Monte's Log, Featuring a Debate About Dotard Genetic Potential with an Ant

10/24
AM
W18D5
Z2 Run
7.00 mi - 1:01:17/8:45 pace/139 HR

10/25
AM
W18D6
HM Prep
15:00 - 1.95 mi/7:42 pace/136 HR
42:53.2 - 6.21 mi/6:54 pace/144 HR/155 MHR
5:00 - 0.76 mi/6:36 pace/168 HR/178 MHR
5:00 - 0.75 mi/6:41 pace/166 HR/169 HR
5:00 - 0.75 mi/6:40 pace/168 HR/173 HR
10:00 - 1.21 mi/8:15 pace/152 HR

Even though I wore my racing carbons today, I have a hard time buying the HR data, especially for the 10k block. Maybe I'll wear a chest strap and the Coros armband at the same time and compare data on one of my next days with a bit of pace and see how it goes. In any case, this was technically a 10k PR, even though it was in training, so things are trending in the right direction. I'm still fighting a cold, which has turned into a dry cough, so hopefully I can clear that at some point in the next two weeks. With the recoveries (five minutes after the 10k block and three minutes after the 5k intervals), I did a bit more than half marathon distance in sub-1:37, so not bad for training.

10/27
AM
W19D1
Z2 Run
60:00 - 7.21 mi/8:19 pace/143 HR

10/28
AM
W19D2
Speed Intervals
15:00 - 1.84 mi/8:10 pace/140 HR
24x0:30 intervals
10:00 - 1.13 mi/8:50 pace/154 HR

Still fighting allergies, but both sessions were ok. This was my first time doing this interval session in a few months, and I was able to do it continuously (i.e. no walking through recoveries). This was three sets of eight 30 second intervals with 30 second recoveries and 2:30 in between sets; I was able to keep all intervals between 5:55 and 6:19/mi. It ended up being just shy of 7 miles of work; I've got some threshold intervals Thursday and a marathon prep session Tuesday, so the finish line is in sight.

10/31
AM
W19D5
Z2 Run
60:00 - 6.73 mi/8:55 pace/143 HR

11/1
AM
W19D6
Z2 Run
75:00 - 9.06 mi/8:17 pace/146 HR

Neither of these felt great, but they're done at least. Nothing to do but hope the taper does it's thing.

how long til race day - next weekend or w/e after?

It's on Saturday!

11/3
AM
W20D1
Z2 Run
60:00 - 7.25 mi/8:17 pace/142 HR

11/4
AM
W20D2
HM Race Prep
15:00 - 1.94 mi/7:45 pace/135 HR
15:00 - 2.26 mi/6:38 pace/151 HR/164 MHR
1:00_1 - 0.17 mi/5:57 pace/167 HR/175 MHR
1:00_2 - 0.17 mi/5:58 pace/171 HR/173 MHR
1:00_3 - 0.17 mi/5:52 pace/170 HR/173 MHR
1:00_4 - 0.17 mi/5:53 pace/171 HR/175 MHR
1:00_5 - 0.17 mi/5:48 pace/172 HR/175 MHR
10:00 - 1.25 mi/8:01 pace/158 HR

Just one brief race prep session this week; I ran this in my carbons, and things felt pretty snappy. The intent was to run the 15' interval faster than intended HM pace, which I did (a 90' marathon corresponds to a 6:52/mi pace). The one minute speed intervals were just supposed to be "fast" (in the high five minute to low six minute pace range), so mission accomplished there too. Including the recoveries (two minutes after the HM interval and one minute between speed intervals), this was ~7.2 miles in 52 minutes. All that's left is the taper!

hope race went well?

I'll do a write up tomorrow, but not the best. 1:30:31 official chip time; my HRM died a few miles in so I was running entirely on feel, and the 90 minute pacer went out hot so I burned out after 8 miles or so and had to hold on. Overall, I'm happy with the result given the start (I set watch PRs for the mile, 2k, 3k, 5k, and 10k in the first 8 miles), but this was not ideal pacing.

I lose track of PRs but that feels like it might be one?

Definitely, by almost three minutes (I did 1:33:23 in October).

This training cycle could not have gone any better; I'm fairly certain I missed zero scheduled training sessions, which given I increased frequency from 5x to 6x per week, I'm quite happy with. Monthly mileage increased from about 185 to about 220 at the peak, with no physical issues or fatigue to speak of (beyond the expected).

The taper went fine, and my last run before the shakeout was the freshest I'd felt in quite a while. I'd also (seemingly) worked out the issue I'd had with the new Coros armband HRM I'd gotten a few weeks before, which worked pretty well outside of during my last HM prep workout, where the data was essentially nonsense (this is foreshadowing).

The weather was almost perfect (low 40s, but a bit humid, though I doubt that mattered much given how cool it was). I got myself into the A corral, but burrowed towards the back to stick myself to the 90 minute pacer (who I later realized is a friend of a friend that I'd met a few times before, but neither of us recognized the other). No issues with the start of the race, other than the fact that it was quite crowded; I tried my best to run the tangents, but it pinched down quite a bit on the early turns, of which there were quite a few. I immediately realized that I didn't feel fantastic, as my legs felt a bit heavier than I'd hoped they would, but it wasn't until I looked down at my watch around mile 4 that I realized we were going a bit faster than I'd hoped/planned for and my HR data from the Coros strap had to be garbage. I stuck with the pacers through the end of mile 8, but I didn't feel like I had much chance of holding that pace for the rest of the race, so I pulled back at that point and tried to hold on.

I ended up averaging ~7:00 miles for the last five, with enough left for a bit of a finishing kick. I ended up running 1:30:31, which is an almost three minute PR over a month ago (albeit in much better conditions). Checking the race results, the pacers came in over a minute faster than that, and went 10-12 seconds per mile slower in the second half of the race than the first half, so I definitely made a mistake following them so closely. Per Garmin, I set watch PRs in the 1k, 1 mile, 5k, and 10k in the first 8 miles of the half, so not ideal pacing!

Gym work really fell off this block, as I traveled a lot for work and prioritized getting the runs in. I'd like to consistently get in 2-3 sessions per week during this next training block, which I assume will also entail increased training volume as I transition to more marathon specific work.

This spring will (hopefully!) be my first official marathon in two years; a sub-3:00 goal seems quite ambitious, and likely a bit in excess of my grasp, but I'm just going to keep on going and see where another 16-20 weeks of consistent training gets me. I'd also like to race a bit more, maybe officially knock off a sub-20 5k and give a run at a sub-40 10k.

I should add that I technically ran a "real" pace of 6:49/mi, but ended up running 13.28 miles due to some of the early weaving I had to do. There were a lot of small to medium issues that caused me to bleed time, but overall I'm happy with how I pivoted and held things together in the last half of the race given that.

boom, congrats!

re marathon goal time - what's your current PR? The calculator I remember from 20+ years ago was double HM PR and then add 10%? But that may be misremembered and you would know more from me what the current 'converter' is?

3:33 from spring 2024; I missed my last two scheduled marathons for illness (fall 2024) and weather (spring 2025). Per an online calculator, the equivalent time for a full to what I just ran is in the 3:08-3:12 range depending on where you look, so who knows what four more months of training could bring.

11/10
AM
Z1 Run
30:00 - 3.33 mi/9:01 pace/130 HR

PM
A
NG Pullups: +15 x6, x5, x4
RFESS: +40 x6x3

B
Bench: wu, 145 x6x3
Facepulls: 4x12
Leg Press Calf: x10x3

C
RDLs: 3x6
Toes To Bar: 3x3

D
Incline Bench: 50s x8x3
DB Pullovers: 55 x8x3

E
Overhead Rope Tri Ext: x9, x8, x7
DB Hammer Curl: 20s x10x3

It snowed this morning and had to take my cat to the vet early, so I just did half an hour on the treadmill at the office gym and then lifted after work. Embarrassing that I've missed this much gym work, but hopefully I can sack up in the winter given there's not going to be much else to do other than train.

11/12
AM
Z2 Run
60:00 - 7.23 mi/8:18 pace/142HR

A
NG Pullups: x8, x7, x6
Walking Lunges: 35s x6x3

B
OHP: wu, 95 x6x3
Seated Calf: 3x10
Facepulls: 4x12
Pallofs: x8x3

C
Leg Ext: x10x2
Leg Curl: x12x2
Toes to Bar: 3x3

D
Low Incline DB Bench: wu, 60s x7x3
GHR: bw x6x3

E
DB LTEs: 30s x9, x8, x7
Incline Curl: x10x3

Did some plyo and track work with the boys last night; about 20 combined minutes of warmup and cooldown with some drills in between. They want to get faster for spring soccer, so they've lowered themselves to listening to me.

Run today felt pretty k, though the DOMS is definitely hitting me a bit from the lifting. Going to try to keep three days a week up until training for the spring starts up in earnest and then hopefully keep it up.

11/13
PM
Z1/2 Run
60:00 - 6.77 mi/8:51 pace/135 HR

Postponed this until the evening because I thought the boys might want to run with me, but they did not. So it goes.

11/14
AM
Z3 Run
70:00 - 8.71 mi/8:02 pace/159 HR

Still feeling a bit of fatigue on this one, but I'm between programs and my buddy wanted to push a bit, so I did.

A
Single Leg Press: x6x3
Seated Calf: 3x10

B
Incline Bench: wu, 125 x6x3
Lat Pulldown: 3x12
Facepulls: 4x12

D
Step Ups: +15 x8x3
TTB: 3x3

D
Seated DB OHP: 40s x8x3
Pronated Machine Row: 3x12

E
Paused Dips: bw 6x3
Bayesian Curls: 3x8
Cable Lateral Raise: 3x10

Ripped off three sessions in fifteen hours, so I think I'll take a rest day tomorrow. Starting the marathon build Monday.

11/17
AM
Z2 Run
75:00 - 8.95 mi/8:23 pace/146 HR

Six ~12 second strides at the end of this.

11/18
PM
10k Intervals
64:00 - 8.05 mi/7:58 pace

20 minute warmup, then five rounds of 3:00 at 10k pace with 1:00 walking recovery followed by 1:15 of 10k pace with 0:30 walking recovery followed by a 10 minute cooldown. Sub 6:40/mi pace for the longer intervals and 6:25-6:40/mi for the shorter ones. Decent workout. Poured in the morning so I did it in the evening.

11/20
Z1/2 Run
60:00 - 6.40 mi/9:23 pace/135 HR

PM
A
Toes to Bar: 3x4
Glute Complex w/Bands

B
RFESS: +40 x8, x7, x6
Pullups: x7, x6, x4

C
RDLs: wu, 3x6
Facepulls: 4x12

D
Flat Bench: 145 x8, x7, x6
DB Pullover: 3x10
Single Leg Extension: 3x10

E
Overhead Cable Tri: x12, x10, x8
DB Hammer Curls: 2x11, x10

A bit more running specific lower body work.

Wow that donk pacer ruined your shot at 1:30. Looks like you are exactly in 1:30 shape, even split for sure would have gotten you there.

My progress has been slower than expected. Pushing 50, some zero running weeks around wedding time, and avg training 127hr has made me realize fitness gains come back slow. It's not like weights, right now upperbody is almost as good as age 40 (been lifting consistently because of my wife). Having said that, I finally get good weather here in Houston next week for the 5k turkey trot. So we will know where we at. You probably in 19:45 shape and I am guessing I am in low 20:xx shape so the old man is crawling back.

Nice work, Montebro! Too bad about the pacer, but I think it's clear you've got a 90 min half in you.

2-3 lifting sessions per week, plus marathon training, plus general life stuff seems like a pretty heavy load to me. It would be a different story if you were a single dude grinding poker or something, but obviously that is not you. Serious facking wizardry. But I'm sure you're up to the task.

Thanks man, though it was my fault for even following the pacer to begin with (I generally don't).

Yeah, I definitely feel that; any extended illness/recovery of 4+ weeks feels like it takes twice as long to recover, much less if it's a longer break. I don't think I could rip off a sub-20 without a bit more specific training, but who knows; the fitness may be there, but I haven't really tried running at that pace for that duration in quite a while.

Good luck on the turkey trot; I'll probably try to toss a 5 or 10k in this spring on the way to the full marathon.

Thanks man, and agreed. Me not getting the number was my fault entirely, but I got the fitness I wanted to and learned a bit about racing, so mission accomplished.

Re: my being able to fit all this in, it comes down to waking up early and a very supportive wife. And mild autism.

11/21
AM
Z2 Run
75:00 - 8.87 mi/8:27 pace/140 HR

8 miles at 8:30/mi plus four strides plus a few minutes to cooldown. Great session.

11/22
AM
MP Intervals
1:45:00 - 13.27 mi/7:55 pace/154 bpm
26 minute warmup + eight rounds of 5' MP/2' easy + 23 minute cooldown; averaged 7:20/mi at an average HR in the low to mid-160s for the final 5-6 intervals. I would have preferred this was a little faster, but ran by effort/HR.

11/23
AM
Z1 Run
60:00 - 6.37 mi/9:25 pace/129 HR

Going to make a concerted effort to keep my recovery days quite easy (almost entirely in Z1) and see how it goes.

11/24
AM
Z2 Run
60:00 - 8.87 mi/8:27 pace/141 HR

The usual 8 miles at 8:30/mi plus four strides plus a few minutes to cooldown.

11/25
AM
Z3/4 Intervals
60:00 - 7.96 mi/7:32 pace/162 bpm

20:00 warmup, then ten intervals of 3:00 (the first six at Z3 effort then the last four at Z4 effort) with 1:00 walking recoveries, followed by a 10:00 cooldown. Ended up being a bit shy of 8 miles of work when you back out what I walked during the recoveries; it was a tidy little session and I think I paced it as intended.

Do you cardio bunnies actually enjoy this sht or is it a disciplined/competitive liking?

Running is kind of like dancing or skiing or playing the piano. If you stink at it and dont know how to do it, you think its awful. But once you learn how to train correctly then its enjoyable and you always feel better afterwards.

And when it comes to longevity, the Holy Trinity is low bodyfat, lean body mass, and high vo2max. You dont throw one out the window.

What’s vomax? Running at high intensity?

aerobic capacity

11/27
AM
Z1 Run
60:00 - 6.36 mi/9:26 pace/127 HR

11/28
AM
Z2 Run
75:00 - 9.08 mi/8:15 pace/141 HR

11/29
AM
Z3 Intervals
1:40:00 - 12.40 mi/8:04 pace/156 bpm

Thirty minutes of warmup then five rounds of eight minutes at marathon effort and two minutes easy jog then twenty minutes easy. Tied one on at the post Thanksgiving dinner, so this was tougher than it should have been; performance (average for the intervals was ~7:30/mi pace) was bad.

11/30
AM
Z1 Run
60:00 - 6.38 mi/9:24 pace/131 HR