Road to BQ Week #10

As mentioned in this post, I’m attempting to get my own BQ.  I am excited to be training using again the Hansons Method.  In a nutshell, this training is based on the concept of cumulative fatigue.  You train your body to run often so that you are frequently running on tired legs.  The idea is to run this way so that during the last miles of a race you are prepared to push through the final miles. These plans are 18 weeks and have you running 6 days (easy, speed/strength, tempo, and long runs) a week with one rest day.  I am not sure when I will qualify but am determined to get there.

Week #10, May 29-June 4

M Ran 4.02 Miles
T Did not run
W OFF
TH Did not run
F Did not run
S Ran 2.02 Miles
S Did not run

This week did not go as expected.  I missed way too many runs.  I only ran on Monday and Saturday – and not even the mileage I was supposed to.  I had zero motivation and was tired.  Moving is taking longer and much more difficult than I thought.  I am not done.  My goal is to finish by Tuesday morning.

Wednesday was the end of May and I am happy to say that I ended the month having run 115.45 miles. That is my highest month so far!  You can read my monthly review here.

On Friday I received a few items for my running cruise in July.

I spent part of the weekend looking into a marathon to do in the fall.  I am thinking of either the Lake Michigan Marathon on September 3rd or the Quad Cities Marathon on September 24th.  Also, I am not sure what to do training wise – hire a coach, somewhat start over with the Hansons Plans (week 6) or purchase a 16 weeks training plan from Hansons Coaching Services.  What I like about the latter one is that it is 16 weeks (I have 14 weeks till the Lake Michigan Marathon so I know I haven’t missed much) and it consists of running 5 days instead of 6 and it is also based on the number of miles a runner can and wants to do each week (I am thinking 30-40).  I need to decide soon so I can start training tomorrow.

On Wednesday I joined a new gym, Formula Fitness Club.  I checked it out about a week ago and like it a lot.  I like the variety of classes and looks and smells cleaner/nicer than my current gym.  Plus they provide towels, soap, shampoo, conditioner, and blow dryers.  The parking situation is OK (my current gym offers free parking all day).  There are various locations in Chicago and they offer free parking for 2 hours which is enough time to take a class and shower, if needed.  I checked out the two locations that I will most likely be going, South Loop and West Loop, and there is also free street parking available till 8am.  That will come in handy if for some reason I need to stay longer than 2 hours at the gym (I’ve stayed longer than 2 hours running on the treadmill during marathon training) or if I am in a rush and it is so much faster to park on the street then drive to the lot, park, and walk to the gym.

Tuesday is my last day of school and Friday morning I head out to Utah to run the Utah Valley Half Marathon.  I will admit that I did not pay too much attention to the logistics till last week and realized that the race starts at 6am.  Sigh.  That means a very early wake up call since we have to take a bus to take us to the start line.  Oh well, it will still be a fun race and it will make me happy to run in another state.

Total mileage for the week: 6.04 miles
Total mileage for this training cycle:  210.71 miles
Total mileage for the year: 258.90 miles