After Three Weeks of Post Marathon Training

Post Milo Marathon

I'm doing great on my marathon recovery path. Recovery - yeah still hurting deep inside for being an hour and a half late on the Milo Marathon Eliminations cut-off time.

But I'm perfectly fine. Motivation-wise, the Milo marathon assignment is a huge push for me now. Simply because I don't want to fail again. Milo serves as an important hurdle that I need to cross to meet my running dreams. As Milo's slogan "Building Champions in Life." I see it fit and perfect to me as an individual. Maybe I'll never be a Milo Marathon Champion. But in my own life, my own way, my own running career, I could very well be a champion. And Milo has taught me to be patient, to work hard for my goals, to learn from my mistakes and to never stay on the fallen state.

I am slowly and patiently running back on the right track.

Physically, my cramping problems have fully disappeared. I am very happy to have completed my first three weeks of training without any muscular pains on the calves that have hindered my marathon preparations on the past.

My running speed is still not at par with my 5K speed at the start of 2010. If I had raced last Sunday, I would have finished a 5K race in 23 minutes. That's comparatively much slower than my 19:25 minutes last February 2010.

But I'm already working on it. 3 weeks back, I would not even have finished a 5K in 25 minutes! Seriously. My target marathon pace was 5 - 5:30 minutes per kilometer. And much to my surprise, that was also my pace for a much shorter 5K distance.

I have totally forgotten how to run fast.

First week post marathon. 5:19 minutes per kilometer. I thought I was OK. That was just a recovery week for me.

Second week post marathon and first week of a 3-month training period. 5:18 minutes per kilometer. I was surprised and worried. I can't even run as fast as 4 months back?

Third week post marathon and second week of a 3-month training period. 4:57 minutes per kilometer. I would have finished a 5K race just under 25 minutes. I'm slowly learning how to run fast again.

A month post marathon and third week of a 3-month training period. 4:48 minutes per kilometer. I can now finish a 5K in 23 minutes.

Still 3+ minutes short of my sub 20-minute 5K goal next Sunday..

And that's not too bad. I still have two weeks left before my upcoming 5K race. I believe I can get back to 3:50 minutes per kilometer by that time.

By Speed Work

I remembered one of my Strength Trainer when he said "Kung gusto mo lumaki katawan mo sa pagbubuhat, matuto kang bumuhat nang patay kung patay." He emphasized the determined attitude to lay everything on the line.

When I lift weights to strengthen my leg muscles, chest, back, arms or shoulders.. I pretty much remember my Trainer's words of wisdom (or is it? Sometimes they sound like words of insanity).

And I do apply the same principle when running my interval splits. I even called this workout Suicides. The 8x400 meter sprints with 100 meter recoveries. They are meant to squeeze my lungs till I can't breathe and pound my legs till they can't stride any longer. Mind you though, this training run satisfies my never ending thirst for speed.

[ Just a word of caution.. Patay kung patay and Suicides are just motivational jargons to put emphasis on unparalleled focus and determination to train as hard as possible. Don't take the word literally and die lifting weights and/or sprinting. ]

High Intensity Interval Training. Scientifically, my 8x400m Interval workout is an anaerobic training method that aims to maximize my volume of oxygen uptake. It's a difficult training method. It leaves me gassed out after about 4 or 5 repeats.

Some trainers / coaches / reading materials do not suggest running intervals at maximum speed. They encourage running the splits at close to race pace and nothing faster.

I am not listening. I go beyond my 5K pace while running my 400meter splits. As with high intensity training, my goal is to let my body adapt to the stress of high-speed running and make myself comfortable with the speed. If I can run my 400s in 2:50 - 3:20 minute per kilometer pace (min/km), it should be a little easier for me to run 5Ks in 4:00 min/km.

It's never easy. In fact, the hardest time for me to wake up for a morning run is when I have an Interval running workout day.

My body is reluctant to experience this hell of a training run. And my mind remembers how brutal the run could be to my legs and lungs.

But then again, I also want to improve my speed and this training run has proven its worth to me in the past - a 19:25-minute 5K PR. And compared to a Sunday long run, or a 12-16K easy run, Suicides only lasts for 30 minutes and does not take longer than 6 kilometers. That's how Suicides should be right? I don't want to suffer for a long period of time. [ I can't. ]

Early 2010, my recorded best 400 meters was 1:05 minutes (2:43 min/km pace).
It eventually lead to 5K and 10K podium finishes and PRs.

On this training period, after 3 weeks, my best 400m best stands at 1:12 minutes (3:00 min/km pace).
And I'm not done yet. Suicides are going to be a staple workout for me for my upcoming 5 and 10K races this August and September.

Tempos and Races

As planned and as I've written already. If I can run my 400s in 2:50 - 3:20 minute per kilometer pace (min/km), it should be a little easier for me to run 5Ks in 4:00 min/km.

Sounds logical enough to me. But as a runner with more than a year of running experience, I have come to learn that "should be" does not necessarily translate into reality. I must work hard and train hard to make the logical abstract translate into something concrete.

By running the Intervals, it should be a little easier for me to run 5Ks in 4:00 min/km.

Only a little easier. And I did not really intend to say it will be easy. It would still be hard and difficult to achieve. But with the hard interval training, the tempos and races should be a little easier to handle. Running 4:00 min/km for 3 and 5Ks were never easy. But they were super satisfying. It's an incredible feeling to finally achieve and deliver what I thought was just a dream.

And I want to have a taste of that satisfaction once again.

After three weeks of endurance building and speed training runs, the time has come for me to do some Tempos and join some races. I am excited. At the same time, I am nervous and challenged. I still have to wake up at 5 in the morning five times a week to train and reach my goals. Sub-20. Sub-40. Sub-1 hour. A 1:30 half marathon. A Boston Qualifier.

Long runs on Sundays, easy maintenance runs on Tuesdays and Thursdays, Suicides on Wednesdays and Tempos on Fridays. I'm banking on these runs as my training tools to triumph. (With 3x a week Strength Training program, 3x a week Core Drills and Friday Night Boxing Fights.)

This 4th week of training, I'll have another Suicides on Wednesday and a 5x1Km Interval speed work on Friday. Then I will conclude the training week with a half marathon long run on Sunday in Cavite.

On the 5th week, another Suicides on Wednesday and a 3K time trial / tempo run on Friday (Aiming for a sub 4:00 minute pace). Hopefully, I get to race under  20 minutes on race day Sunday, August 15 at Run to Read Race. See you there! ;)

Velazquez Park, Makati City

Great photos from @icarusrising of www.skyscrapercity.com.
This is my training place. :)