Running Down the Dream

This is the first week of my 16 week training program leading up to running the Boston Marathon.
I have run 7 marathons. I started with the Chicago Marathon in 2005, where I ran 4:07. I liked it a lot, and felt I could have finished in under 4 hours if I had not gone out so fast. So, I tried the Green Bay Marathon in May 2006. My time there was 3:42. I had started with a 3:30 pace group, and they went too fast. I got passed buy the 3:40 group, and their leader seemed much more involved. I figured if I had run with them, I could have finished strong in slightly under 3:40.
That’s when I decided to try to qualify for the Boston marathon. I came close in Chicago in 2006 – 3:36:01
The I undertook a high-volume training program to run Buffalo in May 2007. It was muggy, the course was mismarked, and I finished in 4:02.
For the Chicago Marathon in October 2007, I had already planned to run it at my wife’s pace. She has rheumathoid arthritis, so it was her first and only marathon. After that ordeal in 90+ heat, I was ready for a real race, and I qualified for Boston with a 3:30:35 at the Green Bay Marathon in May 2007.
To get that qualifying time, I used the F.I.R.S.T “Run Less, Run Faster” program from the Furman Institute for Running Sports Technology, which haves me run 3 times a week, and do non-impact aerobic training 2-3 other days. I am going to use it again to train for Boston.
I did speedwork today – three 1600 meter repeats at 6:42, with a 1 minute rest.
The first mile was 6:25, but boy that rest time seemed short. The next two intervals were at 6:52 and 6:53. I expected to have a little slower pace my first week, but the variation was greater than I expected, because it was mild (30 degrees) for a Chicago winter, with a light wind, and dry streets. I have tried to lay a running base the last few weeks, but with deadlines/organizational changes at work, and the holidays, and some extreme weather conditions that left the streets with inches thick ice refrozen from melted snow and rain, it was hard to do quality runs outside.
I feel good, though, I got some quality stretching in, and actually, my average time was 6:43, so that’s pretty close to the goal pace of 6:41.


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