Canyonlands Half Marathon 2010--Confirmation.

The fact that I am still a runner I attribute to good coaching. About ten years ago I accidentally discovered treadmill running, as I accompanied Claudia to the gym as she recovered from a back injury. Just then, the Wellness Program at my office with the City of Boulder offered a six-week running class, and I signed up for it on a whim.

That's when Good Coaching came into my life. Robert Curtis has taught me all I know about maintaining a running discipline, and it has served me in good stead. When I have deviated from his recommendations and his model, I have been injured. When I have adhered to it my running has thrived, gotten stronger, felt best.

I've stuck with him long past the brief class--or maybe I should say, he's stuck with me.

Example of great teaching? Increase your mileage at a rate of 10%/week maximum, every third or fourth week refraining from the increase to consolidate the gains.

Another example? Never run the same course twice in a row. Mix 'em up to keep it all fun and interesting.

I could go on and on. The short story is, if you want to run, find a good coach.

Canyonlands.
Winning an exemption from the lottery for entry to this great run, I've now received my official confirmation for the Canyonlands Half Marathon. It's on, for March 20. [By a stroke of huge good fortune, Elephant Revival is doing a benefit concert at the Grand County High School in Moab that same night. I'd better plan to take a nap after my run.]

Arrival of the notice coincides with my run on Sunday of 14.4 miles, the first time I've done the total distance of the half-marathon, 13.2 miles, in about five years. Assuming I can stay injury-free, my goal now is to begin improving my times.

On Sunday I kept my HR within Zone 3, under 134--at 131 average, to be exact. Averaging 12:42 min/mile, that was a time of 2:54. I was really loping, just easing along putting one foot in front of the other, repeatedly recalibrating my pace to keep my going slow.

My PR in the half marathon is 2:11. That was in 2005 at the Boulder Backroads Half.

I've said I'd like to come in at under 2:00 for a Half. With my recent PR of 56:40 in 10K, the 2-hour half doesn't seem totally unreasonable.

It means now beginning to get serious about foot speed and leg strength.Turnover, in Robert parlance.

Advice from The Coach? He says first of all I should consider the Canyonlands Half a training run, and take my best shot at the sub-2:00 in the Colorado Half (link--caution-turn your volume down first), which I'm scheduled to run in May.

I think your Moab run will have to be just a training run, not a shot at sub 2:00:00.  That should be fine since you say it is scenic.  Take an easy week after that, then do some more hard runs before taking a crack at it in Ft. Collins.  Here are some times to remember:

• 1 mile (1600) - 9:00 pace
• 3/4 mile (1200) - 8:50 pace or 2:12 per 1/4 mile
• 1/2 mile (800) - 8:40 pace or 2:10 per 1/4 mile
• 1/4 mile (400) - 8:30 pace or 2:07 per 1/4 mile

I think you can handle these times based on your last 10k and your previous 8:15 mile.  Whatever distance I put in your plan you will do at the pace for that distance, so I won't remind you each time.  I'll have you do some shorter repeats to help with your turnover and make race pace seem easier, and I'll give you some longer repeats to help with your endurance at the higher speed.

So I guess it's time for me to get back in touch with him for some more exact direction now.

In the meantime, I'll be on the road for a recovery run today, two days after my 14-miler. Short, slow, easy pace, up Boulder Canyon a couple of miles and back.

Dreaming about the beauty of the red-rock canyon above Moab whenever my mind wanders from the beauty of the canyon around me today.