My last attempt at a 4th Olympic Marathon Trials

Week 4 - 5

Sharing is caring!

It always surprises me when people are interested in my training as I feel like it is pretty mundane. Even more so, I am now a middle aged man with a business to run, people to coach, a husband and a father. So, maybe that’s it? Maybe there is a twinkle of inspiration in there? To see if the grey haired (what’s left of it) can muster up one more performance? I hope so. For one, I’d like there to be a few good races left. Better yet, if you can show people who you can relate with in life that,

“If he can do it, maybe I can too!”

..then I am all for it. Besides, if it ends up being a complete train wreck, people like seeing that too…

So, as we enter the end of summer 2019, the qualifying window for the Olympic Trials is starting to close. To qualify for a 4th Trials in the same event would be a big deal to me. That would mean a career that had spanned 2004 to present! As I am now in my late 30’s, things don’t come as easy as they used to. For one, finding the time is harder, my responsibilities are far greater, and the lags in motivation sometimes linger a lot longer. Given all that, when you look at the number of late 30 somethings trying to chase that dream dwindling, I don’t think it’s due to ability. Rather, I think it’s due to just moving on. I am in a unique situation. As much going on, I have a unique opportunity to still put in a solid couple hours a day of training a day in, so let’s give it a shot!

Alright, so let’s preface this with where I am currently at. I ran the Toledo Glass City Marathon at the end of April. It was a cold and windy day, but still managed a 2:22:47 and second place. Obviously not where I need to be to get under 2:19, but I think I was pretty close to breaking through. My mileage was solid and had some really decent workouts. I took a couple weeks pretty much off and then started building back. Truth be told, I probably tried coming back a little too quick. I could still run, but my darn hip would get me every time I tried to run hard. So, I ran what I could tolerate and worked on strength and mobility. It finally went away and I was able to start building my mileage towards the end of July.

As you can see, nothing crazy, just a nice buildup. 

 

week 1-3

Week 1 a 14 mile long run.
Week 2 6×800 and 4×200. Nothing fast and was probably like marathon pace. Just trying to ease the fear of jumping back into workouts. Then on Sunday, a 16 mile long run.
Week 3 16×400 meters under 75 seconds with 400 meter jog recovery. On Sunday I did another long run of 18 miles.

Week 4 - 5

Week 1 a 14 mile long run.
Week 2 6×800 and 4×200. Nothing fast and was probably like marathon pace. Just trying to ease the fear of jumping back into workouts. Then on Sunday, a 16 mile long run.
Week 3 16×400 meters under 75 seconds with 400 meter jog recovery. On Sunday I did another long run of 18 miles.

Overall, I have been getting more detail work in, too. I have been trying to get 10-15 minutes of core, strength, or plyo work in a day. I have also averaged 2-3 days per week of getting strides in.

So there you have my “pre-season.” Now I’ll start my 9 day cycle. As far as volume, I don’t see myself much above 115 miles per week because I really feel at this point I really need to take some of my time and focus on the detail work. I think my 115 goal and 15 minutes/day of detail work is a good compromise. We’ll find out!

Stay tuned for how this week shapes up! 

[yith_wc_productslider id=74766]

Celebrate the end of summer with 25% off apparell. A perfect time to pick up hats, hoodies, and light long sleeve tech shirts! Use the code Labor Day for 25% off and free shipping (in USA only). Minimum purchase of $50. Code expires on Tuesday 9/3/19. 

Related Articles