Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon 10K training - Week 20

As I write this we are now under 14 days till the Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon.  I hope everyone's training has gone well this Spring and for you endurance runners.  I hope the taper craziness hasn't been too bad.

Despite what has been an abnormally cool Spring.  I've continued to get in some strong work this past week.  I've been sticking with my same program of rides and runs.  It's continued to provide a good benefit to me as I lost another 2 pounds this past week.  Bringing my training total to 18.  I'm looking forward to this year and seeing what benefits the lighter weight will provide.  I also added some hill work into my runs this past week.  If you're not adding it to your training routine, then you should.  As its a great way to add power.

The weatherman keeps promising a warm up this week.  We'll see if it actually happens.  Hopefully everyone is finishing strong with their training.

I got another run in this week with Mack.  He's now up to 3 miles and doing great!

Monday:  22.23 mile ride

Tuesday:  16.41 mile ride / weights

Wednesday:  23.11 mile ride / 4.30 mile run

Thursday:  11.79 mile run / 2.50 mile run

Friday:  Rest day

Saturday:  6.25 mile run

Sunday:  Rest day

Total Miles:  86.60

Calories Burned:  7,574

Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon 10K Training - Week 19

The countdown to race weekend keeps getting smaller and smaller.  This was probably our best weather week yet in 2014.  My fingers are crossed that we've finally turned the corner.  I'm pretty happy with how this week went.  I was off this past week and took advantage of the free time to get in some solid training.  How do I know it was solid training?  I lost 5 pounds this past week, which makes for a total of 16 pounds lost this training cycle.

My primary focus this week was both brick work and weight training.  Doing this type of training provides me with several benefits.  Not only does it help me prepare for multi-sport races, but it also helps a lot with my running.  My plan of attack for this coming week is to begin extending some of my runs.  I will be focusing on the 10K distance and finishing endurance for miles 5-6.2.  Hope everyone's training is going well and you're taking advantage of this nice weather.

Mack joined me for part of my run this Sunday.  He's getting really good and is ready for more miles.  Maybe even a 5K someday. 

Monday:  Rest day

Tuesday:  22.13 mile ride / 3.19 mile run

Wednesday:  5.29 mile run / weights

Thursday:  4.22 mile run / 16.30 mile ride / weights

Friday:  3.25 mile run / 18.23 mile ride

Saturday:  6 mile run

Sunday:  6.23 mile run.

Total Miles:  84.84

Calories Burned:  8,581

BEAL

Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon 10K - Week 18 training

Rejoice people of Northeast Ohio.  I looks like Spring is finally here, or atleast judging be the end of last week.  It was a rough start with rain on Monday and snow on Tuesday, but I was able to get outside to train the rest of the week.  I've begun to focus on a few different things in my training.  Not only is the Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon approaching, but also a couple duathlons.  For those of you who are not familiar with a duathlon.  Its like a Triathlon, but instead of swimming the first leg.  You do a run.  So, it's typically a run/ bike / run.  I've also started lifting again to help with my races and also to get ready for a vacation I have shortly after the Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon.

This was a good block of training.  It's a little different from those of you who are training for the marathon as when taper begins, those of us doing shorter races are ramping things up.  Hopefully everyone's training is going well and your excitement for race day is starting to build like mine.  My plan for this week is to continue to build on last week.  

Meet my running buddy last week, Mack.  He's the new girl's 9 month old Golden Doodle.
Excuse the alien eyes as those are from the camera's flash. 

Monday:  4 mile run.

Tuesday:  4.50 mile run.

Wednesday:  6 mile run / 30 minute weights

Thursday:  4.50 mile run / 30 minute weights

Friday:  22 mile ride

Saturday:  22.23 mile ride / 30 minute ride. 

Sunday:  4.13 mile run. 

Total miles:  83.74

Calories burned:  7,790

2014 Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon 10K Training Recap

This month began with a lot of excitement.  I had hoped the worst of winter was over and that it was time for some warmer temps.  Well, that's how March usually is around here.  Instead we had another month of freezing temps and snow.  I had hoped for  two "50+ degree" days a week, but it felt like we had two all month.  Apart from the crappy weather, my training went really well.   As I was able to string some solid runs and rides together.  I had been fighting some slight discomfort in my hip, but I dialed things back a few times and I do feel better now while riding and my stride seems to be much smoother when running.

Lots to look forward too in April.  Depending on the weather, I hope to get in some solid outdoor workouts and maybe a race or two.   I need to log some outdoor workouts to get ready.  I also need to focus on getting to my race weight by Spring.  The best news of March is that I'm down 6 pounds for the month.  Hopefully we have some dry weekends

Running:  42.13 miles

Cycling:  201.10 miles

Total:  243.23 miles

Calories burned:  27,598

We have a winner.

Last Monday I started my contest to win free entry into the Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon.  I am happy to announce that Kelly Heller won the contest!!!  Congrats Kelly and thank you to all of you that have entered.

Training continues to go well despite the weather.  I competed recently in St. Malachi 5 miler.  This was my 4th year doing this race, but it was extra special to me as the new lady was cheering me on at the finish line.  It was hard for her to be there to support me and it meant so much to hear them cheering me on at the finish.

Despite Spring beginning last weekend, it continues to feel like winter.  This past block of training,  I've been focusing on running and riding.  Those are my two favorite workouts to combine and it seems to help with my running.  According to our 10 day forecast,  we should see a warm up in a couple days.  Hopefully this forecast holds true as I am sure we are all anxiously awaiting Spring.  It won't be too much longer before we are cheering on those Cleveland Indians.  So, hopefully mother nature gets it together and the weather improves.

Today marks 54 days till the Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon.   It's time to finish strong with your training and not to get your head down with these inclement weather conditions.  Lots of fun things to look forward too as race day approaches like taper, picking out your race outfit, new race shoes, and seeing everyone on race day.

Win free entry to the Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon

Hey everybody

I hope everyone's training has been going well.  This has probably been the most frustrating winter I can remember.  Good news is that we've had a couple 50 degree days recently and a few more coming up in our 10 day forecast.  Speaking of news, lots of big news recently from the Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon.  For those of you who aren't aware.  This year's race will feature all new routes!!!  Recently, the organizers for the race reach out us runners for on feedback on route changes.  It was an overwhelming response that the race switch to an all Westside route.  It was really nice of them to take our opinions and change the route based on our feedback.   I'm a 2-time Rite Aid Cleveland Marathoner and admit there will be pieces of the Eastside portion that will be missed, but I think everyone will be pleased to see more of what the Westside has to offer.  I've been a resident of the Westside for 17 months now and know that it will be an amazing setting to host the 2014 Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon.

To celebrate the new routes, the Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon has graciously awarded me to opportunity to give away a FREE ENTRY to either the 5K, 10K, Half Marathon, or Full Marathon!!!!!!

This contest will last until Monday 3/24/14 and is only open to those who have not registered.  To enter:  please leave a comment with your name, direct message me @Beal88 on twitter, direct message me on Facebook, or leave a comment on my Facebook post.

I had wanted to post some route photos, but my phone is being a jerk and won't upload them to my computer.  So, below is a link to the website where you can find the routes.  Hopefully I can get them uploaded and add them later.  I also hope to bike ride these routes prior to race day to provide some feedback.

New routes

Good Luck!!

Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon Training: Weeks 5 and 6.

This was another decent block of training for me.  The good news is that I was able to get outside for some runs.  The bad news, its still been entirely to cold to ride outside.  In my breakdown you can see that i've been focusing more on running lately as it is what the weather has been dictating.  Hopefully in March  I will be able to get outside full time running and riding.  Plus, the local high school will be done with the pool and I will have more access to swim.

This really has been a frustrating winter.  Hopefully things get better soon.  So far it doesn't feel like I am getting behind as I was pretty satisfied with my transition from treadmill running to outdoors.  Each year I've used March 1st as a date in which you can get outside pretty regularly.  Hopefully that holds true again this year.

Week 5

1/20:  25 mile ride

1/21:  6.48 mile run.  

1/22:  6.34 mile run.

1/23:  6.43 mile run.

1/24:  6.50 mile run.

1/25:  6.22 mile run.

1/26:  30 mile ride.  

Week 6

1/27:  6.78 mile run. 

1/28:  6.54 mile run.

1/29:  rest day.

1/30:  6.46 mile run. 

1/31:  rest day.

2/1:  6.86 mile run. 

2/3:  15 mile ride. 


Totals

13 workouts

147.61 miles

15,547 calories burned. 

 

Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon training: Weeks 3 and 4.

If I had a quarter every for time that I was thankful this winter for not doing a Spring distance race.  I'd be rich.  This continues to be the worst winter for training that I can remember.  I've managed to still be productive despite the conditions.  Look for a post later this week on ways you can still improve fitness while training indoors.  

My goal each block of two weeks is to build about 10% over the prior block.  Once I can get outside, I'll start to focus more on speed.  The past 2 weeks I did a much better job balancing running and riding, but I need start fitting in some swims.  I also need to mix in a day off once in awhile.  

Class photo from last Saturday at Psycle.  It was the instructors 1st and she's only 17!  Such an inspiration. 

Week 3

1/20:  6.66 mile run followed by a 18 mile ride brick.

1/21:  23 mile ride. 

1/22:  6.66 mile run.

1/23:  21 mile ride.

1/24:  21 mile ride.

1/25:  Speed work:  15 minute warm up.  6x800 at 7:53 pace.  400 rest.  10 minute cool down.

1/26:  23 mile ride.  

Week 4

1/27:  18 mile ride. 

1/28:  22 mile ride.

1/29:  4.23 mile run.

1/30:  20 mile ride. 

1/31:  Speed work:  15 minute warm up.  6x800 at 7:53 pace.  400 rest.  10 minute cool down.

2/1:  25 mile ride. 

2/3:  27 mile ride. 


Totals

15 workouts

246.46 miles

15,258 calories burned. 

Lost a 1 pounds and only 22 till 2014 race weigh goal. 

Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon training: Weeks 1+2

Two weeks of training are already in the books and The Chase is off to a good start.  I stumbled out of the blocks a little due to an issue with a frozen lock and allergies.  Who knew allergens would survive a -40 degree windchill.  I managed to finish strong in week 1, but was disappointed in it being too ride focused.

Week 2 was a pretty solid training block.  I kicked it off with a 2 hour spin class on Monday.  I made a mistake on Tuesday and went to hard on my run, so I spent Wednesday doing a recovery ride to get my legs back.  I finally got back on the speed work bandwagon this past Friday.  I had been doing them on Wednesday's, but got out of sync with the holidays being on that day.

The best news is that I've lost 6 pounds already.  My goal this year is to race 20 pounds less than I did in 2013.  I hope this will help pick up some run speed and with cramping.



Week 1

1/6:  22 mile ride

1/7:  Gym was closed due to Polar Vortex

1/8:  Forced off day due to allergies

1/9:  27 mile ride

1/10:  25 mile ride

1/11:  4.16 mile run

1/12:  27 mile ride

Week 2

1/13:  2 hour spin class

1/14:  4.08 mile run

1/15:  10 mile recovery ride

1/16:  21 mile ride

1/17:  Speed work:  15 minute warm up.  6x800 at 8:00 pace.  400 rest.  10 minute cool down.

1/18:  6.67 mile run.

1/19:  25 mile ride.


Totals

13 workouts

218.55 miles

12,275 calories burned.

Lost a 6 pounds and only 23 till 2014 race weigh goal.

My 2014: The Chase

For most of the year we are very busy and often don't see friends who are training for different disciplines or on different training cycles.  So, the holidays are always a great time to catch up with everyone.  You can always script conversations.  They are divided into 2 parts:  How'd last year go and What are you up too this year?  This past year has been really good to me, except for a horrific bike wreck.  I put my main focus on completing a half ironman and I am happy to say that not only did I survive it, but I finished 2nd in my age group.  I will spare you further details on last year, because I want to talk about 2014 today.

I was lucky enough to be asked to share my Spring training experiences for a 4th year now for the Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon.  For those reading my blog for the first time, I'd like to introduce myself.  My name is Matthew Beal.  My friends know me better as "Beal" and a few who don't know me, probably think my name is Bill.  A few years back I weighed over 330 pounds and almost drowned because I was too out of shape to swim to safety.  It was the wake call I needed and began living a healthy lifestyle.  Since that day I have lost over a 100 pounds and have completed in over a 100 races.  Marathons and Triathlons used to be things that were only dreamed about, but with hard work and dedication.  I now do them regularly.

My 2014 Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon blogger profile.

Enough about the past.  Lets talk about the future.  My plan for attack this year wasn't an easy decision.  I was targeting an Ironman in 2014 for the past 2 years, but after doing a half last year.  I needed a break.  Training 15+ hours a week crushed my social life.  I don't want to fall into that same trap this year and I want to keep my New Year's resolution of putting myself out there.  Unlike last year.  So, I will be pushing off the Ironman till 2015 and focusing on shorter races this year.  

2014 will be "The Chase" for me as I will be chasing the HFP Racing Age Group Championship this year.  I'm stealing the whole "The Chase" motto from the Ohio State football team, but it really fits.  We are all chasing something.  Some of us are chasing a goal, some a new distance, a personal record, weight loss, or a healthier lifestyle.  Regardless of what your intent this year is.  Chase it down.  Don't let anything stand in your way of what you set out to do.  

Ok, back to the HFP Championship.  There are 6 pre-selected events and I will need to compete in at least 4.  I will get points for where I finish in my age group.  The final race is in Akron this September and pays double points.  I can't think of a better way to finish off the year than head to my hometown and compete for a championship.  

I will be doing a lot of racing this year and have listed a schedule of events I plan to attend.  I will also be doing the 10K this year at the Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon as it will fit in better with my program.  So, much last like year. I will be talking about running, cycling, and swimming.  Focusing on  how those activities will help you for your race experience at the Cleveland Marathon.  

Who else is ready for 2014?  Are you ready to join me in The Chase?  If you're ready to lay it all on the line this year and work harder than you ever have before to achieve your goals.  Then join me in The Chase this year.

Fellow marathon blogger, Jessica McCartney joined my in The Chase today.  Check out her blog to hear how spinning has helped her running.  Also, I regularly spin at Psycle and Harness Cycle if you'd like to join the pain fun. 

2014 Race Schedule

1/18:  Harmes Garage Sale 5K
1/25:  Blue Balls and Glass Cutters 5K

2/15:  Chili Bowl 5K

2/22:  Snowball 5K

3/15:  St. Malachi 5 miler

3/22:  Barry-Roubaix 36 mile bike race

4/22:  Buzzard Duathlon

5/10:  Nordonia Hills Duathlon

5/18:  Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon 10K

5/25:  Clays Park Triathlon

6/1:  Deer Creek Triathlon

6/8:  Sunday in June 100K

6/14:  Maumee Bay Triathlon

6/22 Bay Village Triathlon

7/6:  Lorain Triathlon

7/13:  Caesar Creek Triathlon

7/19:  Ice Cream Odyssey 100K

7/26:  Bay Village Triathlon 2

7/27:  Fairport Harbor Triathlon

8/17:  Vermillion Triathlon

9/14:  Portage Lakes Triathlon

A Christmas Story 10K

The race bibs for this race were sweet!

This past Saturday I competed in the A Christmas Story 10K.  For those of you who aren't from Cleveland.  The movie A Christmas Story was filmed here locally and released back in 1983.  The house used in the movie is actually located just outside downtown.  A few years back, it was purchased by a fan and completely remodeled to look like it did in the movie.  When the movie was filmed, only the outside was used as the rest was shot on a sound stage.  Surprisingly, they have been able to get both inside and out to completely look like the movie.

A Christmas Story house

A Christmas Story is my favorite holiday movie.  I still remember where I was when I saw it for the first time.  Fun fact:  My dad was a teacher and kids from his class where used as extras during the scene that Ralphie went to see Santa.  Needless to say, I was pretty excited to run from downtown to the house and back.  Plus, waiting for me at the finish would be a "Major Award."

Just like the rest of Fall here in Ohio.  Temps were absolutely frigid Saturday morning.  I met up with my sister, fellow Cleveland Marathon blogger Jessica, and the Heller's prior to the race.  I hid out in Tower City while trying to stay warm.  I made a pretty big mistake getting out the the starting line late.  This race was vastly over-sold and the 10K and 5K were starting at the same time.  Initially, I thought I had lined up correctly.  Except, I was wrong on the starting line location.  I ended up in the back and didn't cross the start line until 10 minutes after the start.

I had no expectations going into this race.  I hadn't ran more than 4/5 miles this fall as I've been focused more on shorter distances and speedwork.  My plan was to have an average pace around 9:20 and if I felt good, maybe average 9:10.

The route

As the race began, I felt really good.  The start was very crowded, but I was able to make up some ground on the outside.  We hung a right turn and headed up the Superior bridge.  I continued to feel strong and pushed the pace further.  I made my next mistake as I saw my friends Steve and Jill.  Yelling "do it for the Bacon", I knocked my headphones out of my ears.  Unable to get them back in with gloves on.  I had to stop take off my gloves and put them back in.  Even with stopping, my first mile was 7:50.

Things began to get worse as my hands began to hurt.  As I approached mile 2, they became completely numb.  Blowing on them and flexing my fingers did nothing to help.  I began to wonder if I should drop out or would I do damage to them if I continued on.  I tried pulling my fingers out of the glove and clinching them in a fist while I left the glove on around my fist.  Thankfully, this worked and I continued on.

My splits

I made it to the house and we split off from the 5K race heading back to town.  The wind was brutal and it seemed to get colder heading back.  I still felt really good and kept running as best I could.  It was still pretty crowded until I got to mile 5.  We headed back over the bridge and this is when things got interesting.  Most were running the sidewalk, but I stuck to the road as it had more traction.  I'm not sure who's bright idea it was, but we had to make a left at the bottom of the bridge on a sidewalk that was nothing, but ice.  Sadly, a lady had just crashed in front of me.  I frantically tried not to break pace as to not slip and headed straight for the grass.  It was really a dangerous situation and I hope nobody got seriously injured.  With a half mile to go, my shoe came untied.  I kept going.  At this point I didn't want to ruin the great run I was having.

brrrrrrrrr....that was cold

I crossed the finish line in 52:06.  It wasn't PR, but this was easily my best running race of 2013.  I never in a million years would have guessed i'd run a 8:28 pace for 6.2 miles.  I was so excited to get my finisher medal and enjoy a well deserved Christmas Ale.  The time was good enough for 38/102 in my age group and 294/1578 overall.

Post race celebrating with Kelly Heller and her husband photo bombing us in the background

My favorite post race tradition....Christmas Ale. 

2013 Turkey Trot 5 miler

This was my first time at this race and my first Thanksgiving day race.  Unlike most runners, I'm not a big fan of turkey day races.  My philosophy is that I spend most of the year doing races or workouts that its nice to just have a fat day.  My sister was running this race and talked me into doing it.

It's been a cold November here in Ohio and today was no different.  It was freezing and the wind off Lake Erie cut right through you.  To make things even more pleasant.  It began to snow about an hour before the race.  Luckily, they had a building open for us to stay warm in prior to the race.  Just forget using the potty as the line was as long as the race.

Since it was so cold out.  I made the mistake of being late to the starting line.  This was a pretty large race with close to 8,000 runners.  So, it wasn't a bright idea to start in the back.  During the first mile, I just zigged and zagged.  Trying find open space and dry pavement.  The road was still packed through the first mile and a half.  It was so bad,  I ended up running on the sidewalk to trying to establish a pace.

The route

Next up was the only climb of the race and I made my second mistake of sticking on the sidewalk.  Apparently, quite a few others had the same idea and they all decided to walk up the hill.  To make matters worse the sidewalk is blocked by a cement divider and I had no place to go.  Time was clicking by and I was pinned in till mile 2.  I had a goal of running 45 minutes as I had a Christmas Ale bet with my friend Liz and to have a shot of winning.  I needed to run a 44-45, but was already close to a minute off pace with 3 miles to go.

Elevation chart

The last 3 miles were flat.  The snow was continuing to come down and road conditions became worse with every stride.  I still picked up the pace and planned on trying to run a 5K pace back into town.  Race traffic wasn't terrible the last 3 miles, but the road conditions were miserable.  The slush had become so slick that I had zero grip with my shoes (which were new).  It became a fine balance between trying to go fast without pulling a muscle.

My splits for this race. 

Miles 4 and 5 clicked by and I finished in 45:13.  Despite the weather conditions it ended up being a pretty good race.  I've been doing speed workouts the past month and it was good to see them begin to pay off.   I hadn't been running well this Fall as doing runs after long rides this summer left me with zero speed.  I ended up 110/256 in my age group and 1683rd overall.  I'll definitely take being in the top half as this was a very competitive race.

Post race with my sister. 

I'm in Cleveland!!!! Now what??

So, you're in Cleveland for the Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon and you do not know what to do?  Have no fear, Beal is here.  I've worked in downtown Cleveland since 2004 and recently moved to the suburbs last Fall.  I recently just got back from an out of town race and was thinking on the way home how I had no idea what to do when I was there.  Sure, there is Yelp and the internet but it would have been nice to have some advice from a local.  So, I thought I would list some of my favorite place to go. All these places are either downtown or within 15 minutes of the area.

Downtown

Winks is a new restaurant / sports bar located downtown at the Galleria.  The food is outstanding and focuses on ingredients that can be found locally.  It also has a large selection of craft beer with emphasis on beers created locally.

J. Gumbos  Like the sign says, its the best food you can eat for 7 dollars.  The focus here is a taste of New Orleans from mild to wild.  It is located on Euclid right by Public square and is my favorite lunch place downtown.


Panini's is located on east 9th and West 6th downtown.  It is a sports bar and the home of the Overstuffed Sandwich.  If it is your first time in the area, you can't leave without getting a sandwich.  My favorite is a double capicola with an egg.

Hodges  Most foodies agree that this is the place to be.

If you're looking for a good time.  I also recommend Great Lakes Brewery,  Market Garden, West 6th street, and West 4th.  There are a lot of fun places to check out in these areas.  Also, don't forget to checkout the Cleveland Indians who are in town and try you luck at the HorseShoe Casino.

Outside, but close to Downtown

Deagan's Top notch food and a top notch craft beer list can be found here.  Located in Lakewood, you will be happy you checked this place out.

Melt This is one of my favorite places to go.  The menu is exciting and portions are filling.  Make sure you check out the Buffalo Chicken Chowder.  The fries are so good, I think they may be laced with crack.

Happy Dog  It located just across the bridge and is just minutes from downtown.  You have a choice between a vegan sausage or hot dog.  Then you are given a list of 50+ toppings to get as crazy as you want.  These toppings are as simple as bbq sauce and as crazy as fruit loops.  Also, they have tater tots you can get topped with any sauce you want.

Harp Home of one of the best patios in Cleveland and sits along the marathon route.  You have to try once of their Boxty Cakes.

There are a lot of other area restaurants located in Tremont, Ohio City, and Lakewood.  These are some of my favorites that are listed above.  I hope this helps some of you how are here for the race and are not familiar with the area.  Chances are that you may run into me at one of these places on race weekend.

Beal

April Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon 10K Training Recap

I'm really sure if April's weather was that great or did it seem better because the weather this Spring has been horrendous.  We had some spot days this month that were pretty good, but most of them were rainy and very gusty.  It was hard to build any momentum.  Hopefully, May is much better.  Apart from the weather, it was a pretty good month for me.  I had my highest swim total ever in April and I should exceed my total swim distance from 2012 sometime next month.  I'm feeling pretty good about my work over the winter, but we'll see when I do my first open water swim in about 2 hours.  I'm  currently in Knoxville preparing for tomorrow's Revolution 3 Triathlon.  Since it will be raining all weekend, I decided to bring my laptop to catch up on my Cleveland Marathon Blogging and my blog reading.

I've been looking forward to May as it will kick off racing season for me.  This month I will be doing the Revolution 3 Triathlon on 5/5, Nordonia Hills Duathlon on 5/11, Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon 10K on 5/19, and Clays Park Triathlon on 5/25.  Hopefully everyones training is going as well as mine has been.

Greetings from Knoxville Tennessee 

Swimming:  11.11 miles

Running:  58.11 miles

Cycling:  297.80 miles

Total miles:  367.01 miles

Time training:  34 hours 41 minutes

Calories burned:  34,652

BEAL

Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon - March Training Recap

This month began with a lot of excitement.  The worst of winter was over and it was time for some warmer temps.  Well, that's how March usually is around here.  Instead we had another month of freezing temps and snow.  I had hoped to get in two "outside" rides a week, but only got out twice before last weekend.  Apart from the crappy weather, my training went really well.  I had my best swim month yet with just over 10 miles.   One interesting thing I learned this month was that my right leg was 10 mm shorter than my left.  My hips had gone out of alignment to compensate for the discrepancy.  I wasn't experiencing any pain and this was a complete surprise.  The good news is everything is back to normal with 2 visits to the chiropractor.  I do feel better now while riding and my stride seems to be much smoother when running.  I'll still go back for some follow ups to make sure everything is staying aligned.

Lots to look forward too in April.  My next big race of the year is May 5th.   I need to log some outdoor workouts to get ready.  I also need to focus on getting to my race weight by the 5th.
Hopefully we have some dry weekends.  So, far it looks like I will get some great work in the end of this week.

Swimming:  10.11 miles

Running:  47.03 miles

Cycling:  222.10 miles

Total:  279.24 miles

Calories burned:  27,598

Time spent training:  30 hrs 27 min.

BEAL

Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon: January Training Recap

Wow, that went by quickly.  Hard to believe we are already 4 weeks into our training for 2013.  Lets hope February goes by just as fast.  Overall, this was a pretty successful month of training.  I continued to build on the foundation that was built over the holidays.  I've settled into the following training schedule:

Monday:  Speed work - I warm up for 1.5 to 2 miles then do a series of 6 intervals of 800s.  My pace for these intervals are slightly faster than my 5K pace.  I rest for 400 in between intervals and then another mile cool down.

Tuesday:  Spin class at Psycle Therapy

Wednesday:  Swimming

Thursday:  Spin class at Psycle Therapy

Friday:  Swimming

Saturday:  Cycling / Run brick training

Sunday:  Swike!!  Swim / Cycling brick training

I'm pretty satisfied with the results i've seen in my riding and running this year.  We were fortunate to have a couple 60 degree days here.  It was a gift from Mother Nature to get outside and see where I was at and I was very satisfied.  Swimming was another story.  My form this offseason has improved dramatically.  Unfortunately, my endurance in the pool hasn't improved.  I've narrowed it down to not sitting high enough in the water.  Its been a struggle keeping my butt high in the water.  To help counteract this, I've been doing more work in the pool with a pull buoy.  I really didn't want to do this as I wanted to swim the bulk of my training without it, but in the long run.  Its not as big of a deal as i'm making it as I will be racing again this year in a wetsuit.  I'm a bigger guy, so its hard for me to stay higher in the water.

Thanks to Bryan @TriDocB for this photo.  I was having a swim panic meltdown about my training and this helped a lot.

Here's the totals from this past month:

Miles ran:  53.53

Miles ridden:  484.24

Miles swam:  8.38

Total miles:  526.16

Calories burned:  37,548

Time training:  40:01

I hope everyone's training is going as well as mine.  February will be much more of the same for me. I may even sprinkle in some 5k's and Indoor Triathlons!!

BEAL

Back in Black: My plan for 2013

I'm fortunate enough to be selected to as an Official Cleveland Marathon for a 3rd year.  I'd like to thank the marathon staff for giving me this opportunity to promote your race and share my training experience.  Each year I feel more pressure to be more inspirational than the year before and I hope I can continue to do that this year.

For those of you how are new to this blog, My name is Beal.  Beal is my last name and has been my nickname for as long as I can remember.  I started blogging about 26 months ago to meet new people interested in living a healthy lifestyle and share experiences in my weight loss journey.  I used to weigh over 300 pounds and look like this!!!  Yikes!!

I have since adopted a healthy life along with loosing over a 100 pounds.  During that time I have swam, biked, and ran over 20,000 miles including multiple 100 mile bike rides, 13 half marathons, 3 triathlons, and 2 Cleveland Marathons.  I now look like this....

For a more in depth look at my weight loss journey and how I was inspired, check out this post Welcome

Enough talk about the past.  Lets look to the future!!!!  This year I will not be running the marathon.  After running my 2nd last year.  I felt like I had finished that chapter in my life and it was time to take on another challenge.  That challenge is Ironman.  Last June I began my multi-sport training with a plan to complete a half ironman in 2013 and full ironman in 2014.

I will have 2 main goals in 2013:

1) To complete my first Half Ironman (1.2 mile swim / 56 mile bike / 13.1 mile run) at Revolution 3 Sandusky on September 8th.

2) To qualify for the Revolution 3 Age Group Championship race.
      - I will be attempting to snag one of the ten available Clydesdale division slots.  

With these lofty goals, my Spring will be centered around one word...SPEED!!!  I've been laying a foundation of training the past two months and will be specializing on speed training during the next couple months.  Since I will not be doing much distance running, I will be competing in the Cleveland Marathon 10K event this year.  By training for a shorter distance.  I will be able to better prepare for multi-sport events this May.  My Cleveland Marathon blogs this will be more focused on the benefits of cross-training, speedwork and how they can help your running.  I'm excited for this year and looking forward to a different approach to training, blogging and racing this year.  I hope everyone joins in on the hard work as we will punish those who try to keep up with our SPEED!!!!

BEAL