I've decided this topic deserves its own little post because Calcium Fortified Orange Juice is such a miracle elixir to me.
Like many people, I sometimes get leg cramps.
I started getting them occasionally during my pregnancies -- these awful night-time leg cramps that would start as a restless feeling and sometimes escalate to full-blown iron-hard knotted legs -- hip to heel. I hadn't had them often in my non-pregnant life until I became a runner. Then, at random times, they'd flare up and bother me. Usually it is an issue for a few days in a row, or several days over a couple weeks, and then it will subside and not be an issue for a few weeks or longer.
Anyhow, back when I was first getting them in my pregnancies, somewhere I learned that calcium fortified orange juice could help. Orange juice is high in potassium, which has something to do with the cramping, and I am not sure if the calcium was also supposed to help or if I just got the calcium-fortified stuff because most people, especially women, can use all the calcium they can get.
So whether or not the calicium has anything to do with the magical cramp fixing properties of orange juice. Plain old orange juice might work fine, too, but I am sticking with calcium-fortified since I know it works and I benefit from the added calcium.
Anyhow, if I have about 6 oz of the magic elixir in the evening, I WILL NOT EVER get leg cramps that night. If I wake up a dozen times between 10 PM and 3 AM in agony with cramps, then finally convince myself or my husband to go get me orange juice and chug it down, I will sleep blissfully the rest of the night. You'd think after going through this at least 100 times in the past 17 years, I'd know that there is no point in hoping they'll get better and allow me to sleep . . . no, they will not. But, if I get some orange juice, I am golden. There have been nights that were so bad that I actually cried real tears out of exhaustion and discomfort; these were nights when we were (gasp) out of orange juice concentrate in the freezer, so I'd been struggling for many hours trying to sleep. There have even been nights when my husband has gone out in the middle of the night on an orange juice run. This usually happened after hours of my tossing and turning and begging him to rub my legs -- which he would do and is soothing, but will never actually stop the cramping.
I think the running probably has brought the leg cramp business back into my life with frequency since I just sweat so much and exert my muscles so much that somehow the fine balance in electrolytes gets goofed up. That's my best theory, anyway.
I try to have a small glass of orange juice most days, especially when I am running hard. If I do that, I just never have those awful leg cramps. If I neglect it, they start again, and I just mix up a glass of juice and am good to go.
So, anyway, it is a cheap, harmless, healthy trick. If you get nighttime leg cramps (or leg cramps any time), try orange juice. Calcium fortified. If it doesn't work for you, you've lost nothing.
For the record, I always buy frozen Minute Maid, but I would guess that any brand should work.
Couch2MarathonMom
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Hansons Brothers Marathon Plan - for #3
It didn't take me long to commit to Marathon #3. That sub-5:00 is still calling me, and I had been tempted to sign up for the inaugural marathon in my hometown, Reston, VA.
So, March 24, 2013 is Marathon #3 in Reston, VA.
It's rolling hills all the way, so sub-5:00 might be a challenge, but I am taking my training up another notch, and I am going to give it a go. In fact, I am gunning for 4:45 just for the hell of it. It might be a long shot, but I am still going to try.
So, for now, I am going with 4:45 goal time, 10:52 mm goal pace. Here we go!
Once I'd committed to the race, I realized I had exactly 18 weeks between #2 in Philly and #3 in Reston. Since most marathon plans are 18 weeks, that seems like a good fit, but that is forgetting the post-marathon recovery period of about a month. Nonetheless, I figured I could bounce back quickly and then jump into a marathon plan a few weeks in. That's what I am doing. :) I took a week off running altogether, and eased back into it over a couple weeks, and was back to 30 mpw by Week 3, so I feel good.
I had considered a redo of Hal Higdon's Intermediate 1, or taking it up a step with Intermediate 2. Then I was tempted, again, by Pfitz 18/55 or, more likely due to the post-#2 recovery period, Pfitz 12/55. I hated to cut Pfitz short since everyone says the 18 week plans are the gold standard. Plus, the more I read the Pfitz book and study the workouts, the more overwhelmed I was getting with so many varieties of paces and workouts and, also, the variable schedule week to week, which would make planning my regular life even more complex. It is a bit easier for me to wrap my head around a plan that is generally similar week to week rather than one (like Pfitz) that assigns random days off/on and changes up what you are doing on Tuesdays week to week.
In my internet surfing, somewhere I ran across the Hansons Brothers Marathon Plan. I am not sure where I first saw it, but within a few minutes, I'd clicked two clicks on Amazon, and thanks to Amazon Prime, I was reading it 48 hours later. I've devoured it, and re-read sections. I am sold.
So, I have chosen the Beginner Plan instead of the Advanced Plan, even though their book indicates that I should/could handle the Advanced Plan. Well, call me a sissy, but stepping up to 6 days/wk & up to 59 miles per week (compared to 5 days and up to 43 miles per week in HH Intermediate 1), with three days per week with prescribed paces (compared to 1 day, only some weeks, in HH Intermediate 1), well, I think that is plenty of a step up for me for now.
If I thrive on this plan, I'll surely look forward to tackling the Advanced Plan. Next time.
So, that's it, I am doing Hansons Brothers Beginner Plan. I am in the middle of week 5 right now, 13 1/2 more weeks to go until Marathon #3.
Also, I am doing the local Run to Read Half Marathon in Fairmont, WV on January 6th. That'll be at the end of Week 7 of the Hansons Plan, which, according to the book, is actually the ideal time for a tune-up race, although they recommend 5k or 10k, not HM. But, I really want to do this race, and so I am doing the HM and will just trim other work outs in Weeks 7 & 8 to accomodate the extra effort of an HM.
After the recent untimely death of my Garmin 410, I now have a new Garmin 410 along with a new heart rate monitor. (I kill them in about 6-9 months.) I hadn't had a HR monitor in about 8 months, so this is very exciting for my data-obsessed self. I've discovered that, not too surprisingly, my heart rate has become substantially lower at comparable paces since my last HR monitor died. The good news is that I guess I've gained fitness. The bad news is that I seem to have become very comfortable running very easily. I think I forgot how to run hard and push my limits. I'm rediscovering that, lol.
OK, so what about the plan?
Weeks 1-5:
Weeks 1-5 are scheduled as low mileage easy running "base building". If you were/are already running more mileage than the (pitifully low 20ish mpw) called for in the plan, you are encouraged to keep at whatever you were/are doing and then start with the official plan in Week 6.
I think it seems far fetched that anyone who wasn't already running more than the 20ish mpw they call for in Weeks 1-5 could handle the remainder of the plan, which rapidly pops up to 35-40+ mpw. So far, that's the only really lame thing I've seen in the book. I think they should have assumed you had a base of 30 mpw (minimum, really, to handle the mileage soon called for) and then come up with some reasonable workouts for those first 5 weeks, perhaps easing you into the speed work, etc.
Weeks 6-10:
so Weeks 6 to 18 of the Hansons Brothers Marathon Plan generally includes, weekly:
+ 3 easy runs (Mon, Fri, Sat)
+ 1 interval workout (Tues)
+ 1 tempo (race pace) workout (Thurs)
+ 1 long run (Sun)
Hansons has three "Something of Substance" (SoS) workouts each week. The remaining three runs are "Easy" moderate distance (5 to 8 miles) runs.
The interval workouts are done at 5k race pace, with repeats increasing from 12x400m (first week) up to 4x1200m in Week 10. Each of these interval workouts uses 400m recoveries, adds on 1-2 miles of warmup and cooldown on each end, and has a total of 5k pace work of about 3 miles.
Tempo runs begin at 5 miles in Week 6 (plus warm up and cool down of 1-2 miles each) and work up throughout the program, hitting 8 miles by Week 9. By the end, I have tempo runs of 10 miles on Thursdays, so with the wu/cd miles, that'll be a minimum of 12 miles on those days in the later part of the program.
Long runs are done at a specific prescribed pace that, for me, at goal of 10:52 mm (4:45), is about 11:40 mm. This is quite a bit quicker than the Hal Higdon method I'd previously used that had me run long runs very easily, typically, by far, my slowest run of the week. Hansons refers to the long run as a long WORKOUT, not just a long easy run.
Since I will be running a hilly marathon, I am doing long runs at 11:30 on the flats, and will do them at 11:40 when I get the chance to run some on rolling hills.
One notable thing about Hansons is that they limit your long runs to sixteen miles maximum! This is controversial, but I think their reasoning is sound, and I love the overall plan, so I am going to give it a whirl. Their rationale is that:
Easy runs are run truly easy. For me, at 10:52 mm goal marathon pace, my easy pace is between 12:00 and 13:00 mm. I am allowed to choose which end of that pace range I want for my easy days and miles according to mood, conditions, etc. I appreciate that flexibility!
Weeks 11-17:
These weeks are similar to Weeks 6 to 10, but they replace the 5k pace shorter speed interval workouts of the earlier weeks with Strength intervals instead. These are longer than the speed workouts. These ones start at 1 mile, building up to 3 miles, and then tapering back down to the shorter runs in the couple weeks preceding the marathon. They always total 6 pace miles, with recoveries varying from 400m to 1 mile, depending on the distance of the repeat. They are done at marathon pace - 10 seconds. Like the earlier speed intervals, you again add 1-2 miles of warm up and cool down on each end.
Tempo runs continue to notch up, hitting 9 miles in Week 12 and 10 miles in Week 15. These tempo runs will likely be the most challenging run of the week, I'd think.
Weeks 17-18:
The taper starts at the end of Week 17 and is really just 10 days or so, although a few elements ease up a bit the couple prior weeks. I will reserve final decision until later, but I am inclined to sharpen up that taper a bit, taking it a bit easier those last 14-20 days than prescribed. I'm not sure I am as tough as their typical runner, and I feel like I might need a bit extra time to fully recharge for the race than the schedule allows.
So, that's the big plan.
So far, for the first few weeks I've:
Week 1: Zero running, recovered from marathon #2
Week 2: 22 miles easy
Week 3: 29 miles including first interval (8x400) and tempo (5 miles at MP) workout and my long run at HB pace (11:30) with a fast finish Hal Higdon style
Week 4: 29.5 miles including another interval (7x600) and tempo (3 miles at tentative HM pace of 9:46) workout and long run at HM pace
Week 5 is in progress. Looking like 30-35 miles is likely. So far, it's going great. Third interval workout (5x800) and tempo (5 miles at tentative HM pace of 9:30mm) are done, and I'm looking forward to more good running.
I've been using the tempo runs these first few weeks to play with goal pace for this half marathon on January 6. (I'll revert to the plan's marathon pace plan for those runs as soon as I get through the HM.) My HM PR is 2:11:xx, right at 10:00 mm. I'd like to meet or beat that if possible. In Week 4, I tried 9:46 pace, and it felt pretty manageable, and my HR was low (for HM pace), so this week I did 5 at 9:30. That was pretty hard, but I held on OK, and my HR was still in the low end of where I'd expect for HM pace, so I am thinking that my ideal pace might be close to 9:30.
Next week, I'll give that HM pace one more shot at 9:30 and then make a final pacing decision for the HM, but, for now, I am inclined to start at 9:45 for the first 3 uphill-ish miles, then settle into 9:30 for the remainder (downhill for 3-ish miles, then flat for the rest), allowing myself to add any spare juice after mile 10 if, by some freak occurrence, I actually have any juice left. I might be over-shooting, and I might crash badly, but that's OK. This is just one more learning experience. Either I'll meet my plan, or I'll learn something while I fail to meet it.
So, March 24, 2013 is Marathon #3 in Reston, VA.
It's rolling hills all the way, so sub-5:00 might be a challenge, but I am taking my training up another notch, and I am going to give it a go. In fact, I am gunning for 4:45 just for the hell of it. It might be a long shot, but I am still going to try.
So, for now, I am going with 4:45 goal time, 10:52 mm goal pace. Here we go!
Once I'd committed to the race, I realized I had exactly 18 weeks between #2 in Philly and #3 in Reston. Since most marathon plans are 18 weeks, that seems like a good fit, but that is forgetting the post-marathon recovery period of about a month. Nonetheless, I figured I could bounce back quickly and then jump into a marathon plan a few weeks in. That's what I am doing. :) I took a week off running altogether, and eased back into it over a couple weeks, and was back to 30 mpw by Week 3, so I feel good.
I had considered a redo of Hal Higdon's Intermediate 1, or taking it up a step with Intermediate 2. Then I was tempted, again, by Pfitz 18/55 or, more likely due to the post-#2 recovery period, Pfitz 12/55. I hated to cut Pfitz short since everyone says the 18 week plans are the gold standard. Plus, the more I read the Pfitz book and study the workouts, the more overwhelmed I was getting with so many varieties of paces and workouts and, also, the variable schedule week to week, which would make planning my regular life even more complex. It is a bit easier for me to wrap my head around a plan that is generally similar week to week rather than one (like Pfitz) that assigns random days off/on and changes up what you are doing on Tuesdays week to week.
In my internet surfing, somewhere I ran across the Hansons Brothers Marathon Plan. I am not sure where I first saw it, but within a few minutes, I'd clicked two clicks on Amazon, and thanks to Amazon Prime, I was reading it 48 hours later. I've devoured it, and re-read sections. I am sold.
So, I have chosen the Beginner Plan instead of the Advanced Plan, even though their book indicates that I should/could handle the Advanced Plan. Well, call me a sissy, but stepping up to 6 days/wk & up to 59 miles per week (compared to 5 days and up to 43 miles per week in HH Intermediate 1), with three days per week with prescribed paces (compared to 1 day, only some weeks, in HH Intermediate 1), well, I think that is plenty of a step up for me for now.
If I thrive on this plan, I'll surely look forward to tackling the Advanced Plan. Next time.
So, that's it, I am doing Hansons Brothers Beginner Plan. I am in the middle of week 5 right now, 13 1/2 more weeks to go until Marathon #3.
Also, I am doing the local Run to Read Half Marathon in Fairmont, WV on January 6th. That'll be at the end of Week 7 of the Hansons Plan, which, according to the book, is actually the ideal time for a tune-up race, although they recommend 5k or 10k, not HM. But, I really want to do this race, and so I am doing the HM and will just trim other work outs in Weeks 7 & 8 to accomodate the extra effort of an HM.
After the recent untimely death of my Garmin 410, I now have a new Garmin 410 along with a new heart rate monitor. (I kill them in about 6-9 months.) I hadn't had a HR monitor in about 8 months, so this is very exciting for my data-obsessed self. I've discovered that, not too surprisingly, my heart rate has become substantially lower at comparable paces since my last HR monitor died. The good news is that I guess I've gained fitness. The bad news is that I seem to have become very comfortable running very easily. I think I forgot how to run hard and push my limits. I'm rediscovering that, lol.
OK, so what about the plan?
Weeks 1-5:
Weeks 1-5 are scheduled as low mileage easy running "base building". If you were/are already running more mileage than the (pitifully low 20ish mpw) called for in the plan, you are encouraged to keep at whatever you were/are doing and then start with the official plan in Week 6.
I think it seems far fetched that anyone who wasn't already running more than the 20ish mpw they call for in Weeks 1-5 could handle the remainder of the plan, which rapidly pops up to 35-40+ mpw. So far, that's the only really lame thing I've seen in the book. I think they should have assumed you had a base of 30 mpw (minimum, really, to handle the mileage soon called for) and then come up with some reasonable workouts for those first 5 weeks, perhaps easing you into the speed work, etc.
Weeks 6-10:
so Weeks 6 to 18 of the Hansons Brothers Marathon Plan generally includes, weekly:
+ 3 easy runs (Mon, Fri, Sat)
+ 1 interval workout (Tues)
+ 1 tempo (race pace) workout (Thurs)
+ 1 long run (Sun)
Hansons has three "Something of Substance" (SoS) workouts each week. The remaining three runs are "Easy" moderate distance (5 to 8 miles) runs.
The interval workouts are done at 5k race pace, with repeats increasing from 12x400m (first week) up to 4x1200m in Week 10. Each of these interval workouts uses 400m recoveries, adds on 1-2 miles of warmup and cooldown on each end, and has a total of 5k pace work of about 3 miles.
Tempo runs begin at 5 miles in Week 6 (plus warm up and cool down of 1-2 miles each) and work up throughout the program, hitting 8 miles by Week 9. By the end, I have tempo runs of 10 miles on Thursdays, so with the wu/cd miles, that'll be a minimum of 12 miles on those days in the later part of the program.
Long runs are done at a specific prescribed pace that, for me, at goal of 10:52 mm (4:45), is about 11:40 mm. This is quite a bit quicker than the Hal Higdon method I'd previously used that had me run long runs very easily, typically, by far, my slowest run of the week. Hansons refers to the long run as a long WORKOUT, not just a long easy run.
Since I will be running a hilly marathon, I am doing long runs at 11:30 on the flats, and will do them at 11:40 when I get the chance to run some on rolling hills.
One notable thing about Hansons is that they limit your long runs to sixteen miles maximum! This is controversial, but I think their reasoning is sound, and I love the overall plan, so I am going to give it a whirl. Their rationale is that:
- You should not run a long run of more than 25-30% of your weekly volume. This restricts 20 milers to people running over 65-80 mpw. Elite runners running over those distances can run the 20+ milers. I don't fit in that category. ;)
- If you run too long (see #1), that one workout takes so much out of you that the remaining workouts of the week are compromised and you risk injury and/or burnout.
- Your other workouts are important.
- The "cumulative fatigue" of all your hard work all week makes it so that even when you run "only" 16 miles, you are essentially practicing the LAST 16 miles of a marathon since you come in on tired legs and you are also running at a reasonably challenging pace.
Easy runs are run truly easy. For me, at 10:52 mm goal marathon pace, my easy pace is between 12:00 and 13:00 mm. I am allowed to choose which end of that pace range I want for my easy days and miles according to mood, conditions, etc. I appreciate that flexibility!
Weeks 11-17:
These weeks are similar to Weeks 6 to 10, but they replace the 5k pace shorter speed interval workouts of the earlier weeks with Strength intervals instead. These are longer than the speed workouts. These ones start at 1 mile, building up to 3 miles, and then tapering back down to the shorter runs in the couple weeks preceding the marathon. They always total 6 pace miles, with recoveries varying from 400m to 1 mile, depending on the distance of the repeat. They are done at marathon pace - 10 seconds. Like the earlier speed intervals, you again add 1-2 miles of warm up and cool down on each end.
Tempo runs continue to notch up, hitting 9 miles in Week 12 and 10 miles in Week 15. These tempo runs will likely be the most challenging run of the week, I'd think.
Weeks 17-18:
The taper starts at the end of Week 17 and is really just 10 days or so, although a few elements ease up a bit the couple prior weeks. I will reserve final decision until later, but I am inclined to sharpen up that taper a bit, taking it a bit easier those last 14-20 days than prescribed. I'm not sure I am as tough as their typical runner, and I feel like I might need a bit extra time to fully recharge for the race than the schedule allows.
So, that's the big plan.
So far, for the first few weeks I've:
Week 1: Zero running, recovered from marathon #2
Week 2: 22 miles easy
Week 3: 29 miles including first interval (8x400) and tempo (5 miles at MP) workout and my long run at HB pace (11:30) with a fast finish Hal Higdon style
Week 4: 29.5 miles including another interval (7x600) and tempo (3 miles at tentative HM pace of 9:46) workout and long run at HM pace
Week 5 is in progress. Looking like 30-35 miles is likely. So far, it's going great. Third interval workout (5x800) and tempo (5 miles at tentative HM pace of 9:30mm) are done, and I'm looking forward to more good running.
I've been using the tempo runs these first few weeks to play with goal pace for this half marathon on January 6. (I'll revert to the plan's marathon pace plan for those runs as soon as I get through the HM.) My HM PR is 2:11:xx, right at 10:00 mm. I'd like to meet or beat that if possible. In Week 4, I tried 9:46 pace, and it felt pretty manageable, and my HR was low (for HM pace), so this week I did 5 at 9:30. That was pretty hard, but I held on OK, and my HR was still in the low end of where I'd expect for HM pace, so I am thinking that my ideal pace might be close to 9:30.
Next week, I'll give that HM pace one more shot at 9:30 and then make a final pacing decision for the HM, but, for now, I am inclined to start at 9:45 for the first 3 uphill-ish miles, then settle into 9:30 for the remainder (downhill for 3-ish miles, then flat for the rest), allowing myself to add any spare juice after mile 10 if, by some freak occurrence, I actually have any juice left. I might be over-shooting, and I might crash badly, but that's OK. This is just one more learning experience. Either I'll meet my plan, or I'll learn something while I fail to meet it.
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