Mulligan...

No allergies? Whew! Given all the grass/hay/etc. out on your place, that's a relief.

I stand corrected on your rest day. Sub-50 is impressive.

Good luck beating the rain!

Mark B wrote:No allergies? Whew! Given all the grass/hay/etc. out on your place, that's a relief.

I stand corrected on your rest day. Sub-50 is impressive.

Good luck beating the rain!

We made it!  Last bale was stacked in the shed at 7:00 last night.  Equipment was put away and we all headed to dinner and an early bedtime.  We got .3" of rain last night and this morning with more predicted.  It was a rough couple days.  I spent 10 hours on the tractor on Tuesday.  Marty, Kevin and I were joined by Gary (he is self employed and was able to take time to help) and Katie (after work).  That was kind of neat!  Tuesday was the day we really pushed to make sure we could finish on Wednesday. 

HR is looking good.  The last few days have been 47, 50, 51, 54.  I didn't expect it to stay below 50 and I'm not surprised it was up to 54 after the busy days we had on the farm.  Pretty happy with where it's at.  I'm learning a lot about what it responds to and how long it takes to respond.  Training/farm stress have an effect but are less a problem than outside stresses.  It seems to show up a day or two later rather than during the stressful event.  It's all a learning process.  The fact that I didn't recognize the symptoms during my cardiac event...and I'm not confident that I would recognize them during another event has me pretty nervous.   I'm doing what I love and living life to the fullest...what more could you ask for!

Ultreya...

nkrichards wrote:I'm learning a lot about what it responds to and how long it takes to respond.  Training/farm stress have an effect but are less a problem than outside stresses.  It seems to show up a day or two later rather than during the stressful event.  It's all a learning process.  The fact that I didn't recognize the symptoms during my cardiac event...and I'm not confident that I would recognize them during another event has me pretty nervous.   I'm doing what I love and living life to the fullest...what more could you ask for!

Ultreya...

THAT'S the takeaway!  Regarding the event, you had no prior history of heart troubles, so how could you recognize it?

I think you're more attuned to what to lookout for now, more than ever.  What you do in training, you duplicate in the event, except maybe faster.  So, if you're not experiencing anything during training, why would you expect it during a race?  Only a rare event, like a tire and wheel coming off a truck, would strike.

Talk with the cardiologist.  See if, generally, what happens in training would happen in a race.  Plus utilize your knowledge to ease your mind.  Keep a journal (you're probably doing that).

nullum timorem...

ounce wrote:

nkrichards wrote:I'm learning a lot about what it responds to and how long it takes to respond.  Training/farm stress have an effect but are less a problem than outside stresses.  It seems to show up a day or two later rather than during the stressful event.  It's all a learning process.  The fact that I didn't recognize the symptoms during my cardiac event...and I'm not confident that I would recognize them during another event has me pretty nervous.   I'm doing what I love and living life to the fullest...what more could you ask for!

Ultreya...

THAT'S the takeaway!  Regarding the event, you had no prior history of heart troubles, so how could you recognize it?

I think you're more attuned to what to lookout for now, more than ever.  What you do in training, you duplicate in the event, except maybe faster.  So, if you're not experiencing anything during training, why would you expect it during a race?  Only a rare event, like a tire and wheel coming off a truck, would strike.

Talk with the cardiologist.  See if, generally, what happens in training would happen in a race.  Plus utilize your knowledge to ease your mind.  Keep a journal (you're probably doing that).

nullum timorem...

+1

Oh, and congratulations, Nancy!!!! You have replaced Dave-O as #10 in the list of Top Posters!

Mark, go ahead and process her royalty checks.

Mark B wrote:

ounce wrote:

nkrichards wrote:I'm learning a lot about what it responds to and how long it takes to respond.  Training/farm stress have an effect but are less a problem than outside stresses.  It seems to show up a day or two later rather than during the stressful event.  It's all a learning process.  The fact that I didn't recognize the symptoms during my cardiac event...and I'm not confident that I would recognize them during another event has me pretty nervous.   I'm doing what I love and living life to the fullest...what more could you ask for!

Ultreya...

THAT'S the takeaway!  Regarding the event, you had no prior history of heart troubles, so how could you recognize it?

I think you're more attuned to what to lookout for now, more than ever.  What you do in training, you duplicate in the event, except maybe faster.  So, if you're not experiencing anything during training, why would you expect it during a race?  Only a rare event, like a tire and wheel coming off a truck, would strike.

Talk with the cardiologist.  See if, generally, what happens in training would happen in a race.  Plus utilize your knowledge to ease your mind.  Keep a journal (you're probably doing that).

nullum timorem...

+1

ounce wrote:Oh, and congratulations, Nancy!!!! You have replaced Dave-O as #10 in the list of Top Posters!

Mark, go ahead and process her royalty checks.

Thanks to both of you.  I know that I'm making progress and doing well...but I still worry at times.  It's one thing to think it and another thing to live it. 

Maybe "nullum timorem habeo" should be my new running mantra!

I didn't realize I was on the top 10 board Doug...huge accomplishment. 

Good news...after going back up to 54 my RHR dropped right back to 50 and then 49 the last two days.

**

I have a couple things I need to get caught up in the office and at home but then I need to sit down and tackle finalizing my marathon training plan.  I've got it roughed in but not finalized.  It's only 21 weeks away.

AND I have a couple of fun/interesting things that I'm considering.  Trying to figure out if I can fit them in without compromising marathon training to much.  I'm trying to keep some fun in training without totally giving up on competitive goals.  It's all about compromise...

Update coming...

Nicely teased, Nancy. (And congrats on the posting ranking!)

There's no reason to not have fun, and be competitive. The whole goal is to keep it enjoyable and challenging enough to hold our interest, right?

Mark B wrote:Nicely teased, Nancy. (And congrats on the posting ranking!)

There's no reason to not have fun, and be competitive. The whole goal is to keep it enjoyable and challenging enough to hold our interest, right?

So that's my goal?  I thought it was to spur the economy.

ounce wrote:

Mark B wrote:Nicely teased, Nancy. (And congrats on the posting ranking!)

There's no reason to not have fun, and be competitive. The whole goal is to keep it enjoyable and challenging enough to hold our interest, right?

So that's my goal?  I thought it was to spur the economy.

I was hoping to be ready to give you a pretty comprehensive update but family time took priority yesterday so I'm going to have to do this in more than one post.

My marathon is 21 weeks away.  I normally put together a 20 week training plan to allow for a slightly slower ramp up in miles and some wiggle room so I don't stress if I miss workouts due to farming/life getting in the way.  I put together a rough training plan earlier this year but intentionally left it vague with more base building type runs and less up tempo stuff.  I did make sure I got in some longer runs.  It's time to put together a more definite plan for the next 20 weeks.  In order to do that I need to answer some questions.

• Where am I at with mileage and readiness at this point?
  
• What are my goals/priorities for this training cycle/marathon?
  
• What has worked well for me in the past?
  
• What can/should I tweak this training cycle?
  
• What/who is accessible to help me get the most out of this training cycle?
  
• What events do I want to include during this training cycle and how can I participate without compromising marathon training?
  

I'll tackle those questions over the next few days.  In the meantime...

Look what I found!  It's a bike ride up the McKenzie pass this Saturday...before they open the road to cars.  Woohoo.  Mark will know where this is but for others...it's designated a scenic road and it's closed all winter.  It's an awesome road even to drive and it's popular with hard core cyclists but I would never dream of riding it with cars on the road.  It's narrow, winding and it's a climb.  But...it's still closed to cars and the ride will be supported on Saturday.  This will be my first sustained hill climb...  I think Toni will be riding with me but if not I'm not concerned as it's a supported ride.  I'll do the first section to the observatory at the summit and then return.  It will be a total of 26.8 miles with 2118' of elevation gain.  I'm not ready for two climbs yet!  Great way to kick off marathon training (?)

And then this ride was posted by another friend.  It's a ride around the rim of Crater Lake in the National Park.  Approx. 25 miles with approx. 3500' of elevation gain but it's ups and downs rather than one sustained climb.  And they will have the rim road closed to vehicles.  The lake is about 2 1/2 hours from home.  The problem with this ride is that it's on Sept. 16th...the week after the MACDash (local sprint triathlon) and only 8 weeks before my marathon.  I'd love to do this ride especially if a group of riders from Madras will be there BUT...can I do this that close to the marathon without compromising marathon training?


There are way to many things I want to do and not nearly enough time...

Those are two awesome (and awesomely challenging) rides, Nancy! The views will be spectacular.

I went to Boy Scout camp up on the McKenzie Pass area. It's gorgeous, and crazy, with the huge lava fields.

Crater Lake is, of course, even more gorgeous. Kinda jealous!

BTW, hope you saw Matt's post. Sounds like he's shutting the place down.

To your question of whether you could do it being 8 weeks out from the marathon, what is your goal for the marathon, how close are you to that, and could you take 10 days off after the bike ride, then pick up the training for 3 weeks before a 3 week taper?  OR could you sign up for another marathon?

Mark B wrote:Those are two awesome (and awesomely challenging) rides, Nancy! The views will be spectacular.

I went to Boy Scout camp up on the McKenzie Pass area. It's gorgeous, and crazy, with the huge lava fields.

Crater Lake is, of course, even more gorgeous. Kinda jealous!

BTW, hope you saw Matt's post. Sounds like he's shutting the place down.

ounce wrote:To your question of whether you could do it being 8 weeks out from the marathon, what is your goal for the marathon, how close are you to that, and could you take 10 days off after the bike ride, then pick up the training for 3 weeks before a 3 week taper?  OR could you sign up for another marathon?

Yes, awesome is putting it mildly Mark.  I'm pretty excited about these challenges.  I'll see how the ride goes on Saturday before I make a decision on the Crater Lake ride in September.  The Crater Lake ride is free but you do need to register so if all goes well on Saturday I may register and then pull the plug if I get nervous about marathon training as the date nears.

Doug...I'm committed to this marathon and making an honest effort at a BQ time...knowing that finishing well is the real goal.  If I do need to make any changes it will be postponing the Crater Lake ride and hoping I can do it another year.

Hope we can work something out and stay here...I don't have time to learn to use a new site.  I'm technologically impaired.  Grrr....  But I do want to keep in touch so will do whatever it takes.

nkrichards wrote:

Mark B wrote:Those are two awesome (and awesomely challenging) rides, Nancy! The views will be spectacular.

I went to Boy Scout camp up on the McKenzie Pass area. It's gorgeous, and crazy, with the huge lava fields.

Crater Lake is, of course, even more gorgeous. Kinda jealous!

BTW, hope you saw Matt's post. Sounds like he's shutting the place down.

ounce wrote:To your question of whether you could do it being 8 weeks out from the marathon, what is your goal for the marathon, how close are you to that, and could you take 10 days off after the bike ride, then pick up the training for 3 weeks before a 3 week taper?  OR could you sign up for another marathon?

Yes, awesome is putting it mildly Mark.  I'm pretty excited about these challenges.  I'll see how the ride goes on Saturday before I make a decision on the Crater Lake ride in September.  The Crater Lake ride is free but you do need to register so if all goes well on Saturday I may register and then pull the plug if I get nervous about marathon training as the date nears.

Doug...I'm committed to this marathon and making an honest effort at a BQ time...knowing that finishing well is the real goal.  If I do need to make any changes it will be postponing the Crater Lake ride and hoping I can do it another year.

Hope we can work something out and stay here...I don't have time to learn to use a new site.  I'm technologically impaired.  Grrr....  But I do want to keep in touch so will do whatever it takes.

No worries about having to learn a new site, Nancy. (Especially since you've mastered posting photos here!) We worked it out, and you shouldn't notice a difference going forward.

Mark B wrote:

nkrichards wrote:

Mark B wrote:Those are two awesome (and awesomely challenging) rides, Nancy! The views will be spectacular.

I went to Boy Scout camp up on the McKenzie Pass area. It's gorgeous, and crazy, with the huge lava fields.

Crater Lake is, of course, even more gorgeous. Kinda jealous!

BTW, hope you saw Matt's post. Sounds like he's shutting the place down.

ounce wrote:To your question of whether you could do it being 8 weeks out from the marathon, what is your goal for the marathon, how close are you to that, and could you take 10 days off after the bike ride, then pick up the training for 3 weeks before a 3 week taper?  OR could you sign up for another marathon?

Yes, awesome is putting it mildly Mark.  I'm pretty excited about these challenges.  I'll see how the ride goes on Saturday before I make a decision on the Crater Lake ride in September.  The Crater Lake ride is free but you do need to register so if all goes well on Saturday I may register and then pull the plug if I get nervous about marathon training as the date nears.

Doug...I'm committed to this marathon and making an honest effort at a BQ time...knowing that finishing well is the real goal.  If I do need to make any changes it will be postponing the Crater Lake ride and hoping I can do it another year.

Hope we can work something out and stay here...I don't have time to learn to use a new site.  I'm technologically impaired.  Grrr....  But I do want to keep in touch so will do whatever it takes.

No worries about having to learn a new site, Nancy. (Especially since you've mastered posting photos here!) We worked it out, and you shouldn't notice a difference going forward.

I'd try the marathon, too, because I believe you'll be in a new age group by virtue of next year's Boston is April 16, 2018.

ounce wrote:

Mark B wrote:

nkrichards wrote:

Mark B wrote:Those are two awesome (and awesomely challenging) rides, Nancy! The views will be spectacular.

I went to Boy Scout camp up on the McKenzie Pass area. It's gorgeous, and crazy, with the huge lava fields.

Crater Lake is, of course, even more gorgeous. Kinda jealous!

BTW, hope you saw Matt's post. Sounds like he's shutting the place down.

ounce wrote:To your question of whether you could do it being 8 weeks out from the marathon, what is your goal for the marathon, how close are you to that, and could you take 10 days off after the bike ride, then pick up the training for 3 weeks before a 3 week taper?  OR could you sign up for another marathon?

Yes, awesome is putting it mildly Mark.  I'm pretty excited about these challenges.  I'll see how the ride goes on Saturday before I make a decision on the Crater Lake ride in September.  The Crater Lake ride is free but you do need to register so if all goes well on Saturday I may register and then pull the plug if I get nervous about marathon training as the date nears.

Doug...I'm committed to this marathon and making an honest effort at a BQ time...knowing that finishing well is the real goal.  If I do need to make any changes it will be postponing the Crater Lake ride and hoping I can do it another year.

Hope we can work something out and stay here...I don't have time to learn to use a new site.  I'm technologically impaired.  Grrr....  But I do want to keep in touch so will do whatever it takes.

No worries about having to learn a new site, Nancy. (Especially since you've mastered posting photos here!) We worked it out, and you shouldn't notice a difference going forward.

I'd try the marathon, too, because I believe you'll be in a new age group by virtue of next year's Boston is April 16, 2018.

Thanks Mark...I was quite pleased with my improved photo posting abilities.

Yes, Doug...I do age up.  Hard to believe that I ran my BQ in 2013 shortly after aging up to the 55-59 age group.  My qualifying time has increased from 4:10 to 4:25 which is a huge help.  It pays to be old I guess.  Of course you actually have to run 2-3 minutes faster than that to get in but still.

Stopped by to see what the status of the site was.  I'm exhausted and can now head to bed happy.

Boy have I struggled to keep up on my training reports!  I've been able to get most of my training in but have been helping with irrigation and that's often the time I sit down to update here.

So...last week...
Mon - Swim 2400 yds  Paces a bit better today.
       - Bike 11.5 to/from pool
Tues - Pilates followed by 10 hours on the tractor!
Wed - 7 mi @ 11:35 HR 145/157  Felt good to get the muscles moving again.
       - Swim 2800 yards  All fins...was a 3000 workout...cramped at 2800 yds...lasted longer than I expected.
Thur - Pilates
        - 5 @ 11:38 HR 135/149  Pleased with that HR
Fri - 6 mi including 8 x 400 Avg 2:12 @ 8:47 HR 150/170  Felt good to get some speed work in. 
Sat - Brick with 12 mile bike and 5 mile run  Felt much better than I expected!
Sun - Rest day

RHR was better last week...averaged 52 for the week.

And...this week...
Mon - Swim 2400 yds  Struggled a bit.
       - Bike 11.5 to/from pool

Tues - Pilates
        - 8 w/6 @ 9:50 HR 154/166  Settled into MP much better than my last MP run. 
Wed - Swim 2250 yds with paddles.  Struggled a bit again today.
        - bike 11.5 to/from pool

Thur - 13 @ 11:18 HR 148/164  Warm, humid, windy, spit rain...mentally difficult run but it went OK

Fri - Forced rest day as I was just to busy to train...didn't benefit from the rest(??) and my RHR soared again.  Deep breath...

Sat - Crest the Cascades 42.4 miles 3190' elevation gain.  This ride was absolutely awesome.  Great weather, great people, great support, awesome views.  WOW!  Exceeded my goals and enjoyed the heck out of it.

Sun - Last minute invite to swim in Lake Simtustus.  My first opportunity for an open water swim.  1.4 miles  Maura swam with me and her husband, Stan rented an aqua bike to keep track of us/me and make sure the boats could see us.  My wetsuit worked well.  I was quite comfortable in the water.  BUT I have some work to do.  I only breath on the right so it was difficult to stay on course.  I also had trouble with my goggles...I was using on old scratched pair as my good pair was at the pool.  I had my garmin turned on and it looks like a drunken sailor was swimming.  Stan laughed that I'm going to swim twice as far as the other participants!

My RHR did settle back down so it's obvious that the training is not the problem.  I need to learn to handle stressful situations better.

OK...that gets me caught up...still working on the finishing touches of my marathon training plan...which officially starts tomorrow.

Ultreya...

That bike ride up the Cascades sounds really cool.  Seems like you're in a good groove in the training.  Keep it up...and the rest, too.

ounce wrote:That bike ride up the Cascades sounds really cool.  Seems like you're in a good groove in the training.  Keep it up...and the rest, too.

Yes Doug, the bike ride up McKenzie Pass was really cool.  Trying to figure out if/how to incorporate more of those cool activities into my training...

**

Marathon training has been interrupted by the arrival of grandchild number six.  Connor Nathan Richards joined the family yesterday.


Connor arrived five days early.  Marty and I are scrambling to cover Kevin's farm work.  Unfortunately we had already promised an employee a couple days off, the heat hit, and the carrots are maturing much quicker than expected.  We are busy!  Oh well...I talked Marty into cleaning up and heading to Bend to meet Connor last night...we made it just before they locked the doors at 9:00.

A gentle reminder of the important things in life...and the reasons that I chose to become a runner 10 years ago.

**

Even though I've been helping with farm work I was able to sneak away for a couple hours for swimming yesterday.
2350 yds.  I was able to maintain much better paces.
Bike 11.5 to/from the pool.  Easy pace

This morning was hectic again.  I skipped Pilates to help Marty with irrigation and make sure he could get started with his carrot spraying as early as possible.  By the time I picked up pesticides and gave him a couple rides it was 11:00 and 77 degrees.  I had a 9 mile run (with 7 mi @ MP) on the schedule.  It was not going to happen.  I briefly considered skipping it entirely and then decided that it was going to be hot and busy for the next couple weeks so I better do whatever I could.  I opted for 5 miles at a very easy pace.  Ended up with a 12:03 pace and a HR of 143.  Pretty happy with that under those conditions.

And life goes on...

This is such a busy time for you, I'm impressed with your ability to balance it all out as well as you do.

The bike ride sounds great, and the swimming is coming along nicely.

Oh, and congratulations on the new grandbaby!

Gratz on the granddaughter, too, Nancy!  Another future farmer!!

Does the early maturation of the carrots translate into that time commitment being compressed, then of course being filled by another task, or not?

One of these days, I guess I'll get a handle on a good distance in swimming that you're doing, but you seem pleased, so I am, too.

Thanks Mark and Doug.  Mom, Dad and baby are doing well.  We're caught up on the work in the carrots...just in time as bees arrive this evening.  We're going to get busy again as it's time to start cutting hay...the life of a farmer.

Doug as far as swimming distances go...we've been getting in 2250-2800 yds most workouts.  I can usually finish in around an hour depending on the distance...and the intensity.  I can finish a 3000 yard swim in an hour or slightly over.  That is with a taper and at a race pace effort.  I can finish a 10K race in right around an hour depending on the course so I'd say that the 3000 yard swim is pretty equivalent to a 10K.  Our swim workouts are always some sort of intervals.  Even the endurance workouts have some rest in between longer intervals.  We rarely just warm up and swim non-stop.  I find the swimming to be a great cardio workout but even a hard swim workout provides a bit of active recovery for me because it's not stressing the legs like running does.

***
Wed - Swim 2400 yds.  All fins!  I made it to the end and then cramped during the cool down.
       - Bike 11.5 to/from the pool  Easy effort.

Thur - Pilates
        -14 miles @ 11:20 HR 144/170  I moved my runs around partly to try and avoid doing my long run on the hottest day but also to make sure I could fit in my long runs and still run in the local July 4th 10K.  I got a bit of a late start as I did go to Pilates.  I was pretty nervous about this run but it went very well.  It was warm but didn't get hot and there was a bit of a breeze.  I struggled just a bit in miles 10 & 11 but once I got my 2nd GU in and rehydrated I came back to life.  The last 3 miles were 11:05, 10:33, 9:46.  Didn't think I'd be able to pull that off at the end of a 14 miler!  And I'm very pleased with my HR especially in the warmer weather.

Fri - Swim 1800 yards.  Janice and I were the first ones there and we requested a recovery workout.  Tim provided just what we needed.  It was amazing how much better I felt afterwards and I did get some nice 50 yard intervals in as well.
    - Bike 11.5 to/from the pool.  Boy did the bike ride home seem easy after an easier swim workout.

Oh...I should mention that my RHR for the last three days has been 50, 48, 46.  That makes me feel good!

Speed work scheduled for tomorrow morning...early before it gets to warm. 

Ultreya...

Warning...this is long...

My marathon is 21 weeks away.  I normally put together a 20 week training plan to allow for a slightly slower ramp up in miles and some wiggle room so I don't stress if I miss workouts due to farming/life getting in the way.  I put together a rough training plan earlier this year but intentionally left it vague with more base building type runs and less up tempo stuff.  I did make sure I got in some longer runs.  It's time to put together a more definite plan for the next 20 weeks.  In order to do that I need to answer some questions.



 

• Where am I at with mileage and readiness at this point?
  
  
• What are my goals/priorities for this training cycle/marathon?
  
  
• What has worked well for me in the past?
  
  
• What can/should I tweak this training cycle?
  
  
• What/who is accessible to help me get the most out of this training cycle?
  
  
• What events do I want to include during this training cycle and how can I participate without compromising marathon training?
  

I'll tackle those questions over the next few days.  In the meantime...

***

So…It’s time to tackle those questions.

•          Where am I at with mileage and readiness at this point?

I have better base than I’ve ever had before.  I’ve never had this many miles on my legs at the beginning of marathon training.  I do have slightly less up tempo miles maybe but hopefully those slower miles will pay off.  I looked at all my running years but I’m concentrating on my two best years; 2013…my BQ marathon and 2016…my most recent attempt.  My marathon in 2016 was a month later and I’m looking at numbers 20 weeks before the marathon so I had an extra month to log miles.  And I did my Century bike ride in June of 2016 so those numbers are reflected in my totals.  I’m pretty happy with those numbers.  And most day’s I’m pretty happy with how I feel.

                   Run     Bike    Swim

6/18/17        446     461     142,290

7/17/16         365     964     129,450

6/16/13         302     192       46,250

• What are my goals/priorities for this training cycle/marathon?
  
  
  
  
  • My number one goal is to finish well.  The time is obviously important to me but the priority has to be to finish this one well.  This needs to be my last competitive marathon.  I need to move on.
    
  • My number two goal is to enjoy the journey and to have fun.  After all that’s what this is all about.
    
  • Of course I’d love to run a BQ time.  I have aged up for Boston so my BQ time is now 4:25 (10:05 pace). 
    
  • I’m going to train at a 9:55-10:00 pace which would bring me in between 4:20-4:23.  That’s what it would take to actually earn a bib.  But I’m not going to stress out if I can’t handle that pace.  I have to concentrate on the number one goal and that is to finish well regardless of the time.
    
  
  
  
  

•    What has worked well for me in the past?

• Running just 3 days a week with all three runs being quality runs unless I need extra rest/recovery time.  Runs will be speed/strength intervals, marathon pace runs, long runs.
  
  
• I learned the importance of warm up and cool down miles in 2013. 
  
  
• I learned the importance of core and strength work in 2013.  I struggle to make it a priority but I need to in order to be successful.
  
  
• Cross training has always been in my schedule.  I gain leg strength and improve cadence while biking.  Swimming is an excellent cardio workout while still providing active recovery.  I just need to be careful to remember that they are not the priority…running is.
  
  
• Flexibility.  I know that farming and life will get in the way often during the next 20 weeks.  I’ve been able to work in my training and let go of the training I miss without stressing.  I have to do that.
  
  

•          What can/should I tweak this training cycle?

• Pilates should help me be more dedicated to my core work this cycle.  It doesn’t completely take the place of the core/strength workout that I’ve done in the past but it will help fill the void when I’m not motivated to do that workout as often as I should.
  
  
• I haven’t been dedicated to stretching and/or rolling in the past.  I need to be more proactive.
  
  
• Train smarter in the heat.  Instead of avoiding it I think I need to cautiously acclimate…emphasis on caution.
  
  
• Flexibility…both a strength and a weakness.  I need to remember that I can change things even after they are written into my training plan.
  
  

•          What/who is accessible to help me get the most out of this training cycle?

• Coach Tim.  Swim coach but also has triathlon experience.  Great at pushing me to reach my potential.
  
  
• Coach Sara.  Swim coach and experienced triathlete.  More importantly she’s the Pilates instructor and a trained PT assistant.  She's a wealth of knowledge and is also much more in tune to my training ups/downs.
  
  
• Coach Cherie.  Cherie provided a couple coaching sessions for me in 2013 and helped me immensely.  She’s no longer available to work with one on one but I do still have the plan she helped me put together in 2013 and the core/strength workout she recommended for me.
  
  
• Maura.  Maura is an accomplished triathlete who is only a couple years younger than me.  Her strength is biking but she’s a great all round athlete.  She’s very encouraging and often offers to run/bike/swim with me.  I do have to be cautious though as Maura tends to overestimate my ability.  I sometimes try to push too hard when we work out together so I have to be careful.  She does offer great advice and has a lot of valuable experience.
  
  
• Toni. Toni is a couple years older than me and is also an experienced triathlete.  Running is her weakest area and she tends to be a “Negative Nellie”.  I have to be cautious not to let her convince me that my goals are not achievable.
  
  
• Janice. Janice is 10+ years older than I am and legally blind but what an inspiration!  Janice swims, hikes, walks, exercises, and runs a bit.  She is the most active 70+ year old that I know in spite of her limited eyesight.  Janice and I have been swimming together for 7 or 8 years and she is one of the reasons that I get off my behind and go to the pool or to Pilates on the days when I’d just as soon not.
  
  
• MACMasters  Swim group and where I got to know Coach Tim and Coach Sara and became better acquainted with the triathletes and swimmers that I’m now doing group activities with.  Great motivation to be there when others are expecting me!
  
  
• MADras Runners.  What a great group.  Jamie is our leader.  Mark went to Boston with me in 2015.  I’m not always able to make it to group runs as they are often in the evening and that just doesn’t work for me.  There are more runners my speed showing up for the Eagle Bakery group run so I try to make it to that when I can.  They are doing a lot for the running community in Madras.
  
  
• 365ers. What would I do without them? I found Hal’s site when I started training for my first marathon and they are still answering my questions, providing suggestions, giving me encouragement, and also a swift kick when warranted.  
  
  

•        What events do I want to include during this training cycle and how can I participate without compromising marathon training?

• Week 18. July 4th Todd Beamer 10K.  Local event I do every year and will do again this year.  I don’t need to race this event although I will put in a solid effort.  Pretty easy to fit this in as a tempo run and all I need to do is move a couple runs around to make it fit.  Little to no taper/recovery required.
  
  
• Week 16.  July 22nd Rolf Prima Olympic distance triathlon.  This is a bit more problematic but doable if I stick to my guns and do not make it a goal race.  It will require a few brick (bike/run) workouts but if I do them in my step back weeks it shouldn’t affect running too much.  I also need to get into the lake for a couple more open water swims…this will take time but doesn’t need to be a hard workout.
  
  
• Week 9.  Sept. 9th  10th annual MACDash sprint triathlon.  I’ve participated in the Dash as an individual every year and I’m not about to miss this one.  It’s a sprint so other than making sure I get in a couple brick (bike/run) workouts it won’t affect training much.  I may taper for a couple days but won’t require recovery time.
  
  
• Week 8.  Sept 16th  Ride the Rim  Supported ride around Crater Lake without cars.  25 miles with 3500’ elevation gain.  Not a super long ride and the elevation gain isn’t all in a single shot but even so this is the event that I’m not sure I should do.  I think there is a group from Madras going and I’d love to join in but I’ll skip it if I think it is going to jeopardize marathon training.
  
  

 

OK…LETS GET THIS DONE!

It all seems reasonable.  You have a great, local support team and it seems like you know when to listen them and when to not.  You didn't mention if you would run Boston, if you BQ'd and didn't have to do a charity bib process like Nick did.  Maybe your family would make you wear an ankle monitor to keep you in Oregon.

You could teach Augie to run with you.  If Mark asks for your help on a water wagon idea, gently tell him 'no.'

Get going!

ounce wrote:It all seems reasonable.  You have a great, local support team and it seems like you know when to listen them and when to not.  You didn't mention if you would run Boston, if you BQ'd and didn't have to do a charity bib process like Nick did.  Maybe your family would make you wear an ankle monitor to keep you in Oregon.

You could teach Augie to run with you.  If Mark asks for your help on a water wagon idea, gently tell him 'no.'

Get going!

I do have great support.  I realized that I forgot to include my family...the boys try their best to schedule my workload so that I can get my running in before it gets hot.  And Katie is always willing to travel to events with me.  And my doctors...I'm lucky to have found cardiologists that support my level of activity...most don't.

As far as Boston goes...it's a definite maybe!  I would like to run Boston again but I'd like to earn my bib.  At this point in time I don't think I would ask friends and family to support me in the charity bib process.  But if I ran well and came close to qualifying and was offered a bib because of my story I'd accept it.

***
So here's what I've been up to...

Sat - 6.5 w/6 x 800 Avg 4:25 (8:50 pace)  HR 152/172  More than happy with that!

Sun - Rest day

Mon - Swim 1.8 miles in Lake Simtustus.  Last minute invite again.  I changed goggles and sighting technique a bit and had a much better...ie straighter...swim.  Felt much better about open water swimming after this swim!

Tues - Pilates
        - 8 mi w/6 @ 9:51  HR 156/168  It was already getting warm.  Was able to run a negative split and my average pace was better than expected.  I only need 9:55-10:00 for the marathon and I'm trying to run my tempo runs as close to that as possible.

Wed - Core/strength  It's been awhile and some muscles reminded me that I can't slack off with this!
       - Bike 11.5 to/from pool
       - Swim 2900 yards  Nice endurance workout supplemented with some work with the paddles

Thur - Baled hay till 9:00 so missed Pilates and got a late start
        -  12 miles @ 11:09  HR 144/169  Temps were in the upper 60's with direct sun but I did have a slight breeze.  Looped back home for water and fuel and started conservatively.  Was able to make this a fast finish long run and felt good afterwards.
        - Snuck in some stretching and rolling before bedtime.  I still have a few muscles that are complaining after my sudden return to my core/strength workout.

Pleased with how things are going at this point in time...

I just carefully read your long post and account of your week.

All I can say is, can I be you when I grow up?

Seriously. I have never seen (or dreamed of) such a thoroughly well thiught-out plan for any sort of event. I guess that's what comes after thinking through so many years of farming. I am legitimately, honestly awed.

And to top it off, it sounds like a great plan! It plays to your strengths and is ambitious but realistic. I see no reason this plan won't work out wonderfully for you. I'm excited to see the pieces come together.