L.A. Training is Picking Up!

Training for L.A. is really starting to get fully underway now. We've started adding in a few tempo runs and our long run last week was 14 miles. Our 4 mile tempo run last week was just mediocre. We managed to average 6 min pace but it wasn't near as easy as they usually are. I think the main reason for this is that we just haven't done much speed or hard efforts since prior to the Bass Pro half so our bodies are just having to get back into a groove. Our long run was pretty solid though so that's definitely a good thing.

Two weeks ago, I met with Cassie Dimmick (dietitian) from Achieving Your Best to discuss how I can eat better to achieve my sub 6 minute pace marathon goal.  We decided that I might be better off on a Ketosis diet which will help me to sustain my energy levels better because I would primarily use fat to fuel rather than carbohydrates. When we talked, I had 14 weeks until the L.A. marathon. I knew this transition would be tough, but I didn't know just how difficult it was going to be. I was actually doing really well with my eating habits but my running was suffering extensively. This was an expected thing, but I just didn't realize how long and how badly I would suffer. I was having difficulty simply completing my runs.  After a week of doing the ketosis diet, I pulled the plug. I was too concerned that I wouldn't be able to get in shape in time for L.A. I'm not against trying the diet again after L.A. We discussed it and decided that I would have more time to adapt to the diet before the Grandma's Marathon so if I don't reach my goal in L.A. I'll give it another try.

This week should be an interesting one. We're scheduled to do a 7 mile tempo run Tuesday afternoon and then we're going to try and race the Reindeer Run 5k in Republic on Friday night. It should be interesting to see if we can manage to run some decent times since it will be after work, in the dark, and on what is usually our easy day.

Christmas came early! L.A. here we come!

Following our Bass Pro half, Kimi and I were gearing ourselves up for a loaded training cycle leading up to the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials to be held in L.A. on February 13th!  My intentions were to train with Kimi so that she wouldn't have to suffer in the cold and miserable temperatures all alone, but I didn't intend to actually run the L.A. marathon the day after hers.  The next thing I know, I was being told that for my Christmas gift this year, my in-laws wanted me to run in the L.A. marathon. Immediately, my focus changed and I started gearing myself up for what will be an exciting race! 

I took 5 days off following Bass Pro to simply have a mental and physical hiatus and I'm sure glad I did so. Now I am mentally ready to go!  Kimi is focused and now I'm focused completely as well which usually makes for a great training cycle. We're now under 14 weeks away from our next marathon adventure. For those of you that have run a marathon, you know that 14 weeks of preparation never seems like enough time to get into tip-top shape!  We've quickly added in strength training and started building mileage back up.  

Our goal is to get up near 90-100 miles per week for a few weeks so we can give it everything we have headed into what should be one of Kimi's lifetime achievement highlights!  She's running in the Olympic Trials for crying out loud! How sweet is that!  

I want to take this time now to set everyone straight for what Kimi's realistic chances of making the Olympics are.  There will be approximately 100-150 girls in her race. And of those girls, only the top 3 finishers make the Olympic Team!  Don't get me wrong, I think Kimi can still improve upon her prior best, but to make the team will be a slim opportunity.  However, with that in mind, that doesn't mean that you shouldn't encourage Kimi over the next 3 months!  Every chance you get to encourage her through this training cycle, I simply ask that you tell her to keep her focus and to do the best she can.  Most of all, encourage her by letting her know that you're excited that she's made it this far and that you're excited to see her improve some more over the next 3 months!  

I know that last paragraph may seem like a downer, but trust me, it's not!  I'm very proud of Kimi and her discipline and I am truly blessed and honored to be her spouse and training partner.  I do have to say one last thing, I just hope we both come home from L.A. with new personal bests and who knows, perhaps we will both finally reach our dream goals in the marathon!

Bass Pro Recap

The Bass Pro half marathon arrived and went. Kimi and I woke up Sunday morning at 4:45 so we could eat and get ourselves fully awake prior to toeing the line at 7:00. In an ideal situation, it would be nice to be awake for 3 hours before the start of the race but I wasn't about to get up at 4:00.  It was difficult enough to get up at 4:45 since my KC Royals were playing in the World Series the night before. Thankfully, it was daylight savings weekend.

Anyways, we made our way to the race around 6:00 so we could get a good parking spot and then wouldn't feel rushed getting ready.  We always start our warm up about 45 minutes before the start of the race. This helps us get any last minute restroom stops out of the way prior to the start as well. After the warm up, we changed our shoes and did a couple strides so we could start getting the go fast juices flowing. 

Then we walked across the street to the start for the the national anthem and then off we went. I always find it interesting how they do the start at this particular race. There is no gun sound, horn, or anything exciting for the start. They simply count down and say go.  

I quickly surveyed the guys at the start and thought I might have a shot at the top 3 until the gun went off. You just never can tell sometimes when people are just standing around. It was incredibly foggy this particular morning and by about 1.5 miles into the race, the leaders were already starting to fade into the fog ahead of us. I knew I didn't have a shot unless one of them came back to us at some point. With that knowledge, I decided to run the race with Kimi and help her finally push through this particular event with a great effort. It's a good thing I did too.  When we finished up, Kimi and I were about 5 minutes behind the 3rd place male and about 4 minutes ahead of the 5th place male (that means I was 4th male). Kimi ran awesome and was 1st Female with a time of 1:17:36!  Smoking!!

Next up for us is to start focusing all of our efforts on Kimi's Olympic Trials Marathon which is coming up quickly in February. The biggest challenges for Kimi's training will be the winter weather and lack of daylight.  Hopefully, we'll be able to figure something out so that we can continue to get her mileage completed and have her as fit or better than she was back in June.