The Training Crucible

Over the last month or so I have become a big fan of Matt Fitzgerald's approach to training.  I started when I checked out The Runner's Edge from the library (a title a quickly went I bought for myself a week later).  Since then I have added Matt's Racing Weight and Brain Training for Runners to my running library.
Matt style is every straight forward and easy to read.  I love that in the second chapter of Brain Training for Runners entitled "The Running Brain" he tells readers to skip most of the chapter if they aren't interested in reading about the more detailed physiological aspects of the brain.  Brain Training is based on the idea that it is really your brain, not your muscles, that limit your performance.  Your brain will not allow you to go the point of complete exhaustion.  Therefore you must train in way that syncs the mind and body for optimal performance.
In order to achieve this Matt provides a running plan that looks quite different from anything I have seen, here's part of his rationale:

1. Develop objective performance goals for each workout. This stimulates the brain to allow higher levels of muscle output.
2. Gather objective feedback.
3. Pursue key workout pace targets which increase as you move closer to your peak race.

Matt's plans for marathons feature recovery runs and 3 key workouts each week (hill work or intervals, fartlek or intervals and long runs). The 3 types of workouts are found in the majority marathon plans one can find online (Hal Higdon, Jeff Galloway, Runner's World, etc. although in some cases not until you get to the advanced). There are however a few key differences:
1. Information regrading pacing.  One of the draw backs I have found to many other plans is that the author will say, "at an easy pace" or "marathon pace." When I was preparing for my first marathon I had no idea what my marathon pace would be and easy could mean walking 14 minute miles! Since running 14 minute miles would not really help improve my times I needed something more objective in order to help me improve as a runner.  In Brain Training, Matt provides the reader with a chart based on previous performances to help determine the pace for runs during training (The Runner's Edge provides and more detailed chart).  Therefore when a run says "base pace" I know exactly the range I need to running at during this phase of training.
2. Specific resistance workouts. I love adding other types of workouts to my training besides running.  However, I have found that I can easily over work my body during these workouts and not be ready for running the next day.  Also, since lifting weights is the main source of training aside from running, I need to be careful not to bulk up.  The resistance workouts for each week are specific to runners, can easily be done at home (with no equipment), and help improve running economy.
3. Finally, each week you focus on a specific proprioceptive cue.  These cues are connected to your running form.  While Matt is not try to remake your entire form, there some subtle changes that can be made that will make you a better runner.

In preparation for the St. Jude Marathon this year I have switched to Matt's Level 2 Marathon Plan. Unfortunately I am a little behind.  The marathon plans call for 24 weeks of training. By the time I got the book I was a week behind, no problem, then I messed a week and a half due to injury, only a slight problem. Hopefully it will be smooth sailing from here on out.
Obviously you can keep track of my training here or at DailyMile.

This week was a little hectic, but I found time to get the all of my runs in except one.
Here we go:

Monday: Easy 3 miles. Went 3.12 @ 25:33.
Tuesday: 3 X Hills. 3.67 @ 40:06.  I started of with a 1.5 mile warm up at a 9:30 pace. Then I went out to the big hill behind the house I did repeats.  This is major hill.  I still need to check the grade on it (anyone know how to determine that?) so I can compare it with other hills, but needless to say its a beast. Sprinting up this thing 3 times really took it out of me, so on the return trip to house I was "running" at a 10-11:00 pace.
Wednesday: Rest. I moved my rest day because Meg and the girls returned home from Florida today. It had been a week and a half since I had seen my girls so I wanted to spend some time with them without anything else to distract me.

Thursday: Another Easy 3. Went 3.12 @ 27:50, returned home and did P90X Core Synergistics.
Friday: 30 Minute Fartlek. 3.64 @ 31:00.  This was a fun run of varying speeds. I loved using the workout feature on my Garmin, which would beep when it was time to change speeds.  I just need to create a more individualized plan for future workouts.
Saturday: 7.01 @ 1:02:00. Missed the heat of the day this time and had water waiting for me at the halfway mark, still it was hot.  We left mid-morning to go camping for the weekend at the lake.  While we were there we took in a mile hike with the girls.
Sunday: I missed my 3 miles + strength training session for this week.

This week will be crazy again as we leave on Friday to go to another lake and spend the weekend with great friends from Louisiana. I think I am going to skip the day of rest on Thursday and move everything up, but we'll see how the week goes.  Today's run was pretty easy in prep for the speed workout that will come tomorrow on the hills.

Good luck to everyone in your training! 
What resources do you use to analyze your training?

Tonight Meg (my wife) and I registered for our first half-marathon. It's goes along with the path we are taking in order to run our first marathon by the end of the year (the plan, by the way is to run the St. Jude Marathon in Memphis). But this is more than a half-marathon, here are some interesting details that will make this special:

1. The event falls on Meg's birthday. It would be right to tell you how young she'll be, but I simply love the fact that we will be out there running in the same event on her birthday!
2. The Soaring Wings Half-Marathon in Conway, AR is for a great cause. Soaring Wings Ranch is a Christ-centered ranch for abused and neglected children. For more information about the ranch you can read their mission statement or check out there homepage. If you will be in the area on October 24, you can register for the event here.
3. This event will also be amazingly fun because several people from our church's running club are already signed up and several more have given some type of verbal commitment to participating in the event. Running is so much better when you have a great support team!
4. This event also falls perfectly in line with Hal Higdon's training program that I am using to get ready for the marathon in December. Since this will be the first time for me to run either of the distances in a race, it should give me a better idea of how I hope to finish in December.

I hope you'll join us for what should be a great event!

In about 7 weeks I will begin my official training for my first marathon (Memphis in December). Like most things that require that level of discipline it helps to write it down, have a plan, and then be able to reflect on what you have done. I figure, since I plan on doing all of that anyway, why not share it on a blog where others might find something helpful, inspiring, or at least get a laugh from an out of shape husband and father of three trying to pull this off.
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