Four Week FIRST Tune-Up

I am working on putting together a 4-week schedule to get myself ready for my FIRST marathon training that begins on July 9th. I need to be running about 25 miles a week by that time, and my long run should be up close to 13 miles. I am planning to run a total of 16 miles this week, so it's pretty easy to ramp up to 18, 20, 22, and 24 miles over the course of the next four weeks. The biggest challenge will be increasing my long runs as I haven't run anything over 8 miles since December. Endurance usually develops fairly quickly for me so I am confident that I can handle the build-up.

I have been reading "Run Less, Run Faster", a book that covers the development, evolution, and specifics of the FIRST training program in great detail. The marathon training plan outlined in the book is far different from the one that I obtained from Runner's World in 2005 and used to train for the Marine Corps Marathon. The program has evolved based on research studies done on runners using the program and now includes a total of five 20-mile runs over the course of 16 weeks. It looks to be much more challenging than the program that I used in the past, and I know it will push me to the limit. I am planning to execute the program as closely as possible, but if the program becomes too much, I will fall back to the FIRST program that I used back in 2005. I could then use the new FIRST program as a sort of advanced program that I could progress to when training for my next marathon beyond this fall. I haven't run a marathon since April of 2006 and my overall mileage and fitness have definitely slipped significantly since then. It will take some time for me to get back to my previous level and I don't want to push too hard too quickly lest I become injured or burnt out.

I am feeling pretty good right now as I've lost about nine pounds over the last month while getting stronger at the same time. The weight training/running combination has definitely paid dividends and I feel more fit each week. As I become more fit, I have more energy, which allows me to train harder. This in turn gives me more energy allowing me to train harder and on it goes. It's an upward spiral of fitness and conditioning that ultimately results in being at your utmost best. The dark shadow looming over all of this is injury. Months of great training can be dashed on the rocks by an untimely running ailment. I must be careful to give my body a chance to adapt to the progressive overload that I am placing on it in my workouts. I am gearing up for a summer of tough training. I feel like I am ready for the challenge. If all goes well, I am confident that a marathon PR is a very real possibility in the fall.

Work Change

My work life underwent a slight change last week. My actual job/position/title didn't change, but I switched departments. I moved from our packaging area into our granulation and tableting group. Although my roles and responsibilities are basically the same, there are some significant changes encompassed by this move. In Packaging, there were four of us that managed the area across three shifts. There were a total of 41 people that reported in to us. In my new role, I am solely responsible for both the Processing and Compression areas. So I now have 22 people on two shifts who report directly to me. This definitely means taking on more responsibility which can at times be stressful, but at the same I like the feeling of ownership. I left a great group of people behind in Packaging, but I have inherited a hard-working and very experienced group of employees in my new areas. They are a great group, and I am looking very forward to the opportunity of working with them. My manager is assisting me with the transition, and I really appreciate his support and input. Since he became my manager back in March, he has done a fantastic job of getting everyone engaged in running our business. All in all, I would say he is the best manager that I have ever worked with in any job that I've had. It's amazing the difference that a good manager makes when it comes to morale and job satisfaction.

The other significant change that comes with my new position is that I will no longer be working rotating shifts. I will now be on permanent 1st shift, although I do cover the beginning of the 2nd shift as well. The nice thing about this change is that I should be able to get and stay on a more regular schedule which will help with working out and running. I still haven't quite adjusted to getting up at 4:30am every single morning, but it has only been a week so I'm sure that in time it will get easier.

I feel energized and rejuvenated by this change in my job situation. I have more personal ownership now, and I feel like I have the opportunity to make a greater impact in my new role. I have a lot to learn about the intricacies of the area, but I have an experienced and engaged workforce to draw knowledge from so it's only a matter of time before I get up to speed. I really think that this change will be a positive one for me. I guess that time will tell.

Good Tweener Week

This week didn't turn out to be quite as productive as I had hoped, but it was a good "tweener" week between the tough week that I had last week and the absolutely fabulous week that I'm going to have this coming week.

I ended up running twice (4 and 5 miles), and going to the gym twice. I walked on the treadmill after my first gym workout, but ran short on time today. I did have a very intense 40-minute weight training session today though. I really blasted my muscles with a bunch of drop sets. I take little to no rest when weight training. I do all of my exercises like one giant set - going from station to station without pausing. Once I've completed the entire circuit, I start again from the beginning. It's very similar to circuit training, but from what I understand of circuit training, that includes a period of time between circuits where you do a cardiovascular exercise for ten minutes or so to keep up the heart rate. My workouts are just one continuous weight training session. I do my cardio at the end.

Recently, I've been reading Run Less, Run Faster http://www.amazon.com/Runners-World-Less-Faster-Revolutionary/dp/159486649X which details the FIRST training theory and approach. I used the FIRST training program two years ago after reading an article about it in Runner's World and ended up shaving over 15 minutes off of my marathon PR. I am a big believer in the program. It works, and I will be using it again this summer. I highly recommend checking out this book. Their approach to measuring the effects and results of the training program is very scientific, which sets it apart from many programs that are proven to work based on only anecdotal evidence.

If you're looking for some good motivational material, check out this site: http://www.walkthetalk.com/the212movie.php?refsource=gpc1&gclid=CKzNnoa-wYwCFSWQGgodyUs0dA
They showed us this video at work during a training, and it really had an impact on me. Many of the tenets discussed in the video are applicable to running and to life. There are a ton of cool quotes to be mined from the video along with the 212 degrees book which I borrowed from someone at work. It's simple and straightforward yet powerful stuff.

On an interesting, but totally unrelated note, I think that I'm finally going to get my first tattoo. I'm not sure as of yet exactly where I want this body art to be located, but I do know what image I want decorating my body for the rest of my days. It will actually only be writing, but I'm still pretty excited about it.

Well, that's pretty much my week. I do have some other interesting news that I will address later in a separate post.