My story to a 2:44 Barcelona marathon in 2012

I thought I should share my experience and plan for a personal best of 2:44:30 at the 2012 Barcelona Marathon. Hope this is usefull for runners of all levels.

Start with a small intro:
I 've been a runner for 6 years more or less. During this period I have completed several marathons, countless smaller distance events, and a dozen or more ultra distance runs (2x100milers included). Since I am a working man as well, I have learned to make the most of my training, and on top keep my running mojo alive an kicking. I must admit that no injuries have bothered me all these years. My marathon achievements timeline is like this:

• 2007 - Athens Classic marathon (one of the toughest official marathon routes): 3:20
• 2008 - Athens Classic marathon: 3:10
• 2009 -  Pafos marathon in Cyprus: 3:05, Athens Classic marathon: 3:05
• 2010 - Rotterdam marathon: 2:56, Athens Classic: 2:56
• 2011 - Thessaloniki marathon: 2:49
• 2012 - Barcelona marathon: 2:44

 I have no coach and never had one. I am running all distances and usually I participate to more than 10 events per year (all inclusive, some triathlons as well). I was born in 1971 (making me 41 years old at the time of this article).

Basic principles
Barcelona Marathon 2012 took place on 25th of March. I started my preparation in mid November (a bit more than 4 months to prepare), with a goal to improve b 3-4 minutes my achievement of 2011 at Thessaloniki marathon (2:49). Before starting my training plan, I had a period of 6 months in which I was preparing for an Ironman and a 100miler on the mountains. Basically I was with zero speedwork for 5 months (before November 2011), while I had huge milleage at very slow pace (training for my 100miler).

My job is an office work of 9-11 hours per day, 5 days per week. I am married with no children. My time is quite limited, but I really enjoy running and training. I read a lot of sports books, and I like to try and test new things on my training plan. Pilars of my training:

• Avoid injuries
• Enjoy as much as possible
• Make the most of my limited training time (effective training)

The plan
My plan was based on these priciples:

1. Consistent interval training with "tunnel vision" effort, 2 times per week (followed by focused 30minutes of stretching)
2. Surprisingly slow long runs
3. 4 days per week with morning - evening runs (double workouts)
4. One easy day per week, one easy week per month
5. Core strength training 4 times per week (abs, back)
6. Leg strength for 7 weeks at the start of the preparation period
7. Monitoring body weight and trying to lose as much as possible from the extra kilos added during the annual off-period.

Points 1,2 above are the most crucial as I came to understand over the previous years but especially this year. No mercy on the intervals! These are usually the less popular runs and usually unpleasant ones. When I do my interval sessions, I have one thing in mind: They are "expensive" for my mentality, so better make them count! Also the slow runs were done at approximately 1min to 1:10 slower than my target race pace. Meaning that I was running at 5:00 - 5:15 per kilometer, which felt really slow for me. But... if I push a bit more, then even though I am ok during this run, it takes longer to recover for my next session! And of course, there is no gain in going 4:40 instead of 5:05 per kilometer! So ... why go faster?

The double workouts helped in the sense, that the evening run, was always on heavy legs. This is good for getting used to running while tired.

Abs and back excersises help technique, stability and eficiency in style. They are the easiest way to improve performance, yet I see very few people doing them!

Leg strength at the early part of the period, involved balanced routines for all the leg. Quads, hamstrings, calves, glutes.

My milleage per week, never exceeded 120km and never went below 70km (except during tappering and sickness week).

Getting things done
A period of 4 months for preparation is the longest preparation period I have ever been through! Many things can go wrong!!! During this period I had one thing on my mind. Always look at the coming week and not further. If I was feeling slugish, I would exchange a hard session with an easier one, or even cancel. As long as this is a limited incident, it does not affect the plan at all. And it makes me recover and feel better.

I am using Training Peaks online service to keep track of my workouts. When I am running I do not pay attention to my watch. I do not care at all about heart rate or pace. But I record everything so that I can review later my workout. Especially for the interval sessions, I think it is important always to review the data so that I can pin point (mostly based on heart rate data) if I have been trying as hard as I should during all the intervals. Training Peaks, is the best platform I have seen so far, and I have tried a few! They have some excellent features (for members only) that evaluate the stress that each session is imposing on your body, the long term load according to your training (based on volume as well as intensity), and finally an indication of the fitness level! The diagram of my preparation period is presented in the picture below.

The blue line indicates my accumulated training load according to the training stress score per day. The purple line indicates the tiredness and stress accumulated in my body. The orange line represents the training stress balance, or for simplicity how fresh I am at a given time. For top performance, TSB should be either "0" or slightly positive, and the purple line should either "0" or negative.

Overall in this period, I executed 20 interval sessions with distances ranging from 400m to 1000m and usually 7 repetitions going up to maximum 10. I did almost every week a non stop, easy going long run ranging from 21km to 34km with some uphill in them. Included two half marathon distance races in early February and early March (bit displaced my "test race 2" in the chart). Early to mid February had to slow down due to illness. But there was no stress. My intervals were going well and had no injuries. So nothing could make me feel stressed, even a 10 day fall back.

From starting line to finish line

With 25th of March approaching, I started to cool down my training. I have noticed from past experience, that when I take a "low" week, usually I feel really fresh from the mid of the following week. So there is an obvious delay. So I applied this to my tappering for the marathon. My really low week was the week before the race-week. I rested a lot, and did less interval sessions. On race week, I did almost every day short runs of 5-7k and one 5x intervals session. So I arrived at the start line fresh, but also strong without sacrificing my fitness. Training Peaks helped a lot in this direction as well. I included a bit of mountan biking these last 10 days as well, as a low stress but excellent aerobic exercise. My target was a 2:45-2:46 finish time.

So on 25th of March I stood at the start line happy and strong. The weather was on the hot side with 18degC early in the morning expecting to go to 20-21degC at the later stages of the marathon. The route is a slightly hilly one with about 280m of total accumulated ascent. My race plan was to take advantage of the cooler temperature of the morning and push it a bit more in the first half. This was not a race for negative split for me. I passed the half marathon in 1:19:07 and was feeling good, but I knew that the sun and the heat would take their toll eventually. At the 27th km I saw some runners suffering from stomach problems, and we were already at 20degC and out in the open part of the route, next to the beach front. The next 10k were exposed to the sun, with light head wind and temperature rising. Till the 29th km, I was on track for a 2:41 marathon. But it was then that I decided to secure my race since I was seeing more and more runners around me sufering from the heat. I would be very happy to go faster than my plan. So I settled to a comfortable pace, a bit lower than in the early stages of the race. Till then I was at 3:48 min/km. Then I fell back to to 3:55 min/km. The last 2km to the finish line are uphill in this race, so eventually I run these at 4:10 min/km, which was my slowest kilometer in the race. I never went faster than 3:30 and never slower than 4:10 per kilometer. When I crossed the finish line, my legs were tired but not in pain, the clock was at 2:44:30 and I was happy! There were more than 17.000 runners in this marathon. I passed the 5th kilometer 123rd, the half marathon 119th and finished 121st. I think I had a good plan.

The organization is top notch. I would dare say that it was the best orgnized event I have ever run. The route is not a really fast one, since it has some ups and downs and the hot weather possibility is very likely! One thing that I know that affects me a lot, is the heat.

Looking forward for my next marathon in 2013 with a goal to break the 2:40 mark. Staying healthy and running happily is the only way to this.

Enjoy your training.

Why do I run?

Running is an activity which seems, for the majority of people, a very unpleasant thing to do. Involving a lot of sweating, some physical discomfort with the heart beating more intensely, risk of injury for the joints and muscles, and of course all of these things are happening during our free time, at least for 99,9% of us runners!

Running is primarily about covering distances, with your own physical ability. Secondarily, speed may get in the way, how fast one can cover a given distance. But first comes always the fact that the runner must be able to cover the distance. Two elements are highlighted here: covering the distance and doing so only by using your body.

In sports, people tend to reveal their real character because of the simplicity of the situation. The connection between effort invested and the result returned is very straightforward and linear. No tricks can be applied and no shortcuts exist to be taken. Your way of thinking, your physical capability will get you to the destination. Even when doing a casual run, the runner is able to feel his body and observe his performance. And this activity requires, after a few minutes in it, the full attention of the participant. No distractions are allowed. It is absorbing our body and mind.

So running is a "back to basics" activity. Regular running will change ones life in many aspects. A morning run will make you feel fully charged for the day ahead, an evening run will relieve most of the stress. Eating will become more pleasant, digestion will be easier, and above all, at night when time comes to go to sleep, your body will be needing it. There is a notable side effect involving our hormones and the feeling of happiness we get out of most of our runs. Also it is a character shaping activity by testing our determination, discipline and capability to achieve our goals by overcoming some simple physical difficulties. Long distance running (whatever "long" is for each one of us) will test our mind and character against some very primitive and elemental instincts, because we will experience feelings of discomfort, exhaustion, maybe pain, hunger, thirst. While running each one will address the emotions and difficulties according to his character and mentality. And there are no external factors to assist you.

About myself: I run because while on the move I have this unique feeling that I can hear my self without any obstructions! I see my thoughts and emotions. I feel the earth rolling under my feet and I have this unique sense of flow. Over time, I realized that every run (especially long distance ones) includes a life of its' own, with a great deal of self awareness, but also realization of the characters of those running next to me. There is no better way to get to know people. Including myself!

Why do you run?

Happy New Year to everyone! May this year be the one you run the most you have ever run.

My "no plan" 100miles mountain run: ROUT 2011

It has been 2 weeks already since my participation at Rodopi Ultra Trail (ROUT) 100miler. This is the first race in which I have applied (following my blog post a few weeks ago) a "no plan" approach. I started the race with no pacing plan and even further, just a quick look at the altitude profile and the space between support stations. This is a special race with lots of trails and sparse support stations: only 6 stations for 100 miles. Also it offers an experience of isolation, since there are only two village crossings and at the same time with only 63 participations it is guaranteed to lonely in the trails.

I arrived at the registration area just the day before the event (actually early afternoon). Set up my camping tent with my buddies at a very nice spot near the start line.  I tried to avoid any discussion about my plan (non existent) and details about the course. It was clear in my head that I would run only by feel. The race does not have any requirements regarding equipment and accessories. So it is a good opportunity to follow your instinct and go according to your own needs. So my pack included 1lt of water (when needed I could go up to 2.3lts), some sandwiches, bars and gels, as well as minimal clothing, a light wind-stopper jacket, a pair of gloves and a light wind stopper over-trouser. The weather forecast was very favorable for the whole duration of the event. I also packed my GPS and two headlights. Some more clothes and food was packed at my drop bag that I would have access at two spots during the run (69 and 123km).

At 06:00am Friday 63 runners were forming a small friendly group ready to start. A light breakfast was already in the belly and the weather even though cold, it was just fine given the early morning start. In my mind I have adopted a very simplistic approach: It was just one more long run at a very easy going pace. Did not know much about the altitude profile or the terrain, but... nothing could go wrong!

Started my run at a very relaxed pace. For the first few kms I was among a group of 8-10 runners leading just behind the leader who was already out of sight! A call to nature delayed me a bit, but after a couple of kms I was back in the group. The weather was really promising! My backpack contained only water, calories, two retractable running poles and a GPS. Around 3kgr in total. One more stop to get rid of my light wind stopper and then on the move again.

The feeling of the sun raising and the clear blue sky was very nice. It was not too hot or too cold. Around 12-14deg C. Hydration needs were normal, which was very important. After the first 10 kms I found myslef running alone for a while. I was going at my own pace feeling like I could go on for ever. And that is how I kept going. Around km 30 I caught up with a group of 3 runners, two of them familiar, Makis and Dimitris, along with a third rookie in ultra trail runs. We were running a bit like accordeon, opening and closing the distance from uphill to downhill or from check point to check point. I had this pleasant feeling and I did not care much about the pace or how much distance I have covered, or what was lying ahead. I had this pace of "going on for ever", and that was enough for me.

The route was magnificent, in dense vegetation, forests and on trails or forest roads. A couple of steep downhills were making me a bit more cautious not to overstress my quads, even though at one point it was really demanding and reminded me a lot of UTMB inclination. It was the long downhill of Oksia which challenged my quads for a while. But after that, everything was more gentle again. What is interesting is that I never got too anxious about what was coming up next. I had almost no clue. Dimitris was familiar with the route and from time to time he was revealing some details of what was ahead, but that was it. My mentality was, that I can take whatever comes! Weather was on our side. At some point I was running critical on water, but as long as I used my last drop of water, after 10 minutes we crossed a nice stream an was happy to refill my camel-back.

My approach was working fine. I had no ups or downs. Usually at km 80 I start feeling a bit discouraged, being half way through the run and feeling a bit tired makes you wonder how are you supposed to manage the 2nd half. This did not happen. My explanation resides to the fact that my "no plan" approach removed one complication from my run: I had nothing to compare with! There was no point that I would say that I am going a bit faster than the plan, or any point were my slow pace due to tiredness would make me think that I am falling behind my plan. This was a revelation to me. These thoughts are multiplying your emotions when in a race. So ... I did not have this effect!

Night came and we were at km 80. Our pace was spot on for sub 30 hours. But I tried to keep this kind of calculations out of my head. The guys (at that point we were reduced to 3 in total - the young fellow slowed down wisely), were a bit surprised at our pace since they had an estimation in their mind when they started and it was nowhere close to 30hrs! Anyway, we kept going. Night goes by faster than day! Senses are more alert and the last thing you think about is the time or the uphill that you meet. The only thing that I do not like about night time, is that I am missing some nice views!

The weather was fine. Temperature was close to zero, but it did not matter as long as we kept moving. Warm soups at the few aid stations were more than welcomed (caution... not too hot!). We were moving at a constant pace and before we realized it, we were at the end of the loop (the route consists of a tail and a loop - the tail is the part that we go out and then we do it again when we return towards the finish). A fellow runner, Christos, was catching up with us from station to station, but our fast walking pace at some parts was too much for him since he as shorter than the three of us.

The early morning sun found us at the last major station before the finish line: Prasinada! We were consistent for a sub 30hrs finish. Legs were ok, no low point feeling for me and we were exchanging motivation bursts with the guys trying to speed up a bit. After we passed the 130th km mark, I did not care much about anything. I knew that I had a very pleasant run with friends. The last 30km could not change that and I was confident that the finish line was in sight.

Well... this race has a special finish! Consists of a steep uphill starting at km 146, just 20km before the finish! This is a quad killer! Imagine a total of 1000m of climb (incline of 16%) while you are already at the 148 km in the race... We started going up all happy and psyched about our imminent sub-30hrs finish. Half way to the top of this uphill, even though we kept eating consistently, our legs were totally burned! No bad feeling or frustration, since the finish line was very close... But legs were really struggling to keep pushing upwards. A sort flat and downhill break, made us laugh at the sight of the three of us, not being able to run the downhill trail! And then it was again all the way up! By that time we have totally forgot the 30hours goal. just 12 kms before the finish and yet feeling our legs heavy as anchors.

We got to the top. As I said, there were no hard feelings in me. Just some heavy and empty quads. I knew that there were 7kms left of a slightly uphill route but normally, completely runnable. We have agreed to finish all together. We were position 4-5-6 in the ranking. I was suggesting some running intervals every now and then, trying to find some nice motivational excuses for the guys. Always in races like this one, I start feeling the finish line anxiety in the last few kms. I had it now as well, but we were a team the three of us and we would go together. A great team it was!

Just crossed the finish line. Me in the middle.

We crossed the finish line all together, running and happy, at 31hrs 42min and ranking 4th all three of us (yes... we are organizers' ranking nightmare). I must admit that this was the endurance run with the less low points I have ever done! Following my analysis of the no plan approach I would say that I need some more ultra running events to finalize my opinion. One thing though is clear: Planning creates one more complication in our mind. It is up to us to make good use of it or not. But it is certain that a plan will amplify your feelings when you realize that you are deviating from it. My next ultra running event, will be without plan as well. I enjoyed ROUT a lot!

I fell asleep during the massage session after the finish. Legs were just fine the very next day. Three days after was able to go out and run again, but managed to constrain myself. My annual 4 weeks "off" period has started.

38 finished the 100miler out of the 63 who started. The event is one of these casual, no-fireworks ultras but also with a sufficient and well planned organization. I ate some sandwiches of banana-bread with peanut butter and honey, 4 sesame bars, 5 nature valley bars, 10 gels (I found very efficient the High5 4:1), some salty crackers and several dozens of sugar jelly beans. Drunk about 10 liters of water and another 2 liters of isotonic.

Yes... I did carry all my garbage packaging all the way back to Athens. 

Here you can get an idea of the remains!

Jelly beans frenzy.

Saturday evening, I packed my tent and moved to the nearby city of Kavala to sleep at a friends house and spend some time in the sea-side city. Sunday evening was back in Athens and the whole stream of news about the crisis was all over the place. At least we got some peace of mind, a nice winter jacket with our name embroidered on it, and a long lasting experience up on the trails of Rodopi.

A big thank you to the organizers. Race details: www.rout.gr