Let it Rain & Let it Snow today

Since I started to work with Andrew my training changed quite a bit. I run every day and can't allow myself to have a day off. Coach is always there!
I'm pretty sure that I'm right in the middle of my best week.
Let's see:

Mar 25, Sun, AM: 120 min long run
12.34 miles, 09:44 pace, avg.HR 131, max.HR 147
Tough, tough, cough... Using Olga's terminology I did "walkajogs"
and even simple "walka". Coach said - now he knew my barriers.

Mar 26, Mon, AM: 90 min EZ run
10.31 miles, 08:44 pace, avg.HR 140, max.HR 152
Refreshing

Mar 27, Tue, AM: 60 min Hard run (60 min of incessant Rain!)
7.75 miles, 07:45 pace, avg.HR 150, max.HR 160
Slower than we did with Eric, but Hard 60 min is really "Hard" early in the mornings. Feel truly beat up.

So, I'm having this sort of a "ladder" 120 - 90 - 60 min which is a normal routine.
Thomas is having an ULTRA soon! Very soon!!!
This is the most interesting and expected run I eager to hear about.
Go Thomas, Go!

Running with Erik

Sat, March 24th, PM.
Had a great "Hard" run, which is 60 min keeping HR in the range 150 - 160. "Hard" turned into "Fun" cause one Running pal - Erik, young runner, 23 from New Hampshire (currently lives in Astana which is a Capital) came to my city. He's here in Kaz as a member of "Student Life" organization (they're sort of religious Peace Corp). He is really fast at 1 mile having PR about 4:40. Before that work he announced that rather "run in shorts"! Officially it is Sping here, but no, No! Forget about it, it's too cold. Having nothing but running shorts, he finally found something decent to put it on beneath the shorts. Went to "EthnoPark" which is a place where I run currently, cause my "Stadium" is full of melting snow. We kept and average pace (around 7:30) and even chatted from time to time. Somewhere in the middle of work we ran along the street which surrounds Park and heard a Police Siren wailing. So I teased him this way:

R.: Hear that wailing siren? Police is chasing a mad american, who's running too fast on Karaganda streets!
E.: Right, but you're running also fast.. so Nobody is Safe here.
R.: yea, Run for Your Life etc.

See more pictures on my Flickr account tagged "Running with Erik".
Hey Man! In case you read this lines - I will visit Astana next month, so Get Ready!

P.S. There are rumors and even a project at my work to send me to a business trip to China for 1 week, soon in April. Oh No. I Love China! Great country. I like to visit this country. But. It mess up with my training plans.. or I'll be there using hotel mills at nights trying to fulfil all running works.

Working with Coach Andrew. Week One

Week_Mar18_24_2007
Originally uploaded by rus_runner.

I started to work with a Coach! And this is Great! Andrew definitely knows what to do. Once he pointed that I got to my best times in a Random manner – True. Last fast Half I did was a pure experiment, thank you Thomas for comments, but I wasn’t even sure I was doing a Half. My aim was to do "something about 10 miles". But legs felt so good, so.. All my random / experimental works are in the Past now. My first week with Coach Andrew started observing the sequence of Hard / Easy runs and I shall say – it wasn’t that easy, I even failed twice (!) this week trying to fulfill one Hard run and the other morning doing Easy 90 min run. But, summing up past week’s work I gotta say I’m really satisfied.
Weekly mileage (Mar, Sun 18 – Sat 24, 2007) 55.15 miles.
See details on the picture (Garmin snapshot, res. 1024 x 738).
P.S. Nearly every day, I make reports to my Coach of work done, so almost forgotten about my blog existence.

P.P.S. Just remembered one funny episode - in the July 2005, first time in my running life I reached mark about 80 km (which as about 50 miles) for the … whole July month! I emailed about it to one my Russian-Korean friend and she replied like: “Rus, you’re absolutely Crazy! How is it possible to make FIFTY miles per month!!! That is a pure madness!”

– That’s right baby! How do I make 55 – 65 miles per week? I have no idea!

Birds of a feather ...

Flock together.
So, this is why I like Internet community. It helps me to understand all pros and cons of my work. I found an online coach!!! Absolutely Ready to work! Meet my Coach - Mr. Andrew!
All experiments with repeats and fartlek runs are in the past.. and in the future. Not now. We're working on Base Aerobic training. Although I made this morning 5 miles running on the streets (! never did it before) and in local "EthnoPark" I will start "90 min easy" with HR 140 - 145 beats per minute, tonight.
So it goes.

I am On It

sorry my Dear Reader, I wasn't feel like blogging recently.
Terrific volume of dirt, friable / crumbly melting snow in last two-three days cut down my running volume of work. I finished my week
Mar, Sun 11 - Sat 17 with average 35 !!! miles.
Here's what Thomas said recently:
"45 miles. One year ago that would have been an average week. Now I don’t know how I will survive on so little running."
Me either. In his best weeks Thomas is 20 miles ahead of me, in worst weeks - still 10 miles ahead. .. so little running...
The only good thing I did was a Half marathon I ran on Wed eve and clocked with Personal Best 1:44:28

Mile 01: 07:58
Mile 02: 07:38
Mile 03: 07:38
Mile 04: 07:36
Mile 05: 07:39
Mile 06: 07:44
Mile 07: 08:06
Mile 08: 08:03
Mile 09: 08:14
Mile 10: 08:19
Mile 11: 08:27
Mile 12: 08:12
Mile 13: 07:58
Lap 14 (0,11m): 00:49 (pace 07:38)
Total for Half Marathon:
Mar 14, Wed, PM: 13.11 miles, 1:44:28, 07:58 pace, avg.HR 146, max.HR 158

I was really surprised seeing average pace 07:58 at Garmin Software Training Center.
I didn't mean to make sub 8:00 run.
Not bad, not bad.

P.S. Personal thanks to Great Guys:
- Assylzhan, thank you Man!
– Olga, fantastic supporter!
– Thomas, almost unreal runner. Happy St.Patrick's Day to you Ireland!
– Mark, for linking to my Coach!
– Andrew, it's an honor to work together. I'm READY!