Since my last post, a few good and unfortunate things have happened. I will start with the good: my entry has officially been accepted and confirmed for the 2016 Virgin Mobile London Marathon. It will likely be my last shot at running under the Olympic Qualifying window. Next, following my last post (while I was in the middle of starting to increase my training volume and intensity), a past injury flared up - a nagging chronic left hamstring strain that I thankfully now have under some level of control. Staying injury free is a battle I've been fighting all of my post-collegiate career. At this stage in my marathon build up, I've got to have flawless training if I want to be at the starting line in London. With that said, I immediately started an aggressive physical therapy plan (which includes graston, ART, dry needling, specific exercises, massage therapy etc), and I feel satisfied with where things are as far as my future health, current fitness level and race timing.
Following the last two weeks of 120+ miles, I had two down weeks of 69 and 45 miles (which I won't even bother to breakdown). I was able to do just the minimal just to maintain some level of fitness. I'm not too concerned with this training hiccup as I've put in a decent amount of base work from November to January.
Now to the present and future. I'm getting physical therapy and massage therapy on a weekly basis. I'm doing a little bit of cross training (in addition to the running), a lot of injury prevention strengthening exercises, weights and hurdle drills. As far as the running portion is going, I'm looking to do training pretty similar to what I did in 2014 when I ran 2:19:05 in Boston. I believe If I can get to London very healthy, I'm capable of running at least that or much faster.
Below are my last two weeks of training. I'm looking to continue to build up in the workouts but want to do it progressively. Comments always welcome.
Week 1
Feb 8 Mon 10 miles
Feb 9 Tue 12 miles + hurdle drills
Feb 10 Wed AM Physical Therapy PM 10 miles + weights
Feb 11 Thu AM 5 miles + hurdle drills PM 10 miles + Normatec Recovery
Feb 12 Fri AM 5 miles + weights PM 12 miles + Physical Therapy
Feb 13 Sat 13 miles + hurdle drills
Feb 14 Sun AM 16 miles progressive long run (first 10 in 65:57, next 6 in 5:58, 5:47, 5:35, 5:27, 5:21) PM Normatec Recovery
TOTAL 93 miles, 1 workout
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Week 2
Feb 15 Mon AM 10 miles + weights PM 5 miles + Physical Therapy
Feb 16 Tue AM 5 miles + hurdle drills PM 60-min stationary bike
Feb 17 Wed AM 5 miles + Physical Therapy + weights PM 10 miles w/ 6x3min hills
Feb 18 Thu AM 12 miles + hurdle drills PM 5 miles + Massage
Feb 19 Fri AM 5 miles + weights PM 10 miles w/ 5 mile tempo (25:36 - 5:17, 5:12, 5:07, 5:01, 4:59) + Normatec Recovery
Feb 20 Sat AM 13 miles + hurdle drills PM 5 miles + strides
Feb 21 Sun AM 20 miles progressive long run in 2:06:12 (first 5 in 35:16, then 32:02, 30:28, 28:46) PM Normatec Recovery
TOTAL 105 miles,60-min bike, 3 workouts. Happy with the 25:36 tempo. Goal was to run 25:45. In my last build up, I had run 25:48 to start the marathon block.
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Pictures form this week training. Photo credit to Rossy.
Following the last two weeks of 120+ miles, I had two down weeks of 69 and 45 miles (which I won't even bother to breakdown). I was able to do just the minimal just to maintain some level of fitness. I'm not too concerned with this training hiccup as I've put in a decent amount of base work from November to January.
Now to the present and future. I'm getting physical therapy and massage therapy on a weekly basis. I'm doing a little bit of cross training (in addition to the running), a lot of injury prevention strengthening exercises, weights and hurdle drills. As far as the running portion is going, I'm looking to do training pretty similar to what I did in 2014 when I ran 2:19:05 in Boston. I believe If I can get to London very healthy, I'm capable of running at least that or much faster.
Below are my last two weeks of training. I'm looking to continue to build up in the workouts but want to do it progressively. Comments always welcome.
Week 1
Feb 8 Mon 10 miles
Feb 9 Tue 12 miles + hurdle drills
Feb 10 Wed AM Physical Therapy PM 10 miles + weights
Feb 11 Thu AM 5 miles + hurdle drills PM 10 miles + Normatec Recovery
Feb 12 Fri AM 5 miles + weights PM 12 miles + Physical Therapy
Feb 13 Sat 13 miles + hurdle drills
Feb 14 Sun AM 16 miles progressive long run (first 10 in 65:57, next 6 in 5:58, 5:47, 5:35, 5:27, 5:21) PM Normatec Recovery
TOTAL 93 miles, 1 workout
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Week 2
Feb 15 Mon AM 10 miles + weights PM 5 miles + Physical Therapy
Feb 16 Tue AM 5 miles + hurdle drills PM 60-min stationary bike
Feb 17 Wed AM 5 miles + Physical Therapy + weights PM 10 miles w/ 6x3min hills
Feb 18 Thu AM 12 miles + hurdle drills PM 5 miles + Massage
Feb 19 Fri AM 5 miles + weights PM 10 miles w/ 5 mile tempo (25:36 - 5:17, 5:12, 5:07, 5:01, 4:59) + Normatec Recovery
Feb 20 Sat AM 13 miles + hurdle drills PM 5 miles + strides
Feb 21 Sun AM 20 miles progressive long run in 2:06:12 (first 5 in 35:16, then 32:02, 30:28, 28:46) PM Normatec Recovery
TOTAL 105 miles,60-min bike, 3 workouts. Happy with the 25:36 tempo. Goal was to run 25:45. In my last build up, I had run 25:48 to start the marathon block.
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Pictures form this week training. Photo credit to Rossy.
Ruben, get the word injury out of your mind. YOU DON'T HAVE TO KILL YOURSELF BECAUSE A SHORT TIME AGO YOU RAN VERY FAST ON THAT CRAP DAY IN BOSTON. YOU HAVE CHANGE TO SPARE. We're going to talk about "PAIN" instead. At mile 22 your going to feel like a LION is on top of YOU. At mile 24 your going to feel like a LION and a TIGER is on top of YOU ( 1+1=2). At mile 26 , Big 3. Don't you ever confuse these BOYS with Paul, Ray and KG. Pure Beasts Ruben, Pure. WHAT I'M SAYING IS IF YOU DON'T FINISH HARD....THEIR AIN'T GOING TO BE ANY MORE MEAT LEFT. Please don't run some kind of Foxboro 10 miler 5 weeks out??? Turn it down a level. Your always in better shape than you think.
ReplyDeleteHey Ruben, when you arrive at that starting line I want you to have some anger. Meb vs. Nate Jenkins 2007 Olympic Trials. Meb is INJURED, Jenksies passes him, Meb catches up, Jenksies running well finishes strong and beats Meb. MOST CLASSLESS ACT EVER COMMITTED IN MARATHON HISTORY BY A WHITE BOY. Meb was a medal winner at the same event your going to land at. Jenkins should have lead Meb to the finish line and promptly stopped 1 foot short of the finish line and let Meb do his thing. All I know is if I did anything like Jenksies did to Meb on the courts in Dorchester........ I wouldn't be telling this story Ruben. No one is happy about this Ruben. Sure you kicked his bum in Boston. Don't get injured. Every marathoner in New England has failed us Ruben. RUBEN SANCA=PROVEN MARATHON LEADERSHIP WITH CLASS. Man you trusted Jenksies for years. How could he do that to Meb. I will never forgive Nathaniel Jenkins. You shouldn't either.
ReplyDeleteHey Ruben, if your lifting weights and running over 100 miles a week I hope your getting over 200 grams of protein a day. I'm not talking about the same type of protein that Nate Jenkins diet consists which favors protein from cookies his wife bakes. I am not talking about Tim Ritchie's diet either. If you check out Ritchie's twitter account before his recent marathon performance and hit photos you will find that his diet consisted of eating Perdue Perfect Portions Chicken. Ruben, this guy grew up in the city I live in so I am going to be as nice as I can but when the Perdue Corporate VERY TRULY, NO LIES, tweets him back on his account they know that Tim will never change and they have a customer for life. So Ruben, don't congratulate this guy and tell him that he is going to run a faster marathon unless he makes wholesale changes to his diet. My Daughter is 16 and in high school and is very smart and works at Kentucky Fried Chicken. I showed that photo to my Daughter and asked her how well she thinks Ritchie is going to do. We laughed. Buy some Salmon Ritchie or any kind of real meat.His diet sucks. If you can run a sub 4:00 minute mile that means you do have power and that means Perdue should be your enemy. So don't tell Ritchie he is going to run faster unless he makes some serious adjustments to his diet. His weekly mileage is always well below what it should be and he actually should keep it that way because he will get injured eating Perdue. I would love to know how much real protein this guy is consuming daily???
ReplyDeleteHey Ruben, If you eat well and don't kill yourself in training and get injured your fitness alone will get you there. Have confidence. You ran great in Boston. The numbers are statistically in your favor. Numbers don't lie. If you didn't train as hard for Boston you would have ran that course even much faster. You gambled by training very hard and was it worth the chance??? Yes,it was because if your training was tweaked down slightly...... you would have had a very, very, very fast time. But this is for a shot at the Olympics and if you don't gamble and you train conservatively why would you not make the team? Sure something crazy can always come up in training and running a marathon but we can't do nothing about that. Only God can. That's why I don't want to hear you even talking about getting injured because if you really understand the math then you would run and train just a fraction easier. We make this sport much harder than it is. Years back I ran a race in which Meb was at at and there were thousands of runners there and you see Meb doing his warm up run the slowest out of everyone one there. All the other elite runners were warming up a lot faster. They deserved what was going to happen to them and they asked for it. He's smart. Experience. He makes it look easy.
ReplyDeleteMeb was yelling at Rupp recently during the Trials. Only helping the guy because Meb knows Rupp has an opportunity coming to him and looking at Rupp is irritating because he looks too sweat and Meb has to get the boy ready for war.
What I am telling you is that if us runners trained smarter then Larry The Butcher would be out of business. REAllY! A guy like Meb, so fundamentally sound is hanging out with his kids, probably watching more t.v. than you think while your getting your ass beat by Larry.
Anotherwords, when you do stuff like a that 30 mile block with Jenkins, 10 mile old fashioned races before Boston, and a lot of other shit you may be to ashamed to talk about because the training is so diluted. YOU EARNED A GUY LIKE ME GETTING ALL PISSED OFF AT YOU RUBEN. YOU ASKED FOR IT. Oh and by the way..... Nate Jenkins.....don't listen to him anymore. He will never admit that he is an Emil Zapotek. He ran his 400s way too fast in high school. Gave up. Ran 14:55 at usatrack recently. If he would have done 400s slower all day for many years before that race it would not have been anything close to a race. Hello consistent low 13's His marathon time would be much faster too. He knows this but if he tries to go back in time 2 things could happen. 1.SPEED GALORE or 2. HIS LEG THAT LACKS COORDINATION JUST FALLS OFF! When a runner like Nate lacks 400 speed you must work on 400 speed. I try helping the guy and he posts crazy shit about me???
Ruben. We're not like Jenksies. Sure, me and you love beating Kenyans. We love beating Ethiopians. We get off on that shit. Right? For us it's just a hobby that we enjoy and, well, soon it's going to get just a little too easy and we're gonna possibly get a little bored of it because we are that dam good. BUT, EVEN THOUGH WE LIKE BEATING KENYANS AND ETHIOPIANS WE STILL LOVE THEM TO DEATH AND CONSIDER THEM FRIENDS AND FAMILY. NOT Jenksies. What he did at the New York City Marathon years ago is something you better not do in London. He went out very, very,very fast and not only did he try to win that race.....HE TRIED TO DEMORALIZE 2 GREAT NATIONS.
ReplyDeleteHe opened up a lead very, very early and luckily the Running God's that protect the New York City Marathon were well aware of this because if they weren't around God only knows what the hell would have happened. My guess is that Jenksies would be dead if he kept up that pace. I am 100% accurate too. I said that I am 100% accurate too. Believe me when I tell you this. So when you get to the starting line remember what happened to Jenksies. Justice. Run smart but more importantly show class and respect. For Jenksies it was THE HOUSE OF PAIN COMING DOWN HARD AT HIM. He never recovered or learned anything from that experience. He has a new friend though at least in Leslie O'dell.
Hey Ruben, one of these nights when you finish up work late and your tired something bad could very well happen if you don't keep your eyes open. Basically, because of the crazy weather, warm and cold in New England, you have to really watch out for potholes and uneven surfaces at this time of year.
ReplyDeleteTOP 5 UMASS LOWELL MARATHONERS: 1.RUBEN SANCA
ReplyDelete2.RUBEN SANCA
3.HODGE
4.DAVE DUNHAM
5.JIM JOHNSON
Ruben. It sure has been good. But this is your blog and your training for the real deal which is to get to the Olympics. You have work to do and unlike other blogs I attend to I must say your blog is truly the best.I have nothing but respect for you.
ReplyDeleteSo I am saying good bye for now and I hope you give yourself that special opportunity to try and make the team. If you make the team great! If you don't I will be just as proud of you as always because the effort is always there. I just don't want you to over train like you do and not get that OPPORTUNITY.
But if you get injured by training too hard......I WILL BE AT MY BEST.....look at the floor right now. There is blood everywhere and it ain't ours. Let's keep it that way! I will now go into observation for a while. DON'T GET INJURED and if you do Ruben then welcome forever to the house of Reaper Reaper Running Creaper! Love, Reaps