Journey to Boston: Part 2 (4 months in)

I started my journey to qualify for the Boston marathon four months ago today. To qualify for the Boston Marathon as a 32 year old, I need to run 26.2 miles in 3 hours and 5 minutes. That means I would need to average 7 minutes per mile. I ran my last marathon in 3 hours and 56 mins. I somehow had to shave 25% of my time off. I decided to shoot for a year. The Rock n Roll Marathon in St. Louis is where I've decided to make my first true attempt. I chose that specific marathon because I will be moving to that part of St. Louis in May. By October, those streets will be my pounding ground.

Nutrition
As per my plan, I have almost completely eliminated all refined carbohydrates from my diet. The first couple weeks were hard to get used to. There is a lot more planning and preparation involved with meals and snacks now, but after a while you get used to that being part of your day. I have gradually switched from eating 3 meals a day to 5 or 6. Because my mileage has increased tremendously, so has the amount I eat.

The combination of Crystal's love for cooking, current enrollment in Pastry school, and creativity have made my food choices and options almost limitless. For example, our lunch today is homemade brown rice flour based hamburger buns for buffalo burgers. I'm getting hungry just typing about it. Exploring different foods has been one of our favorite parts of this journey.

Training

My running plan for this journey was to follow Flo's plan as much as possible, at first, and adjust it for how I felt. I was going to start running a lot of miles at a lower intensity to build up my aerobic system. As stated in my previous post, my heart rate range I have been running at, per Dr. Maffetone's 180 formula, is between 138-148. In his teachings, he uses a test called a MAF(maximum aerobic function) test to measure improvement. It is quite simple. For a MAF test, you run 5-7 miles. The first 2 miles should be your warming up. After that, you run as closely to your aerobic HR as possible for the following 3 miles. You should notice that your pace peaks and then slowly starts to slow down from mile to mile. I did my first MAF test on October 21, 2013 and I averaged 9 min and 25 sec per mile. I couldn't believe how much I had to slow down to achieve my aerobic heart rate. This was going to be a long road. What stuck in my head was that I had been warned this would happen and to be patient. So, I put my head down and ran. This was going to coincide perfectly with the 50 miler training I was about to start.

Over the next month I averaged ~45 miles a week. Running 5 days a week, 2 of them being back to back longs. I need to start getting used to being on my feet. I took my second MAF test a month after the first, on November 22nd. While running at the same HR as I had for the first MAF test, I averaged 8 minutes and 31 seconds per mile. This was a huge improvement. It was 10 degrees cooler outside for the second one, which was a minor factor, but I was completely amazed. 

During the month of December, I started running closer to ~50 miles a week . I was starting to notice that even after 20 mile runs, my body wasn't feeling completely defeated like it used to. I took my third MAF test on December 18th. This month I averaged 8 minutes and 25 seconds per mile. I had only improved 6 seconds, but it was improvement and I was feeling amazing. December was the first time I had back to back 20 mile runs. My legs were really starting to get strong. It was starting to look like 2014 might be an exciting year for my running. 

January marked the beginning of a new year. With that came new goals and expectations. By the end of the month I was running close to 60 miles a week. A little shy of three months into my experiment, on January 15 , I recorded my fourth MAF test. I was amazed to find my average had dropped to 7 minutes and 45 seconds/ per mile. That was 1 minute and 40 seconds per mile faster than my first MAF test. In just 3 months, I had shaved off 18% of my original time. The goal was 25% and I still had 9 months! This really worked! How long would I see improvement? I was completely addicted. 

It's now February and I am tapering for my first 50 miler. Over the last month I've ran further than I've ever ran on four separate occasions. My longest run peaking at 31 miles. My MAF test for the month came in at a steady 7:35. I am starting to really believe this is going to happen. I don't know how this way of life isn't more popular. Maybe it is and I just haven't been introduced to it. Either way I am telling everyone I know. This isn't a competition with my neighbor. It is a competition with myself and currently feel in the lead.

Daily Life

The downside to all these miles is the amount of free time I have. I am learning to be more efficient in everything in life, because I'm putting running at such a high priority. I've really had to learn how to fit everything into the day, but also realize that if I am giving up rest or my sanity to fit running in, it's more than okay to take a day off. I feel energetic and clear in my daily life, along with strong and determined while running. I've haven't slept this well in as long as I can remember. I am in better physical and mental shape then I've ever been. I currently weigh around 155 lbs. That is roughly 10-15 lbs. less than I would want to, were I not carrying this weight 50 miles in two weeks. At 18 months in the making, my first ultra is around the corner. I'm ready.

Unhealthy and at peak weight of 200 lbs. at 0 miles/week on the left.
Currently 155 lbs. and running 65-70 mi. a week on the right.
Same shorts and hat!

Upcoming

With our first 50 miler,Dances with Dirt Green Swamp, in 2 weeks, my mileage will be down for the next few weeks. Afterwards I will start incorporating some hill repeats to get ready for a summer of hills. I will have roughly 8 weeks to prepare for my race in Indiana. I am going to try to level out around 70-75 miles a week for the next few months to see how my body responds.