Ms. Ronster and I went to the Reagan Library near my sister's house in Simi Valley and walked through Air Force One. The background mural is opposite the exhibit. I was never a fan of Reagan's, but Mom and my sister, Cindy like to go there around Xmas time to see the international display of trees.

Today was a tempo run of three miles at 6:25-6:40, along with 4 miles warmup and cooldown. On the TM it feels easy, except for heat buildup and boredom. I'm up to 31 miles this week, with 8 EZ tomorrow. I've got to load up since I'll have to take a SRD on Sun. We're going to Sault St. Marie, on Saturday to get my permanent residence card for Canada stamped by immigration. Then I'll be someone here in the North. I HATE going through immigration....they can do anything.

Last 5 weeks:57, 34, 42, 52, 53, and 52 scheduled for this week.

In spite of the weather, the home treadmill has made it possible to log another 50-plus mile week. As I was driving around town this morning (to warm up the car) I still see no possibility of outdoor running without some seriously warm weather. By that I mean a week or so above 35 degrees to clean up the sidewalks, etc.

On the TM this week I did 2 days of two-a days. I'd never do that at this mileage, but it's hard for me to so long hard runs on the TM. So I'll do a session with speed or hills in the morning, and a slower run that PM.

If I stay at 8:20 pace it's pretty easy to go for a long time on the TM, but once I'm at 7:40 or faster, I start to heat up. So many runs start at 9:00/mile and finish at 7:30, for a 8:20 average. Outside, I'll start faster and average around 8:00 on most non-speed runs. I'm learning the value of not overdoing it on the "easy" runs.

Too cold outside..TM time

The last four weeks have been all on the treadmill. Since November, the mileage has been 43, 54, 57, 34, 42, 52, or around 46 mpw. I've still had a sore lower back and left periformis muscle, but aside from three weeks ago, when I took three days off due to travel, the running has been consistant.
Each week has a hill workout and a speed session. After a 19:07 5K race, on what felt like a good day, I realized I needed to do at least SOME speed work.

Most of my runs are around 8:30-7:40 pace. But the speed is a good use of the TM.

My next race won't be until March 30--a 30K--so I don't need long runs yet.

Even though I love the small local 5K races with their lack of hassles, I'd have to say I'm more likely to run well in a large-field marathon. I've only done one of under 1000 and that was an unpleasant experience due to the lack of traffic control and fellow runners.

I mean, if you finish a full marathon and there are just a handful of runners and volunteers, etc. in the finish area, it sort of feels like you just ran the local
fireman's 5K. Not very festive at the finish considering what you've done.

That said, I'm speaking as someone who is always closer to the front than back. If I had to run in those super-thick packs of runners wearing Spiderman costumes or Statue of Liberty garb, I might seek out the Kiwanas marathon with a 400-runner limit.

This guy is fake. But he'd love our snow and bitter (high 3F) cold!!!

Hills: what's my philosophy?

My hill philosophy is to find the best running mechanics for as an individual, ie, stride length, rate, arm swing and lean. I feel this is an individual thing, like putting. Of course, it will vary from runner to runner and hill to hill.

But in races I can feel it when I'm running well on hills--and passing or being passed doesn't factor in--because the effort and trauma levels up and down are low. On a 5K it's harder to do this due to O2 demands, but on marathons it works for me.

Training, on the other hand, is fast up, easy down to benefit while protecting the body. The treadmill trumps on this one, for me.

How many weekly miles should we train?

This is THE question in competitive marathoning. Notice I didn't say "elite" marathoning." For elites it's always well into triple figures during training cycles.

But I believe a healthy runner who wants to race well at the full marathon requires at least 65-75 mpw/average over 16 weeks, with 1-2 faster days and one long day.

But if you are under 35 or so and you can go 80-100mpw, you can't help but race even better.

As we age, it requires a higher injury risk to train to that point. I wouldn't do it. But I'll attempt to average 75mpw with a couple( or three) of 2X days. I want to run my best and ran a 3:12 two years ago 10 pounds over my current weight and running 45 mpw, so now, in the off season, I'm treading 50-55 miles base with some speedwork and will build with the long runs starting February.

To me 70-120 miles is a wide range but an accurate assessment, depending on the runner's history. Runners with natural talent may run well at less, but not their best.

It's a nasty winter storm--white-out time here. Sixteen degrees f, and that's the warmest in 4 days!

So, I did the tread/hill-repeats.

After a 2 mile warm up, you go to MP plus 30 or so(7:30/mile for me) and do 400 meters at that pace. Then 400 at 4% speeding up to MP, lowering the grade as you speed up. So 100 meters @7:35-- 4%; 100 at 7:15-- 3%; 100 at 7:00-- 2% and 100 at 6:50 at 1 or 2%. Then, you go 600m at the original 7:30-8:00 pace and repeat. It's not too hard, but you can't cheat on the recovery and jog it. This, I believe, gives a LT element to those 4 miles. For the last two miles, I go 8:00-8:40.

Tread running is so much harder for my psychologically. The fast running seems like outside, but the slow going kills me. That's why I infuse more speed into the runs.
My Pfitz book should arrive this week. I love to read so reading 1 will take less than a week....I'm betting.