The Last Train[ing from] Home*

THAT IS IT.  The training is over.  The taper is over.  It is time for the California International Marathon (CIM) from Folsom to the State Capitol Building in Sacramento.  This is the last in my fall training update series.

Week 4: (11/8 - 11/14) This week included the Clarksburg Country Run Half Marathon.  I treated this as a train-though race, so the changes to my normal routine were minimal.  The tempo run on Wednesday was reduced from 22 minutes to 2 miles.  The Saturday group run moved from Golden Gate Park to the Golden Gate Bridge, resulting in a shorter Saturday run.  The half marathon, with the warm-up and cool down, was the long run for the week, totaling 16.6 miles.  Owing to the shorter long run, the week totaled 41.5 miles.

Week 3: (11/15 - 11/21) This is the last week of regular training before CIM.  The fitness room in the building where I live closed down to resurface the pool deck and to perform pool maintenance.  This is not the time to alter my training routine.  So, I signed-up for the fitness club that is located in the Fairmont Hotel, just down the street.  This club is run by Club One, which has several other locations in the area, including one near my office.  Monday and Tuesday were my first visits.  Wednesday and Thursday I was in Monterey on business.  I managed to include a ten mile run along the coast on Thursday (click on the link to see the route).  On Saturday, it rained early.  So, I skipped the group run and went back to the gym.  Sunday was my last extended long run.  It rained over night, but had broken-up by the morning.  I did not want to do another long treadmill run.  So, I took my chances at Lake Merced.  I was hit by a 20 minute shower and two five minute showers in a 2:52, five loop run (22.5 miles).  The long run went well and I felt fine, but tired at the end.  Every long run is better than the last one.  If I had two or three more, I would be more confident.  The risk, though, is that overuse injuries will start to crop up.  So, there is no guarantee that more runs would be better.  The total for the week was 50.6 miles.

Week 2: (11/22 - 11/28) This week included Thanksgiving.  I reduced the running from five days to four.  In place of the tempo run, I am doing marathon pace segments in the shorter runs.  The plan is to reduce the volume, but maintain some intensity to keep the legs fresh.  Another rainy Saturday morning, so I went to the gym.  Sunday was my favorite 10 mile long run to Fort Point, under the Golden Gate Bridge, and back.  Total mileage for the week of 27.7.

Week 1: (11/29 - 12/5) Three days of moderate running and the race on the last day of the week, Sunday.  Each day leading to the race was a 5K run.  Two days had one mile at approximately marathon pace (6:49).  The total for the week, with the 26.2 mile marathon, will be 35.5 miles.

The Race: (12/5) The marathon starts at 7:00 AM, pacific standard time (10:00 AM on the East Coast).  My race number will be 1409.  The race organizer reports:

 "Live runner tracking will be available again this year and will be much improved. A prominent link will be posted on the front page of RunCIM.org to access the tracking system."

The event website is www.runcim.org.

The live tarcking page is http://www.flashresults.com/2011_Meets/CIM/.

Here is what I should hit if I am going to make 3:00:00 for the marathon.

5.9    0:40:30
13.1  1:30:00
20     2:17:18


*(Pat Metheny - Last Train Home on YouTube)