Lessons Learned

Now that I’ve had a couple of days to recover from my last race, I wanted to share a few lessons I learned about myself with everyone….

Lesson #1: I need to continue watching my waistline. I can’t help but thinking the extra 30 pounds or so I am carrying is really a handicap at this point. I mean seriously – it’s like lugging a backpack with four gallons of water uphill. I’m down about 3 pounds in the last three weeks – so at least I’m heading the right direction. Finally.

Lesson #2: Ditch the speed work. I need more long slow miles. Lots of them. Speed work where I’m going over the next couple years is overrated. The ability to go fast doesn’t matter when the need to be slow and steady is more important.

Lesson #3: Hills are not overrated. I need more and longer.

Lesson #4: I’m racing way too much. I mean with next week (San Francisco Half Marathon) I’ll have run three races in six weeks. I need to refocus on training. Pounding out the long slow miles. Getting some legs under me instead of thrashing them every other week.

Yes. I know I didn’t eat breakfast Saturday. Bad move on my part. But I’m not counting that as a lesson learned because I’ve supposedly learned that lesson before.

So – here’s my corrective action plan:

1. Keep watching my waist. Yeah – it sucks to feel hungry. It also sucks to strap four gallons of water to my back wherever I go.
2. More miles. I’m going to concentrate on the long run. I’ve got to get to the point where 16 plus miles is not an exercise that ends in extended afternoon nap time. If I need to cut miles, the miles that will be cut will be the shorter stuff.
3. I’m not going to completely ditch the speed work, but it will not be a major part of my training plan for a while (at least until I set a goal marathon).
4. More hill time on trails will be part of the agenda for the next few weeks. And I will not walk them. Even if I can walk faster than I’m “running” – I’ll slog up the hills.
5. After San Francisco – tone down the racing. My legs and body will thank me. Not to mention my pocketbook.

I think I’ve let the cat out of the bag a couple of times over the last few weeks. In case you haven’t noticed – I’ve taken a liking to the trails. There’s something about “surviving” that appeals to me.  Five hours on the pavement seems to be drudgery. Five hours on the trails though is like an adventure.

So – expect more trail time moving forward. I’m already doing one to two trail sessions per week. I’m going to try to get long run miles in on the trails. Perhaps some peak bagging as well (like this trip to Mt. Baldy, or this one up San Jacinto). And definitely a 50K by next spring.

But – not to get ahead of myself – here’s this week’s schedule:

• Monday: Rest day.
• Tuesday: Hills with Cal Coast. Somewhere around 5 miles
• Wednesday: 4 mile easy run. Resistance workout of 1 set each Lying Hip Abduction, Single Leg Squat, Box Lunge, Stabiliy Ball Leg Curl, Single Leg Squat Jump
• Thursday: 9 miles on the trails
• Friday: Rest
• Saturday: 12 mile long run.
• Sunday : 9 mile easy run. Resistance workout of 1 set each Cook Hip Lift, Oblique Bridge, Forearms to Palm Bridge, Stability Ball Leg Curl, Broad Jump
• Total: Around 39 miles.