calories Burned: 1324

That's pretty good, considering the heat. We also did well sharing the trail with other runners, walkers, and bikers. All in all, it was a good run.

The next month is crucial for our training. This is where getting training in during the week will really start to pay off. Simply put, running 26.2 miles in 4:15 is something that's entirely doable, but it takes some work. Unless you are a genetic freak, you're going to need to build up your cardio level and leg muscles so that they can handle more than four hours of running. The only way to do this is by running more. Follow the training schedule on the LViM website if you can. If you can't, get out of the road (heat and safety permitting) or on a treadmill for at least 25 minutes five times a week. That's probably the bare minimum of work you can put in and have any chance of having a good race in December.

I'll put it to you this way. A month from today, we'll be running 12 miles. Since we did almost ten today, that's easily within the reach of eveyrone in the group. Two months from today, we're running 17 miles. That might seem like a lot, but if you keep up with the training schedule, it won't be hard.

Three months from today, we will have finished our longest training run (22 miles), and four months from this very day, we will have finished our marathon.

My point is that none of this is going to be possible without some work--hard work, even--during the week. If this was impossible, none of us would be trying it, but if it was easy, you'd see a lot more people running marathons. I can't guaranteee easy, but I can guarantee fun and fulfilling, as long as we all stay in shape and do our homework during the week.

This was a great run--even though our pace was a little slower, we had higher temps to deal with and we probably had more fun sticking together. Next week, we'll do about ten miles. I know the schedule says 9, but we've been running about that for two weeks now, and I think we would benefit from the shared confidence of breaking that double-digit barrier a week earlier.

See you on Sunday morning before 5:30. If you have any training tips, questions, or comments, email me or post them here. Have a great week.

Today's Run, July 5

As you could tell from the heat this morning, summer's here. But not to worry--we're going to be running a half hour earlier starting next week. This week's run was run slouch though. Here are the raw numbers:

Time: 1:28:46
Distance: 8.92 miles
Average Pace (including stops): 9:57 minute/mile
Calories Burned: 1222

As you can see, we're doing really well. The most important thing at this stage is to get used to running with the group, and to stick with the group. You'll be amazed at how much help it will be during the marathon to have a familiar bunch of people around you. So over the next couple of weeks, focus on staying with the group. If you have a tendency to race ahead, cool down a little bit and enjoy the leisurely pace. You'll only finish a few seconds ahead of everyone else but it will seem like a much longer run without the camaraderie of your peers. If you find yourself falling behind, the same holds true: you aren't really running that much less strenuously, but it will feel like a more difficult run. So, unless you have a mechanical breakdown or are in pain, stick with the group.

I think that 99% of the problems people have staying on pace are psychological rather than physical. Case in point: no matter how far we run--if it's 5 miles or 20--people tend to drop off in the last mile or so. This is often because runners convince themselves that they can't keep up and they've got to slow down. Sometimes, slowing down really is a good idea, but usually you'd be better served by sticking to your pace. Once we get into the longer distances, you'll see that running 18 miles isn't that much harder than running 8, as long as you pick a pace and keep to it.

Next Sunday, we're starting our run at 5:30, so get there bright and early. I should be moving this blog over to the LV in Motion site by then, so stay tuned!

Today's Run, June 28

We had a very good run today, one that gave us a great foundation to build on as we get into longer distances--and greater heat--over the next few weeks. Here are the numbers:

Time: 1:16:42
Distance: 7.76 miles
Average Pace: 9:53 min/mile
Calories burned: 1065

As Tim said this morning, its getting hotter, and we need to adjust. If you haven't run in the desert heat before, you should know that rehydrating is mandatory. If you're doing your homework and have no mechanical issues, running at our pace shouldn't be a problem--as long as you eat right and keep your fluid levels up.

There is no single right answer for how much to drink before or during a run. Minimally, you should be drinking a cup of water or CytoMax at each aid station. That will give you something to drink every 2 miles. You may want to carry water with you, as many runners do; this works just as well.

But you don't want to drink too much, particularly before the run starts, because you'll inevitably have to relieve yourself before we get back. Since there are a few restrooms along the route this isn't impossible, but it is distracting.

The only way to find out how much is trial and error. If you have to go after you drink two cups of water before we start, cut back to one.

At all times, be aware of the symptoms of dehydration. They include:

• thirst (of course)
• dry mouth
• dry eyes
• decrease in sweating
• muscle cramps
• nausea
• lightheadedness

If you feel any of these symptoms, slow down, refuel, and take it easy.

We did a really good job of sticking together today, and I'm looking forward to next week, when we'll be out for about 85 minutes.

Today's Run, June 21

First, happy summer solstice and father's day to those who celebrate both or either.

Second, we had an absolutely incredible run today. Everyone was really in a groove, and the weather cooperated quite nicely. I hope that it's this easy on marathon day. The time seemed to fly by, and the miles did too. Here are our statistics for this week:

Time: 1:02:33
Distance: 6.31 miles
Average Pace: 9:55 min/mile
Calories Burned: 864

We are in great shape for June. As we get into the longer distances, we'll pick up the pace a bit so we're ready to hit our 9:44 min/mile pace on marathon day.

We also did very well in sharing the trail and accommodating other runners, bikers, and walkers.

Everyone looks to be in great physical and mental shape. I really liked how loose, relaxed, and talkative everyone was today. These are the basics of a great, fun training group.

We also excelled in reforming the group when we came out of water stops. If you're new to the group and heard me shouting "Voltron," you might wonder what that's all about. This clip kind of explains:

The idea is that we, the individual runners, are the robotic cats who are pretty strong when they're flying around alone, but unstoppable when they unite to form Voltron, or the pace group. That's why it's important to get back together after we stop for water. During the marathon, this will be critical since there will be dozens of other runners in the area and plenty of confusion.

Also, the growling cat faces on the hands and feet are just cool.

This may be my last post on this site--I'm going to be migrating the blog over to the Las Vegas in Motion website, http://www.lvinmotion.com/. Some of the older posts are already there, and it shouldn't take too long for me to figure out how to post new ones there, too.

Today's Run, June 14

We had a great run this morning. Despite having to run a slightly different course en route to the trail, we were both speedy and courteous. Here are the numbers:

Time: 50:20
Distance: 5.14
Average Pace: 9:48 min/mile
Calories Burned: 702

We're only four seconds slower than our race pace, which is a bit aggressive for this time of year. It looked like everyone who was with the group at the turnaround was enjoying themselves, though.

Let me take a minute to talk about what we should be doing at this stage. This is for the novice runners and those who are coming off a long layoff, so if you're a veteran runner in mid-season form, you can ignore the next four paragraphs and skip to the end, where I remind you what time we're running next week.

It's only June. The marathon is in December. For some of you, this is a completely new experience. We've got plenty of time to work on running at a 4:15 marathon pace, or a 2:30 half marathon pace, or whatever you want to do. Right now, just focus on getting out on the road with us for our long runs and moving your body for an hour or two.

This isn't a natural thing for a body to do, particularly one that's used to living at a desk or behind a counter. It feels weird at first, and there are all sorts of shocks and stresses that it needs to get used to. But if you want to run a marathon or a half-marathon, it's important to convince your body that running for several hours straight is more than OK--it's fun.

So right now, our objective isn't to hit a pace target. It's just to get used to running at a more or less constant pace for an extended period of time. Believe me when I tell you that in a few months you'll consider a 12-mile run your "short run." But before we get there, we have to master the basic art of running for a long time.

Everyone seems to be doing very well, and we're all on our way to finishing a half or full marathon in December. At this stage, it seems like we have a lot of training ahead of us, and we do. But that's all right, because we need every bit of it. Six months from now you'll be faster, fitter, and better looking than you are today. Okay, I can't promise the last one, but the first two are definitely true, if you stick to our training schedule.

Once again, we had a great run today, and shared the trail with no problem at all. Next week, with a 6 AM start, we might have less cross-traffic, but who knows?

So I'll see you all next week at 6, when we will run for about an hour together. Until then, feel free to post comments or swap training suggestions in the comments section here.

See you this Sunday morning

We start running at 7AM, and should get about 5 miles in. If you want to add a little something to your conditioning, I'll be showing up at 6--an hour early--and running about 4 miles. See you all then.