Life After 30

I am officially a 30 year old.  For as anxious and mentally beating myself up about turning 30, now that I am actually 30, there is no difference - other then the fact that I now have to say I am 30 and that I am now in a different age group for races (M30-34), of course.  The time surrounding my actual birthday was fantastic.  It was exactly how I would have wanted it to go.  I spent a lot of time with my wife and daughters, my extended family, and yes, I successfully ran 30 miles on my actual 30th birthday as I had planned on doing.  I figured with so much going on in a couple weeks, I'd take some time to just share everything that went on during that time.

With my aunt Carol (our childcare provider) being out of the country, visiting her sister in Spain, for the good part of 2 weeks, I had taken off from work starting on Thursday, February 27th.  Doing so gave me 4 days off from work, in addition to my already prescheduled 3 off days.  I had a full week off from work!  Come Friday, we planned on getting together with my family and my in-laws and getting together for dinner at a Mexican restaurant in Downtown Appleton.  I originally wanted to get dinner at Stone Cellar Brewpub (my favorite) but had to make alternative plans due to the size of our group and the inability to make reservations on Friday nights at SCB.  To make up for this change of plans, I met my mom and dad, JD, and my brother and his girlfriend at SCB for a few beers before heading to Sangria's for dinner.  After dinner we all came back to our house for drinks, cake, and a game of dominoes.  Every year for my birthday, Sarah's grandmother makes me a from-scratch carrot cake, from a recipe she concocted herself.  The carrot cake is to die for - so rich and moist, with a delicious cream cheese frosting.  To go along with the carrot cake, my mom made a batch of Monster Cookie Dough Cupcakes from a recipe that was going around on Facebook.  The cup cakes were very very very rich and heavy.  As per the recipe, my mom scooped the frosting onto the cupcakes with an ice cream scooper....no joke.  So you can imagine the sugar overload on just a single cupcake.  As good as they were, it was almost too much of a good thing.  

Saturday was a more laid back day with no real plans at all.  I didn't do much of anything on Saturday and just hung around the house with Sarah and the girls.  Sarah brought the girls to the Circus in Green Bay in the afternoon which the girls absolutely loved.  Later that night, we went over to my parents house for one of my favorite dinners - homemade lasagna.

Sunday had arrived and my official birthday had arrived.  I stayed in bed as long as the girls would allow me to, which ended up being about 7:15am - which isn't too bad, actually.  The girls and I had breakfast together, which has become a regular tradition of ours.  After I got the girls all set for the day, I headed out the door for my epic birthday run.

I'll be honest with you, when I had woken up, it was damn cold, -4 was the actual temperature with windchills around -17 and there was about a 1/2" to 1" of fresh snow that had fallen overnight.  I was really considering just driving over to the YMCA and running my 30 miles on a treadmill, just to avoid the cold and snow covered roads.  It certainly did not help that it had snowed pretty much every day for the past 2-3 days before my birthday, which lead to the roads being completely covered with snow as it was, not to mention the side walks.  I sat there thinking about how miserable it was going to be out in the bitter cold for over 4 hours straight.  I then thought, on the other hand, how flat out boring and miserable it would be running on a treadmill for over 4 hours.  It was a toss up.  I opted for the fresh air and running outdoors, regardless of how cold it was.  I thought to myself, I would not torture myself on my birthday and would just suck it up and dress warm.

I had all my fuel preset from the night before and kept it all indoors, just inside our front door to prevent it from freezing.  I had my 3 mile route all planned out, and I dressed super warm.  I was finally ready to begin my run.  I brought our dog Bella along for the first lap and she appeared to be having fun and didn't look tired after the first lap, that I brought her along for the second lap.  After each lap, I stopped inside to warm up briefly and grab some fuel.  After my second lap, I figured that 6 miles in the cold was enough for my dog, although the way she looked at me after I took the leash off, I still think she wanted to join me for more.  The run progressed nicely and I never really got too cold.  I never stopped my watch throughout the run so my time included all the breaks I took after each lap.  During one of my breaks my Aunt Carol and Grandma FaceTimed from Spain to wish me a happy birthday, which kept me inside a little longer than usual, but I was ok with it.  During another pit stop, I helped my wife get Delaney down for a nap.  And then on a third pit stop I actually stopped to relace my shoes, as the laces seemed to be bothering the top portion of my feet.  It seemed to alleviate some of the added pressures on the top of my feet because after I relaced my shoes it was no longer an issue.

Throughout the run, I consumed about a total of 850 calories.  I used Hammer Gels and Perpetuem solids during the first 5 laps of my run, and then Perpetuem Drink and Solids during the second half.  I felt great throughout the entire duration of the run, which honestly surprised me.  I finished with a time of 4:21:06 with an average pace of 8:37/mile.  Like I said, I never stopped my watch during my breaks,  so this time is including my downtime.  Based my mile splits of the miles run between my breaks, I's estimate that my actually average running pace would be in the ball park of 8:10/mile.  Looking back on the run itself, it definitely had its ups and downs; its good times and bad times.  It didn't start getting truly had until about mile 21.  It was at this point were I started to actually get cold and that the cold air started to have an effect on my breathing.  The cold air made it difficult to breath and it seemed to tighten up my chest a bit.  Don't get me wrong, I could still breath plenty well, but it was at this point where it seemed that I started coughing more frequently as I attempted to breath.  There was a couple times when I really questioned what the hell I was doing.  I asked myself, why the hell I was out in the sub zero temperatures, running for hours and hours, when I could be inside in a warm house, enjoying time with my wife and kids - and on my birthday of all days???  I really questioned myself around laps 4 and 5, just before and right around the half way point.  It was at that point where I had already ran about 12-15 miles, but still had another 18-15 miles too go.  But then I started thinking about my life and life in general.  It dawned on me that running, especially endurance running, and specifically challenging yourself specifically, has a lot of similarities to life.  Just like my very own life, there were times where life sucked, where I wanted to give up on something, times where you just wanted to quit and take the easy road.  Also, just like in life, I had moments duirng my run, where I was at complete peace, almost a state of euphoria.  I was happy, calm, and relaxed.  I was listening to my breath, focused, and just "there" - in the moment.  Life has the same ups and downs.  It has short bouts of good times and frustrating times, it has just as many times where it seems like you'll never get out of a funk.  It may be days, it may be weeks.  But knowing that it will not stay that way forever can be comforting.  Just like endurance sports, you have to come to expect times where you feel like absolute shit, times when you want to slow down, or even quit.  You need to know that you need to do what ever you can do to get those thoughts out of your mind and refocus your energy on the task at hand.  You need to know, with confidence that those feelings will pass.  You will overcome your struggles and you will be better for it.

That is the exact reason why I do what I do.  I love the challenge of it.  I love the excitement of it.  I love knowing that the benefits of my sport far exceed better cardiovascular health.  I know that I am a better father, husband, employee, friend, and community member because I run.  I am a better person overall because I put myself into challenging, uncomfortable situations and work my way through them.

My girls and I at our hibachi dinner

After my run, I was sore....duh!  I took a warm shower and sat down with a bottle of Sah-Tea Beer, brewed by Dogfish Head Brewing along with 2 pieces of that homemade carrot cake.  For dinner that night, we went out as a family, just the 4 of us to a local Japanese hibachi restaurant.  I wanted to surprise Maya by taking her there for dinner as she has been asking to go to "the restaurant with the fire on the grill."  Once there she was so happy and surprised.  Her joy made my night.  

By the end of my birthday I was in a great mood.  I was happy.  I was again reminded how lucky I am in life.  That I have 2 absolutely adorable, beautiful daughters, a caring, supportive, and loving wife, and a wonderful family including my in-laws.  I may be turning 30 and getting older everyday.  But, I know that each and every day is another day I get to spend with the ones I love and that I truly have the greatest life I could ask for.  I am truly blessed and fortunate to be were I am in my life and to have done everything I have done to this date.  But, rest assured, that I am not done.  I am not satisfied where I am and have plenty I still want to accomplish, places I want to see, and things left to learn.  I may be 30 and I may have had a great life to this point, but by no means am I depressed about getting older, I am excited and motivated about what is left for me to accomplish and experience!

With my 30 mile run under my belt, it's time for a rest/recovery week from running and training.  Truthfully, it really isn't even going to be a full week.  On Tuesday evening our SWAT team received an award from the Association of SWAT Personnel - WI (ASP) for the SWAT Team of the year.  It was a cool award to receive and an honor to be recognized by our peers.  I returned back to the routine of working third shift on Thursday night which is the start of a new training "week" for me.  When I started training/running again back in December, I was training specifically for the Green Bay Marathon.  Since then, my main goal was to build a strong base.  One that would help sustain another two and a half months of marathon specific training.  I also wanted to build a large enough base to allow me to run 30 miles on my 30th birthday.  So far, I'd say I'm doing pretty good with my base building (considering I can cross off half of my list).  So with the birthday run behind me, it is now time to shift gears from the easy long runs to more speed, tempo, and threshold running.  I have revamped my original training plan slightly due to my recent "injury" to my right calf.  I say "injury" (with the quotations) because, I am not 100% sold on the fact that I was ever truly injured to being with.  I still think it could have just been some significant wear and tear, inflammation, or something along those lines, as opposed to a full blown injury.  Basically, I tend to believe I was in the realm of an "overuse injury" which almost always leads to a full blown injury if not treated with care.

All the teams that won SWAT team of the year

My new training plan follows my standard 9 day work week, as opposed to the traditional 7 day, Monday - Sunday week, like my original plan did.  I also spread out the running days more to avoid more back-to-back run days.  My total volume is actually pretty close to where it was with my original plan and many of the same workouts are still in my new plan.  I will still be relying on weekly easy long runs, mile repeats, tempo runs, and long intervals.  I also inserted more swim and bike days to make up for the days the used to be run days.  So all in all, there was minimal changes to the plan, more of a shifting around of workouts, to allow more thorough recovery from the pounding of running high volumes.

I brought the girls to the YMCA to swim on Monday after running

As far as my diet and nutrition, I have recently fallen right back into my piss poor habits of overeating and having little to no self control with sweets and treats.  After completing my Whole30 back in late February, I felt great, probably the best I have ever felt.  From that day through today, I progressively ate worse and worse, culminating on the days following my birthday weekend.  I won't include my birthday weekend as that has always been a special time for me and I do not try to limit what I take in and how much I take in.  I just try to enjoy the treats on the few days that surround my birthday.  But after my birthday, we had leftover cake, cupcakes, cookies, snacks, and on top of it all, Sarah brought home Girl Scout Cookies on Tuesday after work.  Needless to say, I ate and ate and ate plenty of Girl Scout Cookies, cereal, processed foods, chocolate covered cherries, anything that was made with or from chocolate, I ate.  My plan was to enjoy the week before my birthday with no diet restrictions as a reward for eating so well during the Whole30.  Shortly after my birthday, I wanted to conduct an experiment of 1.  I wanted to eat a diet comprised of nearly the exact opposite foods that are allowed on the Whole30.  My plan was to eat a high carb, grain and plant based diet void of any and all meat and animal products.  I would eat this way for 28-30 days and monitor how I felt day-to-day along with how I felt throughout my training.  I would then compare those 4 weeks to the 30 days I spent on the Whole30 back in January/February.

Ultimately, I am backing out of that decision.  I am doing so, because, when looking back at my W30 experience, I felt so good.  I had no digestive issues, no discomforts, no bloating, I slept good, I recovered from my workouts faster and felt great during my workouts.  I also find it ironic that by the end of my W30, my calf/ankle issue was nearly gone, but now that I have been eating less-then-healthy foods, I am starting to feel more pain in my lower right calf area.  So starting today, I plan on jumping back on the W30 band-wagon and eating a higher fat, lower carbohydrate diet.  I will focus on eating REAL food, specifically lean, organic cuts of meat, and fruits.  I will allow myself to eat some grains, an occasional bean/legume, full fat dairy, and some foods that have minimal added sugars.  I will avoid milk, gluten, and proceeds grains, such as bread, crackers, etc.  I will focus on eating square meals that are satiating and avoid eating anything my meals.  I will schedule my eat around my training - which means, when I do opt to eat grans, such as oatmeal rice, or amaranth, or other foods that are higher in carbohydrates such as sweet potatoes, squash, etc, I will eat then shortly before or just after training.  All other meals will consist of little to no carbohydrates.  It'll be an extremely clean form of eating again, with a few exceptions which will definitely be the acceptation, not the norm.  Eat this way, will allow me to eat meals without being overly concerned if it is indeed "Whole30 approved."  Also, eating this way, will give me a strict guideline to follow with a little more leeway in the plan to allow me to live my life without stressing over whether or not something has 1g of added sugar.

Going Sub 3

Everyone knows that running a 26.2 miles is hard, regardless of how long it takes you.  It takes hours of training, dedication, and determination.  Running a marathon under 3 hours increases the difficulty exponentially.  It turns the already challenging task of completing a marathon into a rare accomplishment.  How rare?  According to Runner's World, only 2% of all marathon finishers completed 26.2 miles in under 3:00:00 in 2011.  Running a sub 3 hour marathon is the ultimate goal for many marathoners.  It's a time that differentiates the good from the elite.  It may only be a second or two, but the difference between 3:00:01 and 2:59:59 is huge.  I have been shooting for a sub 3 hour marathon for the past 3 years now.  In 2010 I ran a 3:03:46 at the Fox Cities Marathon, so I know I have the ability to do it.  Since then, I have had 2:59:59 in my sights.  Unfortunately, I haven't really come that close.  Since my 3:03 performance, I have run (in chronological order) 3:17:44, 3:12:23, and 3:10:32.  I guess if you wanted to look on the bright side of those times, I'm trending in the right direction, but still a ways off.  I don't want to sound like I am making excuses as to why I haven't been able to finish in under 3 but here are my top 3 hypotheses.

1. I have not devoted the necessary time to training specifically for a sub 3 marathon.

The past 3 seasons (especially 2013) I have focused on a balanced approach to the sport of triathlon.  I have run at least one marathon each year, but have always included triathlon races as part of my training program and trained relatively hard in both swimming and cycling.  

2. I have not stayed committed to a regimented diet since 2010 and have progressively gained unnecessary weight.

In 2010 when I ran a 3:03 my body weight was in the 155-160 range.  I raced IM Wisconsin at 175, about 20 pounds heavier.  You don't think it makes a difference?  Strap on a 20lb vest and go for a short run and see how it effects your times.  Now consider running a full 26.2 miles with that same vest on!

3. My weekly mileage has not been as high as it should be for a sub 3 training plan.

This one could probably be grouped in with #1, seeing how the main reason I never allowed my mileage to get over 30-40 miles per week is to allow time and recovery for all the other workouts I was completing during the week.

Now that I have successfully crossed off completing an Ironman from my bucket list, I am going to focus my efforts toward a new goal - Running a sub 3 hour marathon.  How do I plan on doing it?  What are going to be my key workouts?  What will my training plan look like?  How many miles will I run in a week?  

First, I want to explain how I planned my 2014 race schedule.  I scheduled a spring marathon that I am familiar with on May 18th, being the Cellcom Green Bay Marathon.  This will allow me to focus 100% of my attention on running throughout the winter and spring.  After the marathon, I will cut back on running and focus majority of my attention toward cycling and swimming for the heart of the triathlon season, June through July.  After two months of focused triathlon racing, I will change gears once again and focus again on running to finish my first ultramarathon.  I am eyeing up Door County's Fall 50 on October 25th.  It all fits rather nicely into a logical annual plan broken down into three phases; marathon specific work early, triathlon specific with a focus on cycling and swimming in the middle, and finish with a pure aerobic phase at the end of the year.

I won't dive into how I structured my entire 2014 annual training plan, but want to focus solely on how I plan on training for a sub 3 hour Cellcom Green Bay Marathon.  This spring, I plan on training like a marathoner, not a triathlete.  Unlike past years, when I trained for a marathon all while training for triathlons, I will focus my efforts on running, and use swimming and cycling as recovery workouts, as opposed to key midweek workouts.  My plan actually began this week, on Monday December 16th.  I have it broken down into two unique phases.  First, I built a full 12 week base building phase which will end on March 9th.  The last week of that phase is an unloading week to allow for some recovery.  Yes, I do have mid-cycle recovery weeks built in, but week 12 has a very significant decrease in mileage compared to any other previous week.  After my recovery week, I will begin an 8 week build phase with very specific workouts focused on strict pace work.  I will then unload again during a 2 week taper before toeing the start line in Green Bay on May 18th.  So let's dive into the plan...

Base Building (12 Weeks)

This phase is about as simple as it gets.  The main objective of this 12 week phase is to build my aerobic engine.  I want to make my body as aerobically efficient as possible.  In order to do this, I will do all my run workouts in a specific heart rate range.  I plan on using a MAF heart rate range of 145-155 bpm.  I won't dive into specifics on MAF Training, but if you would like to find out more, check out this website: MAF 180 Heart Rate Training.  Basically, you take 180 and subtract your age and depending on your current fitness level you adjust this number either up or down (see the article).  Therefore, being 30, I am left with 150, but due to several years of endurance training, I get to add 5 beats to this number.  Then I simply create a 10 beat range with 155 being my max, leaving me with a range of 145-155.  I will train strictly in the heart rate range while increasing my weekly mileage to a range that is suggested for elite marathoning.  I have done some general research on training plans for elite age group marathoners and have found that, although many of the individual workouts vary greatly, one thing seems to remain constant, a high weekly training mileage.  Most training plans I have found have a weekly training mileage of 50 up to 100+.  In the past, my peak weeks were 35-50 at best, mainly due to devoting time to swimming and cycling.  With this training plan I start out in December with 36 mile week and build up to a 56 mile week.  My biggest individual day is centered around my 30th birthday on March 2nd, when I will run 30 miles to commemorate turning 30.  The weekly breakdown is simple.  I will run every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday.  Each Tuesday and Saturday will be a shorter distance long run, with longer runs falling on Thursdays and Sundays.  The Sunday long run will be the longest of runs within each week.  Mondays will be a recovery swim workout, which will be technique based and Wednesdays will be a medium duration bike day.  

This will be the first ever 7 day training plan I will follow since starting with Winnebago County and working a 9 day shift rotation.  This will require some long runs after a night of work, but I want to reap the benefits of more frequent long runs.

Peak Marathon Phase (8 Weeks)

During this phase is when I do a complete 180 in the type of workouts I will do.  There will be no more heart rate based training.  Over the next 8 weeks following a long base building phase, I will begin very specific workouts geared towards training my body to be able to hold sub 3 hour marathon pace for 26.2 miles.  During this phase, I will base all my workouts on a specific pace.  To determine appropriate paces for each individual workout, I used the McMillan Running Calculator at www.mcmillanrunning.com.  I entered in a goal race time of 2:59:00 for a marathon and was provided a very specific pace range for a variety of distances and run types (long run, tempo, speed, etc).  In my peak phase I will increase the number of weekly runs from 4 to 5.  My weekly schedule will consist of a rotation of either mile repeats or hill repeats on Monday.  Tuesdays and Wednesdays will be moderate distance runs.  On Saturday, I scheduled various sets of long intervals.  I will complete traditional long and easy runs on Sunday.  Below is a description of each of the different types of workouts I will complete during this phase.

Mile Repeats

Running short sprint repeats are not truly necessary for marathon training, but some form of speed work is necessary.  Sprint intervals of 400-800m are nearly too short to elicit a beneficial training response specific to the marathon.  However, longer high speed workouts can be beneficial for increasing your lactate threshold and your overall efficiency.  In the past I have run mile repeats with a 3 minute recovery period.  This year, I am trying a shorter recovery period.  I found a unique style of mile repeats while researching training plans for my training plan.  I found a style of mile repeats that copies a popular interval style from lap swimming.  Instead of having a set recovery period, I will begin a mile interval every 7 minutes.  If I run my first interval in 5:30, I will get 1:30 to recovery before the next rep.  On the 2nd interval, I finish in 5:45, I get 1:15 to recovery before the next.  It's that simple.  I have a predetermined number of reps during each session and then set a daily mileage goal for that day.  So for instance, on April 1st, I am scheduled to run 4x1 mile with a total distance of 7 miles.  On this day, I will run a 1.5-2 mile warm up and finish with a 1-1.5 mile cool down with the 4, mile repeats to reach a total of 7 miles.  

Hill Repeats

On scheduled hill repeat days, I will not follow a strict workout.  I have access to a few decent sized hills near my home.  First, there is the well known hill at High Cliff State Park.  Then there is the hill near Thousand Island's Nature Preserve.  Closest to my house is a shorter hill which is about 3/4 of a mile from home.  Depending on my work schedule and other possible commitments, I will determine where I will complete my hill repeats.  On that day, I will judge how I feel and either do shorter duration, higher intensity hill sprints, or do longer duration, lower intensity intervals up the hill.  On the short end I am looking at a total duration of about 20-30 seconds of up hill running, while on the longer end of the spectrum I will aim at about a 45-60 second set.  Running up hills not only improves your overall running efficiency, but also increases your overall running specific strength.  Hill repeats are found in just about every elite marathon training plan.  The only thing I found consistent with hill repeats in all the training plans I read, was that there were no two plans with the same philosophy for how to complete hill repeats.  Because of this, I will play each scheduled hill repeat by ear and vary the style of how I complete my repeats.

Midweek Long Run

These are my Wednesday and Thursday runs.  The main goal of these runs are to boost my aerobic capacity and to add to my weekly mileage.  These runs are done at a comfortable zone 2-3 pace, just above a recovery pace.  On my training plan you will see that I have quite a wide range of paces (from 6:50 to 7:50).  That is done on purpose.  I want to have the ability to take it easy on days I feel a little beaten up while on other days when I am feeling fresh, I don't want to have to force myself to hold back.

Long Intervals

The purpose of long intervals is to train your body to learn to run at your desired race pace.  They also allow you to get more total time at a higher speed then doing just one tempo run at a set distance.  During the main sets of these long intervals, I will aim at holding a steady pace at or slightly below my goal marathon pace of 6:45/mile.  My first long interval workout is relatively short with 2x3 miles and each week builds from that with a variety of combinations to peak with a 2x6 at race pace just before I begin my 2 week taper.  This final long interval set will be slightly different from all the prior sets.  During this set, I am going to try something completely different that I read makes this workout very specific to the later stages of the marathon.  During this workout, I will run the first 6 miles at my goal race pace, immediately upon completing this set, I will sit and do nothing for about 10-15 minutes.  This will allow proper recovery, but also allow my legs to begin to recover.  I will then go back out for the second 6 miles and do my best to hang on at my goal pace.  I've heard that this is a great workout to let you know if you have a realistic goal time or not.  From what I understand, if you are able to maintain a consistent pace during that second 6 miles, you should be good to go for your marathon.  As for all the prior long interval sessions, my recovery will be in the ball park of 2-5 minutes, depending on the duration of the set and the number of sets.  The sole reason my rest interval is so long on my final session is to elicit the feeling of "heavy legs" which is so typical of the final 10k of a marathon.

Long Run

These weekly runs fall on Sundays, the very next day following my long interval sessions.  I did this for a couple reasons.  First, I want to run these on somewhat tired legs.  I figure if I can run effectively on tired legs, I theoretically should be able to run that much better on fresh legs.  Secondly, I want to have a day with a specific workout designated towards recovery.  You will notice this run has the slowest pace range, at 7:00-8:00.  These runs will range from 12 miles up to 22 miles and will all be done at a relaxed pace.  These runs will also incorporate a few minor walk breaks to properly fuel and hydrate.  The number one goal of the weekly long run is to maintain and grow your aerobic engine, to ultimately turn your body into an efficient fat burning machine!  I have read several articles and reports about NOT running longer than 16 miles or 2-2.5 hours.  I buy this to an extent.  I think I can see this method being beneficial if you are running more than 2 marathons in a calendar year, you have been running consistently and regimented for at least 5 years, and/or you are naturally a gifted runner and find yourself getting injured when you run long.  If you don't find yourself falling into one of those categories, I think you need the long run, it will only help.  At a minimum it will at least give you the mental confidence to go that far, especially if this is going to be your first marathon.  There is no way I would ever recommend a first timer to peak at only 16 miles in their training plan.  That would simply be setting that person up for failure.

Taper (2 Weeks)

The taper phase is just that.  A gradual tapering of weekly mileage to elicit an overcompensation effect in your overall fitness.  It also allows ample time for your body to fully recover to allow you to get to the start line at 100%, so to speak.  The duration of your taper phase depends on several things, your overall fitness level, your experience level, and how hard you trained.  At the absolute high end, a taper phase would last no more than 4 weeks and a minimum of 2 weeks.  A typical taper will begin immediately following your highest volume week (your peak week).  From there you cut your mileage about 25% and then an additional 25-50% the next week.  The percentages that you cut your mileage down to depends on the total duration of your taper phase.  Throughout your taper you are cutting your VOLUME, but NOT your INTENSITIES.  You should still maintain your intensities throughout your taper.  Typically, I schedule one final short race pace tempo run on the Monday or Tuesday of race week as one final "tune-up."  From there you get to plug runs into your schedule as you see fit.  At a minimum you should do your last run on Thursday, if the race in on a Sunday allowing two full days for recovery.  However, if you feel confident it won't leave you mentally fatigued, some people will run a short (1-2 miles) the day before the race.  Which ever you chose, keep in mind that you should be taking it easy and stressing recovery throughout your entire taper phase.  If you are scheduled for a rest day, REST.  Get an extra hour of sleep, stretch, get a massage, etc.

So there you have it, my plan to finally break the 3 hour mark in the marathon.  The only topic I did not cover was my diet as I mentioned the effect that my current body weight had on my ability to maintain proper pacing in the marathon to finish in under 3 hours.  I know I have said on here countless times, that I need to regain the self control I had a few years back to better gain control of my body composition.  I recall specifically laying out my wanting to jump on board with a ketogenic diet a month or two ago.  Honestly, I was jumping into something I do not think I was totally prepared for, especially being the head chef for my family.  So, where do I go from here, how do I get back down to a reasonable running/racing weight?  First, I want to get past the holiday season.  Let's all be honest, this is no time to start a strict, relatively uncommon (at least in America) diet.  As soon as I get past Christmas and all of it's indulgences, I will start eating more simply.  Sounds easy, right?  Just three words: EAT. REAL. FOOD.  No processed junk.  Nothing artificial.  No refined sugars.  Just whole, real, fresh, nutritious, food.  I figure this is a simply diet and will be easy to follow even with preparing meals for the entire family.  With that being said, all that's left to do is the work!  Wish me luck!  And if you are reading this to assist you with preparing your training plan, best of luck to you - and please do not hesitate to email me or message me on Twitter @IrondadTri, or on Facebook with any specific questions you may have.

As always ~ Be fast, be strong, & carry on!