Weekly Mileage: 30 (5 days)
Workout
2 mile warmup
5k race
1 mile cooldown
Breakdown
Got up this morning at 6:45 a.m. and drove over to Sharon, Pa. for the Penn State Shenango Hustle for Muscle 5k. Goals going in were pretty clear: push hard and get a gauge on where my fitness and pain thresholds are after about two months of serious running.
Results were way better than expected. It was super cold and pretty windy on the out part of the out and back course, and I went out way too fast. There was basically three of us for the first mile and we went through in 5:25. Way too fast for my goals and I could have run a lot faster overall if I had gone out 25 or 30 seconds slower.
I dropped back a bit after the first mile, not because I wasn't feeling great, but because I knew if I went through two miles there I would be crashing the third mile.
I got passed with about a half mile to go but reeled the guy in over the last 100 meters from about 30 yards back. I still have a ton of leg speed from my days as an 800-meter runner is what that showed me.
Long story short, I finished third overall and first in the men's 25-29 year old age group with a time of 18:28, which is about 5:57 per mile.
Going in, I thought best case scenario I was in 18:45 shape, so I am pretty pleased with this.
Shoes
Warmup in Supernova Ride
Race in Saucony Fastwitch 5 (first run in them, loved them)
Reflection
18:28 is a long, LONG way away from my PR in the 5k, but its also 2:30 faster than I ran Feb. 18 in a 5k and it's pretty damn impressive considering I was 206 pounds three months ago with no miles on my legs.
Today
I'm recovering a bit now and then I have to head to lacrosse to work the Stick it to Cancer game vs. Shippensburg. I'm predicting a big win for us in the standings and a super special and emotional day for Bri, the team, her family and friends and myself included. I can't wait for today.
Later, I'm going to indulge a bit and eat some pizza and drink some beers with my boys while watching the Final Four games. Today should be an amazing day.
Hope everyone else has a great one too!
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Friday, March 30, 2012
Fri., Mar. 30 - Easy Day/Big Win
Weekly Mileage: 24 (4 days)
Workout
4 miles easy
4x100 strides
core
Breakdown
Super easy four mile run around town this afternoon before the SRU lacrosse game. Felt fine. No real issues. Should be ok for the race tomorrow morning.
Shoes
Nike Lunarfly 3
Tomorrow
Running my first real attempt at a race. Going to go after it and run hard from the gun to see where the fitness level and pain thresholds really are right now. Won't be fun, but will be worth it. Weather is supposed to be real cold. Just hoping for no rain. Not looking forward to being up so early and moving around on my day to sleep in, but I need to get used to it for the 7:30 start time of the half marathon anyway.
Other News
Today, Millersville University showed me how amazing sportsmanship in college athletics is and why I love Division II so much. They showed up for our game at our place today with the whole team wearing Fight Like a Girl t-shirts in support of Bri, the same girl I am running the race in honor of. It was an awesome moment and a truly special day for Bri. Snapped a group photo of both teams after the game and I will be writing a feature story early next week about it. I will also be nominating Millersville for the NCAA Sportsmanship award. It was just plain awesome. Plus, we won the game with a truly solid team performance. Best I have seen us play all year.
Rest tonight. No drinking or craziness for me. Good luck to everyone trying to hit the mega millions tonight hahaha.
Workout
4 miles easy
4x100 strides
core
Breakdown
Super easy four mile run around town this afternoon before the SRU lacrosse game. Felt fine. No real issues. Should be ok for the race tomorrow morning.
Shoes
Nike Lunarfly 3
Tomorrow
Running my first real attempt at a race. Going to go after it and run hard from the gun to see where the fitness level and pain thresholds really are right now. Won't be fun, but will be worth it. Weather is supposed to be real cold. Just hoping for no rain. Not looking forward to being up so early and moving around on my day to sleep in, but I need to get used to it for the 7:30 start time of the half marathon anyway.
Other News
Today, Millersville University showed me how amazing sportsmanship in college athletics is and why I love Division II so much. They showed up for our game at our place today with the whole team wearing Fight Like a Girl t-shirts in support of Bri, the same girl I am running the race in honor of. It was an awesome moment and a truly special day for Bri. Snapped a group photo of both teams after the game and I will be writing a feature story early next week about it. I will also be nominating Millersville for the NCAA Sportsmanship award. It was just plain awesome. Plus, we won the game with a truly solid team performance. Best I have seen us play all year.
Rest tonight. No drinking or craziness for me. Good luck to everyone trying to hit the mega millions tonight hahaha.
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Thurs., March 29 - Average Day
Weekly Mileage: 20 (3 days)
Today's Workout
Easy 6 miles
4x100 strides w/100 jog between
Basic core workout, abs and pushups
Breakdown
Ran easy and comfortable at around 7:15 pace. Did the town loop plus a little extension, which is basically the roads that surround the town of Slippery Rock and make a big loop back to my house. It's about a 5.2 mile loop, so I need to add on a little to get to six miles, which I do by adding a little loop through campus.
Weather was a lot colder than it has been the last week or so. Went with shorts, long sleeve and gloves. Should have gone pants probably. Weather doesn't look much better for tomorrow and definitely not good for the race Saturday.
Felt fine through four miles. Left quad and right calf acted up a bit last two miles. Stretched extra well after the core workout and will stretch again before bed.
Still not really pleased with how poorly I have recovered from the 10 miler last Sunday, but hopefully things come together for this weekend.
Shoes
Adidas Supernova Ride
Next Up
Super easy four mile run and strides tomorrow morning before work. Have a meeting at 11:30 to talk about the grad assistant job at SRU tomorrow and then have a lacrosse game at 3 (Let's go ladies!). Good dinner and a quiet night tomorrow and then my first real attempt at a race in more than four years on Saturday morning.
Race
I'm going to go to the Hustle for Muscle 5k in Sharon at Penn State Shenango Saturday morning. I chose that one because its about the same distance away from here as the other races that day, but its the cheapest to run ($15 vs. $35 for the one in Wexford). Winner gets $50 cash. If the same exact field shows up as last year, I would finish first or second based on my workouts. Maybe the rain and cold (32 degrees predicted at start time) will scare away the faster folks and I can score some cash! Not likely and not why I am going, but would be nice. Looking at going out in about 6:05 for the first mile and hoping to drop it to 5:45-6:00 range to close. If I can run anywhere close to 19:00 after only two months of real training and no running for four years, that would be a massive accomplishment.
Other Junk
Went to Compadres for the first time tonight. Its a Mexican restaurant close to Slippery Rock and I cant believe I have never been there in three plus years. Tuesday and Thursday they do 99 cent tacos and every night from 7-9 they do 99 cent beers. The tacos were fantastic and the company was great. Went with some of my student workers and their friends. Really going to miss them when they graduate. That's all for now. Easy run coming up in the morning.
Oh! My racing shoes for the half marathon came in the mail today finally. They fit perfect and are the exact color as my bright green jersey, so I am super happy. Going to race in them this Saturday to put some miles on them and get my feet accustomed to them. May 6 is coming fast! They also have an awesome message on the bottom I didn't know about. Bri is going to beat cancer... and cancer is going to lose! Pics below.
Today's Workout
Easy 6 miles
4x100 strides w/100 jog between
Basic core workout, abs and pushups
Breakdown
Ran easy and comfortable at around 7:15 pace. Did the town loop plus a little extension, which is basically the roads that surround the town of Slippery Rock and make a big loop back to my house. It's about a 5.2 mile loop, so I need to add on a little to get to six miles, which I do by adding a little loop through campus.
Weather was a lot colder than it has been the last week or so. Went with shorts, long sleeve and gloves. Should have gone pants probably. Weather doesn't look much better for tomorrow and definitely not good for the race Saturday.
Felt fine through four miles. Left quad and right calf acted up a bit last two miles. Stretched extra well after the core workout and will stretch again before bed.
Still not really pleased with how poorly I have recovered from the 10 miler last Sunday, but hopefully things come together for this weekend.
Shoes
Adidas Supernova Ride
Next Up
Super easy four mile run and strides tomorrow morning before work. Have a meeting at 11:30 to talk about the grad assistant job at SRU tomorrow and then have a lacrosse game at 3 (Let's go ladies!). Good dinner and a quiet night tomorrow and then my first real attempt at a race in more than four years on Saturday morning.
Race
I'm going to go to the Hustle for Muscle 5k in Sharon at Penn State Shenango Saturday morning. I chose that one because its about the same distance away from here as the other races that day, but its the cheapest to run ($15 vs. $35 for the one in Wexford). Winner gets $50 cash. If the same exact field shows up as last year, I would finish first or second based on my workouts. Maybe the rain and cold (32 degrees predicted at start time) will scare away the faster folks and I can score some cash! Not likely and not why I am going, but would be nice. Looking at going out in about 6:05 for the first mile and hoping to drop it to 5:45-6:00 range to close. If I can run anywhere close to 19:00 after only two months of real training and no running for four years, that would be a massive accomplishment.
Other Junk
Went to Compadres for the first time tonight. Its a Mexican restaurant close to Slippery Rock and I cant believe I have never been there in three plus years. Tuesday and Thursday they do 99 cent tacos and every night from 7-9 they do 99 cent beers. The tacos were fantastic and the company was great. Went with some of my student workers and their friends. Really going to miss them when they graduate. That's all for now. Easy run coming up in the morning.
Oh! My racing shoes for the half marathon came in the mail today finally. They fit perfect and are the exact color as my bright green jersey, so I am super happy. Going to race in them this Saturday to put some miles on them and get my feet accustomed to them. May 6 is coming fast! They also have an awesome message on the bottom I didn't know about. Bri is going to beat cancer... and cancer is going to lose! Pics below.
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Wed., Mar. 28 - Windy Speed Day
Weekly Miles: 14 (2 days)
Today's Workout
2 mile warmup
Plyos
4x 300-200-100 w/ 100 jog between and 400 jog after each set.
1 mile cool down
Breakdown
Super windy today. Tried to wait until the evening to get my workout in to avoid the worst of the winds.
Going to be running a 5k this Saturday morning before our lacrosse game to gauge my fitness level, so this week's speed day was a simple 3-2-1 workout. Did the workout at Old Thompson (pavement 440 yard track) to avoid dealing with spring football practice in the stadium.
Ran it comfortably fast and didn't really get anaerobic on any of the sets. Did all the 300s in 49-51 seconds, 200s in 34-36 seconds and 100s in 16 seconds. Relaxed. No problems.
Left quad is bothering me a bit from not recovering from my 10 miler on Sunday as well as I hoped. Got 7 easy miles in yesterday and legs got heavy around four miles. Still felt heavy today, but no soreness during the workout.
Shoes
Warmed up in Adidas Supernova Ride
Workout in Nike Lunarfly 3
Next Up
Easy six miles with strides tomorrow, followed by core workout. Easy four miles and strides Friday morning (lacrosse game that afternoon). 5k race Saturday (still not sure which one I am going to).
Other News
Getting back into coaching a bit. I have my US Track and Field coaching certification and have done basically nothing with it. On top of putting my plan together, I have also put a training plan together for my intern Becky, who is running the half marathon May 6 as well. She is crushing her training right now and I think she is going to be super surprised come race day. It's been fun helping her out a bit and she's been an awesome running partner and someone to commiserate about running with. That's all. Peace out.
Today's Workout
2 mile warmup
Plyos
4x 300-200-100 w/ 100 jog between and 400 jog after each set.
1 mile cool down
Breakdown
Super windy today. Tried to wait until the evening to get my workout in to avoid the worst of the winds.
Going to be running a 5k this Saturday morning before our lacrosse game to gauge my fitness level, so this week's speed day was a simple 3-2-1 workout. Did the workout at Old Thompson (pavement 440 yard track) to avoid dealing with spring football practice in the stadium.
Ran it comfortably fast and didn't really get anaerobic on any of the sets. Did all the 300s in 49-51 seconds, 200s in 34-36 seconds and 100s in 16 seconds. Relaxed. No problems.
Left quad is bothering me a bit from not recovering from my 10 miler on Sunday as well as I hoped. Got 7 easy miles in yesterday and legs got heavy around four miles. Still felt heavy today, but no soreness during the workout.
Shoes
Warmed up in Adidas Supernova Ride
Workout in Nike Lunarfly 3
Next Up
Easy six miles with strides tomorrow, followed by core workout. Easy four miles and strides Friday morning (lacrosse game that afternoon). 5k race Saturday (still not sure which one I am going to).
Other News
Getting back into coaching a bit. I have my US Track and Field coaching certification and have done basically nothing with it. On top of putting my plan together, I have also put a training plan together for my intern Becky, who is running the half marathon May 6 as well. She is crushing her training right now and I think she is going to be super surprised come race day. It's been fun helping her out a bit and she's been an awesome running partner and someone to commiserate about running with. That's all. Peace out.
Catching Up
Before I start posting updates on current runs and progress, I figured for my own sake and record keeping, I should post a recap of how I got here. Since I don't particularly feel like writing a novel, we're going list form for most of it.
On Jan. 1, 2012, I stepped on a scale and weighed 206 pounds. I would include photos, but they make me kind of sick. I started running in January and basically just logged super easy low mileage weeks, starting with three or four runs a week and building up to five runs a week by mid-February.
January
- Runs: Easy runs. Super Slow. 8:30-9 minute mile pace.
- Diet: Cut out liquid calories. Stopped drinking during the week. Started eating better. Ate out less often.
- Weight: Dropped around 15 pounds, nearly all fat.
I started running a more rigid workout schedule about the second week of February, including a speed workout each day. When I drew up the initial plans, I didn't have any ambitions of running anything other than 5ks anytime soon, so there really weren't many miles or many long runs.
February
- Runs: Increased to five runs a week. Mostly easy miles dipping into the high 7-minute pace. Moderate speed days once a week, starting with track workouts and moving to tempo runs by the end of the month.
- Race: Ran an underground 5k on Feb. 18 with some old friends from college. A ton of twists and turns. And we got fairly drunk reminiscing about college the night before and slept very little. Still, managed a 20:55 which is in the high 6:40 mile pace range. Not bad for all things considered.
- Weight: Dropped down to about 180 pounds by the end of the month.
I made the decision in late February that I was going to run the Pittsburgh Half Marathon for charity. I chose to run for the Mario Lemieux Foundation and more specifically to run in the name of my friend Brianne Dishong, who was diagnosed with cancer late last year. I'll be decked out in a special bright green uniform with quotes and her number on it on race day and a bib that says "iRun4Bri". To date, we have raised more than $1,200 for the foundation. I am hoping to get to at least $1,500 by May 6. More info and online donation site is setup at: http://www.active.com/donate/mariolemieuxfdn/jonholtz
March
- Runs: Increased to six days a week with a more rigid schedule. Hard workouts Wednesday. Long run Saturday or Sunday depending on my schedule.
- Weight: As it stands March 28, down to 170 pounds. I would like to go about 10 pounds lighter before race day, but I am eating more now with the increased miles so weight isn't coming off as fast. Still, that's 36 pounds lost in less than three months. I'll take it.
- Progress: Long run last week was 10 miles and I did in in 1:13, which is around 7:18 pace. I was solid, smooth and comfortable. Easily could have finished the extra 3.1 miles in the same pace, which would be around 1:34 and change for the half marathon, which would have been top-200 finishers out of 9,000 last season. My goal when I started this crazy plan with no training under my belt was to somehow get into the top-250 on race day. I am hoping if I stay healthy and keep progressing, to blow that away now.
That's some background on how we got to where we are now. Next post will start the official daily running log and progress reports leading up to the half marathon May 6.
On Jan. 1, 2012, I stepped on a scale and weighed 206 pounds. I would include photos, but they make me kind of sick. I started running in January and basically just logged super easy low mileage weeks, starting with three or four runs a week and building up to five runs a week by mid-February.
January
- Runs: Easy runs. Super Slow. 8:30-9 minute mile pace.
- Diet: Cut out liquid calories. Stopped drinking during the week. Started eating better. Ate out less often.
- Weight: Dropped around 15 pounds, nearly all fat.
I started running a more rigid workout schedule about the second week of February, including a speed workout each day. When I drew up the initial plans, I didn't have any ambitions of running anything other than 5ks anytime soon, so there really weren't many miles or many long runs.
February
- Runs: Increased to five runs a week. Mostly easy miles dipping into the high 7-minute pace. Moderate speed days once a week, starting with track workouts and moving to tempo runs by the end of the month.
- Race: Ran an underground 5k on Feb. 18 with some old friends from college. A ton of twists and turns. And we got fairly drunk reminiscing about college the night before and slept very little. Still, managed a 20:55 which is in the high 6:40 mile pace range. Not bad for all things considered.
- Weight: Dropped down to about 180 pounds by the end of the month.
I made the decision in late February that I was going to run the Pittsburgh Half Marathon for charity. I chose to run for the Mario Lemieux Foundation and more specifically to run in the name of my friend Brianne Dishong, who was diagnosed with cancer late last year. I'll be decked out in a special bright green uniform with quotes and her number on it on race day and a bib that says "iRun4Bri". To date, we have raised more than $1,200 for the foundation. I am hoping to get to at least $1,500 by May 6. More info and online donation site is setup at: http://www.active.com/donate/mariolemieuxfdn/jonholtz
 |
| Group shot of the Mansfield alums after the Runnin' Out of Our Mine 5k |
March
- Runs: Increased to six days a week with a more rigid schedule. Hard workouts Wednesday. Long run Saturday or Sunday depending on my schedule.
- Weight: As it stands March 28, down to 170 pounds. I would like to go about 10 pounds lighter before race day, but I am eating more now with the increased miles so weight isn't coming off as fast. Still, that's 36 pounds lost in less than three months. I'll take it.
- Progress: Long run last week was 10 miles and I did in in 1:13, which is around 7:18 pace. I was solid, smooth and comfortable. Easily could have finished the extra 3.1 miles in the same pace, which would be around 1:34 and change for the half marathon, which would have been top-200 finishers out of 9,000 last season. My goal when I started this crazy plan with no training under my belt was to somehow get into the top-250 on race day. I am hoping if I stay healthy and keep progressing, to blow that away now.
That's some background on how we got to where we are now. Next post will start the official daily running log and progress reports leading up to the half marathon May 6.
Taking the Running Log Online
Since I am back into an almost normal training routine, I figured I needed to start accurately mapping my training log back out.
Since everything has gone to an online or digital format since the last time I really kept a log, I figured why not just do it this way rather than keeping a paper log somewhere that I might misplace or lose.
So, this page is going to start out as a running/training log and who knows, maybe develop into something more or something entirely different.
Here we go.
Since everything has gone to an online or digital format since the last time I really kept a log, I figured why not just do it this way rather than keeping a paper log somewhere that I might misplace or lose.
So, this page is going to start out as a running/training log and who knows, maybe develop into something more or something entirely different.
Here we go.
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