This old man is running the 2024 NYC Marathon! I registered for the lottery and got in, which apparently is a 4% chance. I never won a lottery before but for this one I get to pay 300 bucks and run 26 miles haha. I’d rather mega millions🤓 but I’ll take it!

I got the note of acceptance 4 years to the DAY I ran my 1st and only marathon. I did that one all alone on the streets of Orange, CT during the early days of COVID. The actual marathon got canceled. It was eerie. No one was out, literally.

The NYC marathon will have about 50,000 runners. Tiny bit more motivating! I’ll run all 5 boroughs and I hope to complete it around 3 hours and 50 minutes.

I’ll run this on my wife’s birthday, Nov 3, and about 3 weeks ahead of my 50th.
For anyone interested, I’ll be logging my training, diet, tips and info here.

Many people have contacted me over the years about distance running. This log will serve as a way to share it all.

This training log is also here to inspire YOU to get out and run. Whether it’s a 5k or a marathon.

Let’s GO!

#TCSNYCMarathon #Run #Lift #Hike #Yoga

Keep scrolling down for the daily training log.

I address all of the following:

• Run Training
• Strength Training
• Diet & Nutrition
• Flexibility & Recovery Training
• Gear
• Music
• Apps

I wanted to kick this off with a brief history of my running coming back to life. I ran a bit when I was young but never consistently and never more than a mile or 2. I stopped running for a solid 10 years and in that time between the ages of 30 and 40 I packed on a solid 40 pounds of fat. This had little to do with running, it was more the food and alcohol, but that extra 40 made it hard to run distance. I also have flat feet so that made it very painful. I solved both problems. 40 pounds off for years and located Brooks running sneakers (Glycerin GTS).

I now love to run. Like a madman at 5:30am in the dark when it’s 12 degrees. I don’t care. If it’s run day I’m running. Unless it’s crazy rain, icy or dangerous. I minimize risk of injury from something I could prevent.

I went through a period in my 40’s where I ran almost every day. I don’t do that anymore but I’m glad I did. These days I’m more of a hybrid trainer. Run, lift/strength train, yoga, hike, basic calisthenics, sprints etc.

When I started running in my early 40’s I did it all on trails. I barely ran on roads my whole life and didn’t like it. But then I realized I was spending so much time driving to a place just to run there that I’d simply RUN to that place and run home.

This is my first piece of advice to begin running distance:

1. Stop driving somewhere to run (gym, track etc) if you live in a safe place. The further you get on foot the further you have to run back. Run, jog, walk or crawl!

If you do not live in a safe place, I understand. Drive to where ever you have to. But if it is safe, just run right out of your front door. That’s how it started for me. One day I ran 2.5 miles from home in a straight shot. Turned around and ran back. 5 miles. BLEW ME AWAY.

In March of this year, I ran 9x, around 90 miles, more or less 2x per week. In those runs I did a 10 miler and three 1/2 marathons. The rest were between 6 and 8 miles. I also did a few thousand air-squats, hiked, walked and strength trained with barbells and counter balanced that with at least 10 hours of stretching and yoga.

I want to talk about how I got to this new place. It was quite a process and one I’m happy to have gone through it.

To be continued…

@TerryA

4/1 – 4/2
Strength Training and lengthy Zone 2 walks. 10,000-12,000 steps each.

4/3

I started run training yesterday with a 6 miler at 5:45am. Just coming off three 1/2 marathons in March and consistent strength training, so I wanted to step back the runs for a few days. I also did an upper body strength training session in the afternoon.

4/4
I did a 70 minute Bikram yoga style class today, full body stretch head to toe. 110 degrees about 20 postures or so. I’m going to film my modified class this Summer in the heat for reference.

Food today was around 2300 calories, 100 or so grams Fat, Carbs and almost 200 protein. Building up for a lengthy training run this weekend – 14-16 miles. I do believe proper loading and recovery via food is a major factor of my training. I will ramp up carbs again tomorrow.

When you run 14-16 miles it’s a massive shock to your system. You have to go into it fueled and actively repair and recover from it, like it was a trauma to your body. Because, it kind of is.

4/4

Fast and furious strength training today. I did a power and isometric push-pull routine with Barbell squats as the focus of the workout. I believe that very long greulling sets of a moderately heavy weight in the 14-20 rep range really help give my legs the extra power needed to sustain the long runs.

Airsquats 10-20-30-30-20-20
Barbell Squats 135lbs x 5 reps – 135×10 – 155×5 – 185×5 – 225×17
Bicep Pulldowns 3 sets increasing weight on pulley
Pullup Isometric holds 3 sets various hand grips 20-40 seconds

@TerryA

4/5

Preparing for a 14-16 mile run tomorrow I did a 70 minute Bikram yoga style class this morning around 7:30am, full body stretch head to toe. 110 degrees about 20 postures or so.

I did a pretty killer upper body strength session around 3pm. Maintaining my 100lb for 6 incline dumbbells and several sets of hex bar shrugs staying at around 190lbs for 15-18 reps.

I did Bring Sally Up one set of dips and a killer drop-set of triceps.

My calories were lower today but I did high lean protein and high carbs. Lower fat, less heaviness. Around 1900 calories. I’m going to drink a couple BEERS tonight as I always do the night before every long run. It’s a long time ritual and I don’t know if there’s any merit to it but I do it every time.

4/6 Long Training Run

Upon wakeup I ate a about a 1/4 cup of Grandy Organics Classic granola, a banana and a tablespoon of Maple Syrup. Last night I had an additional 100g carbs really trying to prep my muscles with a full carb load.

When I go 10 miles or under, typically, I run with no breakfast of any kind. Some call this “fasted” I just don’t eat, I prefer the light feeling of as little food as possible for running. (I don’t do this for strength training though)

When I go beyond 10 I like to stack carbs a bit from simple to complex, to make sure my energy stays even and steady. The only time I ever eat or consume calories in-run is beyond 20 miles.

Another ritual I do ahead of a long run is a hot shower. It’s another thing I do that just might be in my head (like the beer the night before) but I feel it really loosens me up. Especially here in CT where it’s cold most mornings.

The wind was a bitch today but all in all this felt great. I haven’t gone over 13.1 miles in 4 years, today I smashed past that and hit 16. I took the pace slower than I wanted to to make sure I could sustain and I feel very good about this as my starting point for the back half of a marathon. I won’t do a run this long for around 3 weeks and my next will be in the 18 mile zone.

Active recovery tomorrow

@TerryA @pjballas

4/7

For repair I took in around 200g protein today from various sources, mostly “animal”. Kept carbs and fats moderate with a total of around 1900 calories. I do track calories several days per week to make sure I hit my macros. I’m mostly concerned about hitting protein goals daily and the carbs are usually a concern ahead of lengthy runs.

I did a pretty intense but short upper body strength training session. I focused on flat barbell bench which I’ve slowly been working back up for some time from the dead. Despite my flat dumbbells being quite high my barbell has been lagging.
135×8 – 135×12 – 155×4 – 185×4 – 205×6

I also added in pretty heavy pull downs and 4 lengthy (30-40 sec) isometric pull up and chin up holds.

I also think that maintaining upper body strength, keeping muscle mass and protein intake up are very important. One thing that can happen with marathon training is catabolizing muscle via overtraining.

Muscle catabolism is the process whereby muscles start to break down instead of growing. It is an undesirable phenomenon, especially for people who want to increase their muscle mass or improve their athletic performance. In certain situations, catabolic processes can escalate into more intense ones. One such case is overly intense physical training.

https://www.google.com/search?q=What+does+catabloize+muscle+mean&oq=What+does+catabloize+muscle+mean&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIJCAEQIRgKGKABMgYIAhAhGBXSAQg4MjU2ajBqNKgCALACAQ&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

The rest of the day I just did normal busy work, light activity. My lower legs, calves and lower back are most affected by the long run. But all in all I think the air squats training has really helped power my runs to a new level and fend off the extreme soreness I used to get 5 years ago when I’d do similar runs.

4/8

Hit approx 5 mile hike today. I also did around 500 pushups and 1 Bring Sally Up

Rather than hill sprints, I did hill “jogs” being very mindful of my sore muscles from the 16 miler. I can say I’m at 80% or so and will be good to do a training run tomorrow. I’ll aim for 7 miles in the early AM and will do a running recovery yoga class in the afternoon. I’ll film it and post it.

4/9

Upper body strength training and somehow hit a new PR for incline dumbbells: 100lbs x 7 reps!

I filmed when I hit 100 x 6 here:

I did 50lbs for 15-20 or so reps, 75 for 11, 100 for 7 clean. I did a nice lengthy drop-set for triceps and biceps (arms)

Later that day I filmed and did a 30 minute active recovery yoga inspired class, I will post it tomorrow. Steps and movement were limited to normal day to day, very light.

4/10

Early this AM I did a 3 mile hike and hit a new PR for a single air squat set of 450 reps in a row. 450 is literally insane. It’s like a marathon of leg work. I believe this type of calisthenics work is one of the reasons my legs can take the runs so well now. Hill sprints and barbell squats help too.

Later in the evening I took a fast paced (Zone 2) walk for another couple miles. It was the perfect temp and felt great. I still have not done a distance run since the 16 miles. I’m aiming for a 7-10 miler Friday or Saturday. My next several runs will be moderate training runs. I may go for speed but not distance.

I plan to do an 18 miler about 3 weeks from now.

I have been consistently hitting around 2000 calories and 170-200 grams of clean single ingredient protein a day. Carbs are between 70-120 grams regularly. I don’t track fats really

4/11 Active Recovery

Legs smashed from the PR set of 450 straight air squats yesterday.

Did modified Bikram style yoga class this am.

70 minutes in 110 degrees head to toe basic but fundamental stretches and yoga postures. Another one of those “secret weapons”.

Call it what you want to me it’s a stretching DVD in a hot room. Same thing every time and sometimes that’s a good thing. There’s one pose that I build up to mentally and it’s “fixed firm”. I put that one up there with “frog” as the best worst postures of all time. Knees, ankles, back it’s insane. I do go all the way back with arms overhead. It ain’t pretty but I do it.

If you are starting to run a lot, make sure you stretch a lot. Try a Hot / Bikram Style (not flow or vinyasa) class at Yogativiti in Shelton, CT if you’re local.

This is my first piece of advice to begin running distance:

1. Stop driving somewhere to run (gym, track etc) if you live in a safe place. The further you get on foot the further you have to run back. Run, jog, walk or crawl!

@TerryA @pjballas

4/12

Lengthy full upper body training session:

Flat Dumbbells: 50lbs x 20 reps – 75 x 12 – 100 x 8
Hex Bar Shrugs 140lbs x 30 reps – 190 x 18
Bring Sally Up
Dips x 25
Pulldowns 110 x 26
Standing Curl Pyramid 20lbs x 15 reps – 25 x 12 – 30 x 8 – 30 x 12 – 25 x 18 – 20 x 19 (OUCH)
Tricep Drop Set (will film this soon!)

Legs still a bit smashed from that 450 rep air squat so I did a bit of active recovery stretching.

4/13

I didn’t set out to run a 1/2 marathon today but I did around 12.2 miles with a solid 8:30 pace and a bit of a walk. Some days I go out there and it can feel like my feet are lead and some days I feel very light. Today was one of those days. I really only planned for 7-8. I honestly felt I could have done 18-20 but I had to still pack for vacation  and didn’t want to be fully smashed.

If I kept my phone on me all day today I think I was at 18 with all the suitcase and other vaca prep, oofah!

This 30 minute class is designed to stretch the affected areas, sooth and lengthen the muscles and aid in a speedy recovery.

Active Recovery is essential to prevent injury!

Yoga-inspired stretching as part of active recovery can significantly benefit recovery from marathon training in several ways:

Improves Flexibility: Yoga stretches target multiple muscle groups, including some that may be neglected in typical marathon training. Improving flexibility helps to prevent injuries by maintaining a range of motion and reducing muscle tension.

Enhances Blood Circulation: Stretching exercises enhance blood flow, which is crucial for recovery. Increased blood circulation delivers more nutrients and oxygen to tired muscles and helps in flushing out metabolic waste products accumulated during intense training.

Reduces Muscle Soreness: Active recovery through yoga can help in reducing the onset of muscle soreness (DOMS – Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness) after long runs. Gentle stretching helps to relax the muscles and alleviate tightness and pain.

Promotes Relaxation: Yoga incorporates breathing techniques and mindfulness, which aid in relaxation and stress reduction. Mental recovery is just as important as physical recovery in training for endurance events like marathons.

Supports Joint Health: Yoga helps in strengthening the muscles around the joints, thereby providing better support and reducing the load and impact on joints during running.

Incorporating yoga-inspired stretches into your recovery routine can speed up the recovery process, enhance overall performance, and decrease the risk of injury.

I am a certified e-RYT 200 Yoga Teacher with 15 years of experience. My goal is to make the benefits of yoga more accessible to people who say “I’m not flexible so I can’t do yoga”. You do yoga to get flexible. I avoid overly complex poses, feminine / “dancey” movements, “sanskrit”, anything cosmic. I like to get into deep holds and target specific muscle groups for specific reasons and leave any narrative out of it.

I did a 7 mile run up the Hilton Head Island beach. Doing another tomorrow. Fueled by the 25 beers I’ve had since I got here

4/14 – 4/24

Surviving Family Vacation, Alcohol while Continuing to Train

Well I did it. 7 days on Hilton Head Island South Carolina at the Omni with no loss of progress. I fully detached my digital brain and focused on relaxing. It’s really a very relaxing resort even with an energetic 6 year old. We got really perfect weather for pool, beach and a couple great runs. I did a 7 miler early on and a 9 miler around half way through. I was also able to do a ton of walking, swimming and everything that comes with a 6 year old at a pool. Games, throwing balls, throwing him, marco polo you name it. He keeps my old ass moving!

However, I also indulged on many beers along with a few margaritas. I averaged 3-6 beers per day. So to offset this indulgence I simply ate ZERO typical vacation nonsense like fries, baked goods, fried food, desert etc. I brought much of my own food, high quality portable protein and only got their fruit and one day had the breakfast buffet where I only had eggs, bacon, coffee and water.

I am super thankful to be able to shut alcohol off and turn alcohol on at will. There’s something magical to me about days of sun, some deliberate exercise, tons of natural movement and good beer. I literally never sleep better.

I won’t have another drink for weeks.

I got a bit of bloat but didn’t gain weight, in fact I lost a bit – just feeling flabby and bloated even though it’s mostly in my head I can notice less muscle definition and belly fat after just 1 week of consistent beer.

My recommendation for anyone, whether training for a marathon or just not wanting to get your progress destroyed on vacation is to fully avoid nonsense food and make sure to have the forethought to bring your own.

I also (like a madman) brought my IronMaster dumbbells and did 2 floor strength sessions along with one day where I incorporated around 500 air squats.

Upon return, after a 16 hour car trip (UGH!) I did a Bikram style yoga class in 110 degrees and today I hit the woods for a short hike, few hill sprints, 560 air squats and a new PR of 460 in ONE SET.

I have my home food going and doing a bit of a “detox” (I hate that word) of simply eating clean, single ingredient protein 170-200g per day, fruit and nothing else. I’ll add some of my clean granola ahead of my next training run which I expect to be Fri or Sat.

4/25

I did a 70 minute Bikram yoga style class today, full body stretch head to toe. 110 degrees about 20 postures or so. I did it 2x this week ahead of my next long training run. I plan to do a 10-14 miler this weekend after my legs heal from yesterdays insane air squat set of 460 in a row.

Later in the afternoon I did a decent strength session with several sets of dips, one bring sally up, pullups, pulldowns and a nice biceps drop set.

I followed that with about an hour of running around outside with my 6 year old, soccer and basketball. I actually tracked it at 5000 steps/2 miles.

4/27

Hit a 1/2 today. Felt great but I took it a little slow but still a decent pace. Setting myself up to hit an 18-20 miler next weekend.

Pre run as in the day before I had up to 4 cups of watermelon, 3 cups chicken bone broth, banana, oats… Around 150 grams carbs. When I woke, I had another 1/4 cup granola, honey and a 1/2 banana. I started to feel hunger kick in around 10 miles but hit 13 no problem.

Recovery tomorrow

4/28

I hit a pretty heavy upper body strength session in the am. Hit 90’s for 9 which is one over my previous PR, it felt great. Over all very strong. This video is a good reference for what the workout looked like:

I followed that with modified Bikram Yoga 20 or so postures, temps hitting close to 115.

Took down 2200 calories today to help recovery. Around 210g protein from various sources, mostly animal based (beef, eggs, turkey, cottage cheese) and a dose of Pea Protein Isolate. I replenished glycogen with a bunch of fresh pineapple, banana, some clean granola.

4/29

Short hike, LONNNG air squat sets. Hit a new PR: 510 squats in a row. 810 total over a 2.5 mile hike. Some uphill jogs but that’s it. The one set of 510 took about 16-17 minutes straight.

I thought about David Goggins today.

I’m training for endurance here and there’s no one out there with more endurance than that dude. If I could take a 10th of what he has I’ll hit my 3:30 marathon goal. Can you do one more rep? If yes, do it. I did it.

I’ll feel that one tomorrow and I bet 100 I sleep amazing.

I followed this with a short yoga sequence similar to this:

I’ll be hitting super high protein today but I will be going a bit lower with calories so it will be lean protein and limited carbs. Along with this endurance training I am also going to shed some bulk weight aka excess fat.

I have been hovering around 165-170 for a long time and want to take my weight down to high 150’s. But not just weight loss, fat loss. I plan to keep every ounce of muscle I’ve gained and revived over the last few years.

To do this I’ll go through periods of high protein, lower carbs, lower fats and on-demand eat to train as needed. Fluidly.

Macros today pretty accurate, what a recovery day of eating:

4/30

Lengthy upper body push/pull strength session. Went heavy (for me) on barbell bench and hit 225×4, did a bring sally up, lengthy dip set. In addition I did really good pulldowns, iso pullup holds, shrugs. Let the lower body recover. Legs super smashed from that air squat session and PR of 510 in a row OUCH

5/1

Hit an easy trainer run this am, just short of 7 miles in an hour. Took a slower pace, made sure I was recovered from the 1/2 marathon I did over the weekend. The air squats from 2 days ago are keeping me pretty sore but it’s all good, I ran through it.

I am preparing for a lengthy marathon training run this weekend. I am planning to hit 18 miles and I really want to keep a faster pace, 8-8:20 min miles.

My new goal is not just to complete the NYC marathon sub 4 hour but to actually hit 3:30. To do that I have to sustain 8 min miles the entire time.

5/2

Modified Bikram today – around 70 minutes in 110-115 degrees. I’ve done a modified Bikram class 5x in the last 2 weeks. I swear by it as a healer on recovery day. Active recovery that is.

5/3

Early hike with uphill sprints. Around 2.5 miles and 10-15 sprints throughout. My legs are fully recovered from the squat PR Monday and feel very strong.

I followed this with a pretty intense upper body strength training session.

I peaked the workout with 100lb flat dumbbells for 8, with the 8th rep of that set being all out war. I also did a decent back and triceps integration. I was at it for an hour and it felt great.

Daily calories remain around 2000 with 200 grams of protein being a key macro goal every day. Tomorrow I will try to take in 150-200 grams of organic clean carbs from multiple sources to make sure I have sustained energy for my Sunday long run.

5/4

Furious strength session today. Upper body did lengthy chest work with no weights:
1 set dips (25)
1 Bring Sally Up

and this whole video:

I also did several pre-long run yoga sessions. Just lengthening, stretching, dynamic stretching and went to the playground with my 6 year old. He literally had me do 6000 natural steps.

5/5

20 mile Sunday am haul! Way in the back half of New York City Marathon training. I don’t just want to complete the marathon, I’m gunning for 3 hours and 30 minute completion.

In order to run a 3:30 marathon I have to maintain an 8 minute mile pace the whole time. I’m gunning for it and I feel I am already at a sub-4 hour pace so I think I can do it.

Before this long run I did some prep.

Eating Run Fuel & Stretching

Yesterday I took in somewhere between 230-270 g carbs from multiple sources. Lots of watermelon, which is natural hydradtion. I also took down an entire homemade pizza. About 3/4 of an full Otto’s organic pizza dough which was 150g. The rest was fruit. I also took in good protein and fat. Went into it well nourished.

This morning I took down a banana, 1 tbs of organic Honey, 1/4 cup Grandy classic granola 2 hours ahead of the run.

During the run I ate a mandarin orange. I took it with me and threw it on the ground on my course. On my 2nd pass around this path I peeled it and ate it, at around mile 10. I also had a couple Starbursts. Pure sugar but if you keep it in your mouth it helps with thirst and dry mouth. This is the one time in life you might need pure sugar, as it becomes instantly available fuel. It’s when you eat it and sit idle that problems occur  

I am literally smashed as I type this. Legs, core, hip flexors, calves, lower back all pretty roughed up. I’ll eat a TON of clean lean protein tomorrow to help repair from this “trauma”. This self-imposed trauma. Lots of stretching and yoga inspired work too. And, some nice long woods walks. No running until at least Wednesday.

5/6

Had a major recovery day of a 70 minute Bikram style yoga class in 110 degrees, a slow 5 mile bike ride and a deep tissue massage.

I ate around 250g protein with calories around 2500 for the day.

For the next few days I’m going into a bit of a fat loss phase and will keep daily calories around 1700 and protein around 170-200. I’ll target my carbs to fuel workouts as well and will only eat some fruit and honey, maybe a 1/4 cup Grandy granola. No other grains.

I want to note I went into training around 165-170lbs and have not gone below 165 since. Even running 20 miles. Weight loss does not happen via cardio, it happens by calorie reduction over time. 2 days here, 3 days there. Then maintain, refeed your muscles and repeat.

I want to go into the marathon the lightest I’ve been since high school: 155-160lbs. “High 150’s”

Let’s go.

5/7

Another day of active recovery. Kicked it off with a 5 mile woods hike. I did some light uphill jogging (Zone 2) not sprinting. Still some soreness in my calves and groin/hip flexors. I did just enough to not push it. I followed this with a 60% upper body strength session. Again, being mindful of the “trauma” in my body, specifically lower back and not wanting to push too much. I’ll be fully recovered tomorrow and will hit a training run.

5/8

Active day. I began with getting rained out of a run so I had to switch gears. It wasn’t the kind of rain you could run though. I went into strength training full on barbell squats. I worked up to a set of 225lbs for 18 reps. I asked chatgpt what my 1 rep max is based on this and it said 360lbs!

“Based on the Epley formula, your estimated one-rep max (1RM) for a lift of 225 lbs at 18 reps is approximately 360 lbs.”

I don’t want to test that but damn.

I followed that with a woods walk once the rain stopped. Some zone 2 jogs, a bit more speed on the uphills and did a Bring Sally Up to almost 4 rounds.

Later that evening I took a 20 min / 5 mile bike ride. I really love riding a bike and brought it back into my life during COVID. Been doing it since.

Very active day.

I also fed the day and ate more than normal to fuel the activity and recovery. 225-230grams protein, 150-175grams carbs hitting close to 2800 calories on the day.

Repair, Re-feed.

For the next 2 days I’m keep clean protein high and everything else low and will start to prep for another long run over the next 2 weeks. My next big one is going 22-26 maintaining an 8:40 pace.

Eventually hitting the distance goal and continually working on the speed.

5/9

I did something odd for me today, I ran at 11am which is something I never do. Sometimes I like to break patterns but today I just had early obligations and rather than try and squeeze it in ahead of it, I did it after.

A nice training run, decent pace, 1st full on run since my 20 miler.

I did a short powerful maintenance strength session. Got 100’s up on flat for 6, did pulldowns, pullups and a nice tricep drop set.

My body is super tired from my long squat set yesterday. Everything is labor today. I should recover 100% by Sat. I’ll hit a long run this Sunday.

Today I took in only 1700 calories or so but had around 200 grams protein. I’ll reduce carbs and fat today, tomorrow and ramp up carbs Saturday anticipating a Sunday run.

I had Cod, Shrimp, Turkey, Whey, Plain Greek Yogurt & Paleovalley Beef sticks – very diverse.

5/10

Simple active recovery day today. Very little movement but I did a 70 minute Bikram style yoga class in 110 degrees. I also call it a live stretching and strengthening DVD. It’s the same thing every time and it covers everything. Best “day off” thing to IMO

Protein back up around 200g
Carbs lower around 115-120g on the day, but will scale up tomorrow.

My goal is to do a fast 10 miler in 2 days.

I’m looking to do a very long run NEXT Sunday. 22 miles or so.

5/13

Furious upper body strength training today. I have been trying to work my flat bench back up and hit a 1 rep of 250lbs. I don’t have a spotter so I had to do a massive drop set out of it. 250×1, 225×3, 185×8, 55lb dummbells to failure

Also hit back pretty hard and did hex bar shrugs 190×18, 190×22

About 50 minutes straight. Left my legs alone to prep for 10-13 miles. I’m going for a faster pace than normal. Looking to do 8:15 min miles for the duration. Let’s see

5/12

Just hit a PR 1/2 marathon time. 7:55/min for 13.1 miles. I never did a 1/2 in the “7’s”!

I’m gunning for a 3:30 marathon time and to achieve that I have to maintain 8:00 minute miles x 26.2.

All I ate in the am about an hour and a 1/2 ahead of the run was a 1/2 banana, 1/4 cup Grandy Organics original granola, a little bit of cantaloupe, 1tbs honey and 1 scoop of Pure Encapsulations electrolytes

I’m actively trying to reduce my body fat to get lighter. Notice I didn’t say “lose weight” although I am trying to lose weight, I am specifically losing body fat and not muscle.

Running doesn’t make you lose weight despite what people think. Weight loss is almost entirely food based.

Running burns about 100 calories per mile.

Even though in a 1/2 marathon run you burn about 1300-1400 calories, that effort could have easily been erased with 1/2 of a pizza and 1 beer. Instead I ate to recover with clean protein and fruit.

Protein will stay very high for recovery and muscle retention this week. 180-230g clean, diverse protein per day is the goal. Reduction of carbs and fat early in the week and will ramp up for my next run.

5/13

I did a 5 mile/10,000 step hike with light jogging this am. In the afternoon I did a decent strength session going up to 185 on incline barbell for 8. Dropping to 135, 95 and then went to flat dumbbells 55lb x 22, 80llbx11 which was basically failure.

Did a nice drop set from pulldowns, to iso bicep holds, a static pullup hold and a tricep drop set.

Did an additional 5000 steps playing with my 6 year old – 15,000 total on the day

I felt very hungry this PM and ended up taking in an extra meal. Macros on the day are around 220g protein, 150g carbs, 100g fat 2300-2400 calories.

5/15

Killer strength session today. I hadn’t done hex bar deadlifts over 225 since I began marathon training but today I went up to 370lbs x 1. Felt great.

I did some good back work and finished the workout with this workout I assembled based on some of my favorite pushup moves from Shawn T’s Insanity and Tony Horton’s p90x with a biceps intermission inspired by a workout from Sagi Kalev in old “Body Beast” – which I do 1-2x per month and on vacations:

I then went out in the sun and did some stretching and core work. I’m preparing for an air-squat PR tomorrow in the woods.

I followed this with a 5 mile bike ride later after lunch.

Riding a bike made up a huge part of my childhood. I forgot how much I used to love riding a bike! Hell I was a BMX kid, a freestyle Haro, Dyno, Redline old school mag wheel, rotor and pegs kid!

So my take-away here: Do the things you love to do.

I got a Raleigh mountain bike from Facebook Marketplace during COVID because bikes were literally sold out everywhere. Guess what? I’ve been riding this bike in the Spring and Summer ever since.

5-10 miles. Up hills and down hills. It’s fun, low impact but can be super challenging when you add in hills. Get at it!

5/15

I hit a PR of 600 air squats in a row today with a total of 850 total reps over 6 sets 10-15-25-600-100-100. I also did a couple uphill sprints over a 3 mile hike. It was a bit rainy, quite muddy, the bugs just kicked in, so what. Better workout than any gym.

“Calisthenics” have evolved my legs muscle mass, strength, endurance and as a result have impacted my run times. At this point I only do barbell squats 1-2x a month.

I took a pic of the back side because the pump from that set was so severe it went through my entire leg. I literally have veins popping out of my calves  Balance is also a consideration here. After 600 of these you really do put most of your body into it.

I will counter this tomorrow with some kind of lengthy stretch routine in the heat and most likely a walk. (Active recovery)

5/16

70 minute Bikram style yoga class temps hitting 110-115. I did a short powerful arms routine. Worked up to 185lbs close grip flat bench for 10 reps. Along with a few nice heavy bicep pulldowns sets.

Legs devastated from air squats

5/17

7 mile trainer and maintenance run today. Legs still SMASHED from that 600 rep air squat set 2 days ago. It’s unreal. It didn’t really affect my 7 miler just now I’m done. Planning series of training runs ahead of my next long haul.

Also another 2 miles in natural movement walking field day and playing with kid after school, somehow he still had more energy 

Tomorrow is a lengthy strength session.

To repair and continue fat loss, I took in around 2200 calories. 240 grams of protein from many sources, mostly animal based. Kept carbs and fat low.

@TerryA macros nuts. Had every form of protein it’s like a f/t job haha

5/18

I hit a powerful upper body strength session today. I worked up to 100lb flat dumbbells for 9. Hitting a new PR for that move. I attribute the extra boost in power to the previous days of eating super high protein, very clean.

Prepping for a long run tomorrow – I took in around 200-250 grams of carbs today from various sources. Some clean (fruit, organic oats), some “dirty” (pizza, beer 
Let’s Go!

New video in my marathon series:

Sneakers are such an important factor! In this video, I talk about how finding the right running shoes, specifically Brooks sneakers, helped me overcome foot pain from having flat feet and improve my running. I share tips on choosing, replacing, and breaking in running shoes to avoid injuries. I also explain how to find the best deals on running shoes and recommend specific Brooks models.

How Often to Replace Running Shoes?

The time it takes to reach the mileage limit for running shoes depends on your weekly mileage. Here’s a quick guide:

20 miles/week: Replace every 15-25 weeks (3.5-6 months)
30 miles/week: Replace every 10-17 weeks (2.5-4 months)
40 miles/week: Replace every 7.5-12.5 weeks (2-3 months)
50 miles/week: Replace every 6-10 weeks (1.5-2.5 months)
Expect to need new running shoes every 2 to 6 months based on your mileage and shoe condition.

Get Brooks on Amazon:
https://amzn.to/3wHfD8Y

Key Moments:
00:00:00: My early struggles with running due to foot pain and boredom.
00:00:43: Realizing Brooks Adrenaline are legit running shoes.
00:01:21: How flat feet affected my running and finding comfort with Brooks.
00:01:58: Knowing when to replace running shoes to avoid injuries.
00:02:52: Switching to Brooks Glycerin GT and why they work for me.
00:04:06: Brooks sneakers’ dedication to running and comparison with other brands.
00:05:06: Trying different brands and always coming back to Brooks.
00:06:36: How to get the best deals on Amazon and buy multiple pairs at once.
00:07:01: Strategy for ordering and testing multiple pairs to find the best fit.
00:08:05: Ensuring continuous availability of broken-in shoes.

5/19

Hit a nice even paced trainer run this morning. Didn’t break any records, no PR but a nice bridge run to 20+ mile runs.

I am planning a 22 miler for next Sunday.

5/20

Pretty furious strength session this am, working back up to a 250lb flat bench x2. I backed out of that heavy set like this: 250×2, 250×5 partials (I don’t have a spotter), 225×4, 185×7, 135 til failure.

Followed with dips and a nice triceps dropset.

I then did a 70 minute Bikram yoga style class in around 115 degree heat, 90% humidity

I’m pretty damaged from yesterdays 15 miler but nearly as bad as it’s been. I’m recovering nicely with high protein, tons of bone broth (collagen, protein, hydration), clean carbs.

I’ll enter into a fat loss phase for a few days before I prepare for a short training run midweek and a really long 22 miler this weekend. I really want to get as light as possible, not lose muscle and continue to build endurance.

Eat more, train more.

5/21

I went hard on barbell squats and got 225lbs x 20 very strict reps. Unreal! Calculations say this means I can do a max weight of 375lbs. I think I’m ready to start repping out with 250!

I added in additional biceps drop sets, strict dips 26 reps new max PR

I then followed it with this chest and biceps finisher:

I did a bit of yoga inspired stretching after this.

Calories staying around 1800-1900 with carbs under 100 and protein just over 200 grams per day.

5/22

Awesome “hike” today. My hike isn’t just a walk in the woods. I did around 10,000 steps. 10-15 uphill sprints, 2 long downhill runs, 1 “Bring Sally Up” to alllllmost 4 rounds.

I want to point out benefits of a downhill run or just a run in the woods in general. I made this video about it using a video game interface. The goal is to be mindful of every step. There is no set pattern. You have to invent that as you go. This is also good for COGNITION. Constant problem solving:

Followed it with a short outdoor yoga stretch, 30 min or so in the direct sun – super hot on my deck. If it’s 77 out my deck is 97. This is fantastic in January but it’s like a Bikram studio in the late Spring/Summer!

Calories were pretty wild today. Took in just under 2000 calories but 240 grams of protein. I had beef, bone broth, venison, eggs, pea protein, shrimp, all lean. 75 grams carbs

Planning a powerful strength session tomorrow and this will help recovery.

5/23

Bananas strength session this am. Not that it was overly long it was just very powerful. I built out 110lb dumbbells with my Iron Masters, but the true weight was 108 (I weighed them).

Anyway, hit that 5x for a new flat PR

Followed with 2 incline bench sets of 135 til failure

Intertwined chin ups, pullups, static pullup hold, lat pulldowns, and a lengthy tricep drop set.

I did a short walk this am with my client around 5000 steps total today. Planning a solid trainer for tomorrow.

There is some great insight in this video. It can get a bit too technical, but worth watching/listening: @TerryA @rfaustinllc @chad

5/24

6.5 mile trail run – kept a nice pace on 9:30/miles. The thing about trail runs is they have to be slower and you have to really pay attention to every step or you will take a digger. Roots, rocks, sticks, hills (both up and down), gravel, mud, puddles – all of which keep you SHARP! Trail running is great for so many reasons:

Trail Running for Marathon Training: Benefits and Considerations

1. Strength and Stability:

• Benefits: Engages stabilizing muscles, improves balance, and strengthens legs through uphill runs.
• Considerations: Requires specialized footwear and adjustments in running form.

2. Reduced Impact:

• Benefits: Softer surfaces lower joint impact and varied stride prevents repetitive stress injuries.
• Considerations: Be aware of environmental hazards like roots and rocks.

3. Mental Resilience:

• Benefits: Enhances focus and mental toughness through varied and scenic routes.
• Considerations: Requires good navigation skills and awareness of surroundings.

4. Aerobic Conditioning:

• Benefits: Improves cardiovascular fitness and endurance with higher caloric burn.
• Considerations: Slower paces and mileage should be factored into the training plan.

5. Recovery:

• Benefits: Allows for active recovery sessions with lower body impact.
• Considerations: Access to trails may be limited, and travel time should be considered.

6. Seasonal Factors:

• Winter: Cooler temperatures reduce overheating risks; requires warm, flexible clothing and proper lighting.
• Summer: Longer daylight hours; be cautious of overheating, dehydration, and insects.

Integrating trail running, especially uphill runs, into marathon training provides significant physical and mental benefits. Addressing the unique challenges ensures a balanced approach, maximizing performance and minimizing injury risk.

CARB LOADING began for my long Sunday run. Took in 200-250 grams from homemade pizza (organic Otto’s crust), fruit and oat based granola.

5/25

Had an amazing upper body strength session working on my incline barbell presses. Hit 185 for 8 and worked it back down to a nice drop set. Hit back, shoulders, traps too.

We also as a family moved furniture in 3 rooms in our house. So I was up and down stairs doing all kinds of lifts I shouldn’t have been doing but survived it lol I’m in a new office now. I love and embrace change so this is great.

CARB LOADING for distance: Took in around 200 grams from various sources including oat based granola, fruit, honey and rice crackers. I tapered off dietary fat, only took in 150 grams of super clean protein.

5/26

Had a great trainer run this am, I got derailed at the end by the Memorial Day parade and my whole route being blocked/filled. No biggie I still hit just over 21 miles. I was gunning for 22 but this is fine. I’ll dial it back do some short speed runs, active recovery and look to hit 24 miles in about 3 weeks.

I really don’t like running in the heat so I’m moving my run time to the early am. I would rather it be 30 than 80. Hell I’d rather 20 than 80, not a fan of heat.

I ended up walking another 2 miles naturally and with that I ended up with 35,000 steps on the day 

5/27

Decent upper body strength session. I hit 185 close-grip flat for 11 clean reps followed by 50lb dumbbells for 25-30. In between some arm work I also did 80lbs dumbbells x 11 and then dropped to 50’s for 15-20.

Leaving my lower body alone to repair, will hit a good deep stretch tomorrow.

My body is not nearly as sore as it was when I ran the 20 miler a few weeks ago. I’m eating to recover now. 175-250 grams clean protein, lower carbs, low fat next few days.

Fat loss now back to the forefront. I really need to lighten the load for these hot summer runs.

Also, I find it extremely bizarre to “carb load”. I just don’t eat like that but pre-long run I did it for 2 days plus the am 2-3 hours ahead of the run. Next time I’ll try 3 days and some electrolyte chews & honey for the 2nd half.

I’m giving these a shot for beyond 20 miles:

5/29

Hit a Bikram style class today and nothing else. 70 min or so, 110-115 degrees and have to say I’m pretty much recovered from my 21 miler. It’s odd. I’m heading to the woods tomorrow trying to break an air squat record. We’ll see.

Protein high today around 210 grams. Carbs and fats around 80. 1900 or so total.

5/30

Hit the woods for a almost 3 mile hike and air squats. Hit a new PR for air squats of 620 in a row, one set for a total of 800 on the day: 10, 15, 25, 620, 130. I’m closing in on my goal of 1000 by marathon time.

Also had a powerhouse recovery/refeed day of eating. Around 3000 calories with macros focused on rebuild and replenish – 250 g protein, 165 carbs and 140 fat. I’ll dial that back the next few days.

But it’s important to remember that if you want to train like this you have to fuel it or you will run out of gas.

5/30

Lower body just smashed from the PR air squat set so I took on a very intense upper body strength session.

In one workout I did:
Shrugs up to 225 x 18
Dips 1 set x 26
Bring Sally Up x 3 “rounds”

I finished with this, which is something I do a few times a month:

Calories on the day were around 1800-1900. Around 190 grams protein from varied sources, lower carbs, lower fat. Carb loading for long runs makes me gain weight. It’s too weird. I run 21 miles and get heavier! It’s also “trauma” and releases cortisol (stress) so despite what people think, running long distances won’t make you thin if you eat too much food!

With that said I’m deflating the bloat of the carb load and stress for a few days. Shorter training runs 6-9 miles as I ramp up to another long one in a few weeks.

Just added a trail run video:

Originally published at: NYC Marathon Training: Why I alternate between my home gym, the road & sweaty, dirty trail runs | Get Up Earlier

Join me as I share my 14-year journey in the woods trail running, hiking, rucking, pushups, squats, and how it enhances my NYC Marathon training. From the privacy of the woods to the intense physical and mental challenges, discover how trail running and other outdoor workouts can transform your fitness routine. Whether you’re sprinting uphill, doing pushups, air squats, or simply soaking in the natural beauty, there’s something truly special about exercising in nature. Tune in and see why I encourage you to leave the gym behind and embrace the great outdoors as part of your marathon training.

Key Moments:

00:00:00 – Introduction to Trail Running and Outdoor Workouts
“Running trails is a really cool thing to do. I’ve been doing it for probably 14 years now.”

00:00:20 – Privacy and Psychotic Workouts
“I like to take that kind of like next level psychotic, dirty, sweaty thing that I do and sometimes bring it out into the woods.”

00:00:42 – The Challenges of Trail Running
“You have to be mindful of every step… the downhill runs are crazy because you really have to pay attention to every single step.”

00:01:03 – Cognitive Benefits of Trail Running and Hiking
“It’s actually quite awesome to not just be stuck on the same plan, the same path, and kind of have a mindless thing going.”

00:01:21 – Embracing Nature and Weather
“While you’re out there getting this amazing workout, you’re getting fresh air and some sunlight and it’s just great.”

00:01:59 – Why You Should Quit the Gym
“It’s just another reason why I can say, quit the gym because you can go out there in the woods and get a much better workout.”

NYC Marathon 2024 Training:
I am keeping a daily training log of my 2024 NYC Marathon Training here:
https://learn.getupearlier.com/t/nyc-marathon-2024-training-diet-log-tips-and-information-april-1-nov-3-tcsnycmarathon/149

I am also there to answer any questions or help in any way.

This is video one of a lengthy series, stay tuned and good luck with the running!

Ultimately, I am training for life or as Peter Attia @PeterAttiaMD calls it the “centenarian decathlon”. Every day, working toward a goal of enhancing and maintaining strength, muscle mass, endurance, mobility and flexibility to be a kick-ass 85+ year old.

Michael Baker
e-RYT Yoga Teacher, CHC, 25 Year #WFH Digital Pro
Actively training for the NYC Marathon & “Centenarian Decathlon”

www.GetUpEarlier.com
www.MichaelBakerDigital.com

#Run #Lift #Hike #Yoga #Strength #Flexibility #Nutrition #nycmarathon #tcsnycmarathon

5/31

I hit an “easy” 6 miler early in am. After you get acclimated to going 13-20+ miles hitting 6 seems like no big deal anymore. My legs are still very sore from the air squats so I ran through that. Also wanted to make sure I will be able to hit a 10 miler Sunday so just overall didn’t want to overdo it.

I followed that with some light stretching similar to what you see in this video:

6/1

Hit a hardcore upper body strength session:
Worked up to 105lb flat dumbells x5 (50×20, 80×12, 90x 4, 105×5)
Flat closegrip barbell 185×9, 135 to failure
Chinup iso hold 42 seconds, Pullup iso hold 25 seconds
Pulldowns
Hexbar deadlifts to shrugs 140×25, 190×15, 280×6, 380×1
1 Dips x 26 strict
Lengthy tricep dropset
100 reps biceps with 15lbs

Ate to run and repair today but focused on carbs which I have to say is very bizarre for me. Hitting a 10 miler tomorrow, going for speed.
Massive tricep dropset

Just hit a PR run for 10k, 15k and 10 miles all in the same run! 10 miles holding a 7:39/min mile pace. Speed training for New York City Marathon (5 months out).

I want to note my “carb loading” yesterday. I hit around 200 grams which for me feels high. From what I have been reading people go as high as 400-500g every day for many days ahead of a long run. I personally find this to be overkill. I tried it and all it did was make me feel heavy and bloated. So I dialed it back.

My 200g consisted of mostly fruit (watermelon, blueberries, banana, cantaloupe, apple) throughout the day. I also have this unconventional ritual of having 2 or 3 good pilsners or lager beers, which I did – Kona Lager, as well as 2 cups of plain organic “cheerios” (365 brand)

The beer thing is at least 4 hours ahead of going to bed. Any alcohol ahead of my sleep generally messes me up. 4-5 hours buffer no problem. I am not recommending this it’s just a ritual I have for years.

Another factor is hydration and being aware of my micronutrients specifically my electrolytes. One thing I have been doing lately, also maybe unconventional, is consuming chicken bone broth 2-4 cups daily for natural electrolytes, protein, collagen. I also have been making it from scratch using Organic rotisserie chickens from Whole Foods. It’s pretty gross lol but I believe in it. I also started taking Pure Encapsulations electrolyte blend in the am but will be tring Nuun for more portability.

I think I found my energy balance in my food as fuel intake.

Also I took down 1 tablespoon of honey about 1 hour ahead of my run today in the am. It was the only thing I “ate” along with my electrolyte blend.

6/3

Did a 5-6 mile hike, light jogs uphill/downhill nothing strenuous. I also added in 3 bring sally up sequences. 1st try 3.5 rounds, 2nd try 2.5 rounds, 3rd try 2 rounds. Note I drop to my knees and complete the whole song each time.

Protein very high today – around 245 grams. Carbs, fat very low. 1600 total calories.
Protein: 4 cups bone broth, 8 oz ground venison, 7 oz grilled chicken, 8 oz shrimp seared in a small amt of butter, lemon, coconut aminos, 2 oz zero sugar spicy people’s choice beef jerky, 4 tbs / 1/4 cup pea protein. My only carbs on the day was a cup of fruit salad and some watermelon.

6/4

Hit an “easy” 6 miler. I only say easy because once you start doing 15, 20, 24 miles a 6 miler is like a warmup! But it’s essential to back off the long runs and do short speed training.

I also did this at 5:45am and was home by 6:40.

Later in the afternoon I did a decent upper body strength session. The one notable move was I broke a PR for dips and hit 26 in a row. Almost time for weighted!

6/5

New air squat PR today: 665 in a row OUCHHHHH haha! I included this in a 3 mile hike. Leading up to this I did 5 sets of 10 easy, 1 set of 25, got about 1 mile in, walked a few hills and then did it.

I want to note that going back 5-6-7 years now when I began the air squat thing, I did an absolute max of 250 in any given workout and it KILLED me. I would divide the sets into 10-25 rep blocks. I did this for a very long time until one day I tried 50, 100 etc.

I did the PR set using a stick on my back like this:

Later in the PM I did a short and powerful upper body strength session where I worked up to flat dumbbells 90lbs x 10 strict reps. Going back 4 or 5 years, I could do this 2x max.

Protein continues to be high and from varied mostly animal sources. Chicken bone broth, cod, beef, yogurt today. Carbs and fat hanging around 100g each, calories around 2000-2100.

@TerryA @rfaustinllc @chad

6/6

Just kept it light today and hit a 70 minute Bikram style class in 110 degree heat. Did a very minor upper body strength session in the PM to loosen up, get some blood flowing.

Protein way up around 250 grams on the day. Calories around 2400. Protein from varied sources: Eggs, bone broth, ground beef, Swordfish, chicken, beef jerky. Carbs and fat lower around 70-80g. Carbs on the day were all from fruit, no grains today. Fat is just what evr occurs naturally in my protein sources.

6/7

Easy 6 miler today holding a “slow” pace – 8:40 min miles. I deliberately took it easier with the runs this week building up to a big bomb run very soon. I did a bit of stretching in the sun after and hit a short powerful back workout in the early afternoon.

I went up to 225lbs shrugs for 17, ouch and did a good deal of pulldowns, chinups and isometric pullup holds. I also did 2 30-40 rep sets of 50lb flat dumbbells just as a tease for my Saturday lifting session, which traditionally is intense. Tomorrow I plan to go heavy incline barbell and will destroy arms.

6/8

Decent strength session, stretch and just a natural movement day. Trying to avoid any hardcore moves on lower body.

I hit incline barbell presses 185 x 8, 205 x 2, 185 x 6, 135 to failure. Flat 75lb dumbbells x 14, 1 set dips 27 (new pr), biceps pyramid as seen here:
(I linked inside the video to a specific time)

And a decent tripeps pushdown sequence til failure.

CARB LOADING IS GROSS

One thing about marathon training I can really do without is this carb loading operation. I get it’s need but it just doesn’t make me feel good. With that said I took in 200 grams or so carbs from varied sources last couple days. Clean organic grains, granola, plain organic 365 “cheerios”, fruit, honey. In addition, kept protein elevated around 200 grams as well.

I am now taking NUUN hydration tabs in the am:

And today on the run I will pack a banana, some honey and these energy chews:

They give out bananas along the way at the NYC marathon so I’m trying to make sure my training revolves around things that will be possible the day of

6/9

Today I faced adversity. I hit a 22 mile run this am. Mile 1-8 dry. 9-13 downpoured. 14-22 miles soaked head to toe with totally soaked heavy feet and clothes.

But the way I looked at it was oh well, it will be over in 90 minutes, who cares.

I didn’t break any time records on the books but I did conquer a real-time problem where most would have just quit. I never ran that far totally soaked. BTW it sucked.

Ahead of my run I had honey, 1/4 cup granola and a NUUN electrolyte tab. In run I consumed 3 pure honey chews, 1 pack of Skratch labs energy chews, 1 banana, 1 starburst and a NUUN electrolyte.

6/10

Short powerful upper body strength session this am. Somehow I managed to pull off a PR! 90lb flat dumbbells for 11 clean reps. I followed this with 135 flat til failure. I hit a few very deep sets of pulldowns, 2 iso holds and a set of 80lb pullovers on the floor like this:

Then a 60 minute Bikram style class in 110 degrees to stretch out that 22 miler from yesterday. All in all, I could have run that marathon yesterday if it weren’t for the heavy water logged feet. Now I’m working on trimming time. I want to hit a 3 hour 30 min marathon time, so I still have a lot of work to do to trim off that time.

I hit a lower calorie day because I’m “detoxing” from all the carbs. Very high, lean protein today with 4 cups bone broth, a new york strip steak, greek yogurt, good culture cottage cheese and some paleovalley beef sticks. 200 grams or so. Carbs were a banana, a peach, a mandarin orange and a sweet potato. 90-100g or so 1800 or so calories.

6/11

4 mile hike in the woods at actual sunrise today – 5:50am-7:30am or so. Mostly “Zone 2” walking and hit some light sprints, mostly uphill. 2 good downhill jogs too. The goal was to loosen up a bit more, recover a bit more before my next run. My next 2 or 3 runs will be “short” 6-8 miles. Starting slower and ramping up to all out high speed.

Trying to close in on a 3:30 marathon time.

Followed this with a light weight / long set strength session. Prepping for a full power session tomorrow. Want to be mindful of lower back, hamstrings. Make sure I’m fully recovered from my 22 miler before going HAM on heavy weight.

Protein 200+ grams, carbs low, fat low. Protein sources: Bone broth, ground beef, greek yogurt, pea protein, eggs. Carbs from fruit only today. Will start to weave in grains as a long run looms again.

Electrolytes
I’ve been taking one of these every am now and will continue through run day:

In addition to this I have been consuming 2-4 cups organic bone broth daily which is a chore but I swear by it’s recovery abilities and natural electrolytes.

6/12

I hammered a short power session specifically for barbell squats: 90° Barbell Squats
225 lbs x 20 reps (PR). I also was able to get in a nice incline dumbbell sequence and got up 85’s for 10!

Here’s the video from this PR set:

Powerful, felt amazing.

The rest of my day was just natural movement and a bit of yoga stretching/core work in the sun.

6/13

7 mile training run today with a 8:17 pace. No records, just staying in motion. I really can’t say enough about the early am runs and what it does for my whole day. Not one other form of exercise makes me feel as good as a good run. To clarify, a 22 mile run is not a good run lol, it’s awful. The 6-8 miler is my favorite.

I swapped out sneakers today too and it’s amazing when you get into the new ones that are perfectly broken in. If you missed it, this video explains my whole sneaker operation and how I cycle in and out of sneakers seamlessly:

I followed this with a light yoga sequence in the sun quite similar to this:

My legs are absolutely smashed today from the squats yesterday. Just insane.

I’m eating to recover. Clean protein, lots of it. Lower on the fat, moderate on the carbs.

6/14

Hit an awesome upper body strength session:
Barbell bench worked up to 225×4 – which is new again to me. I had to let barbell bench go for a long time going heavy with just dumbbells. My shoulders just didn’t like or allow it. Over time, I’ve repaired them and I’m back on the bench. I know 225 x4 is no big deal in the lifting world, but for me having not done this is 30+ years, it’ feels great.

I’m hoping to get back up to my young fat powerlifting PR of 315 for reps 

I followed this with the Chest and Biceps finisher workout:

Following this, I did a short core and yoga sequence out in the heat/sun. Very little movement outside of this, spent too much time on PC.

NYC Marathon Training: Build Leg Strength with 90-Degree Barbell Squats (PR Set 20 Reps at 225 lbs)

In this video, I explore the powerful benefits of incorporating heavy weighted squats into your marathon training regimen. I use 90-degree barbell squats to enhance lower body strength, increase stability, balance, and core strength, all crucial for achieving your marathon goals. I also discuss the importance of maintaining joint health, essential for long-distance runners.

I am 49 years old and have flat feet, and I provide insight into why 90-degree barbell squats are safer and more effective for me compared to parallel or ATG (Ass to Grass) squats. 90-degree squats can be powerful as they engage the major muscles in the legs while reducing the strain on the knees and hips, making them less dangerous than deeper squats. Learn how I balance strength training with my marathon preparation and optimize my training plan to achieve a 3:30 marathon time. Join me as I unlock the secrets of combining strength and endurance training for peak marathon performance!

6/15

5 mile hike with some light hill sprints, using this as a general guide:

There is something magical about hiking in the cool morning air in Spring. Something that just doesn’t happen to me on the road.

6/16

Hit a nice 7 mile pacer/trainer run keeping an 8:15/min mile pace. This is now considered light work for what lies ahead which is crazy. It’s great to be here. I then spent the rest of the day in Rhode Island on the beach, even went into the 63 degree water for a few swims. Got sun, moved around with my busy 6 year old and had some awesome raw bar.

So my ultimate goal is a 3 hour and 30 min marathon time.

A 3:30-hour marathon is approximately 8:00 per mile So the focus of my training has shifted to this entirely. Not just completing but holding this pace.

THis is some info generated by AI about that:

A common rule of thumb is that you should be able to run a half marathon in under 1:37 and a 10K in under 43 minutes before attempting a 3:30 marathon.

Tips for pacing a sub-3:30 marathon:

• Avoid starting too fast

Conserve energy for the last half of the race, especially the final 10 kilometers.

• Long runs

Include a mix of steady state long runs at a 6 minute mile pace for 10–15 miles, and recovery long runs at an 8–9 minute mile pace.

• Marathon pace workouts

Run workouts at around 8 minutes per mile.

• Threshold pace workouts

Run workouts ranging from 15K to half marathon pace, or 7:30–7:40 minutes per mile.

Training plans typically include easy runs, long runs, tempo runs, speed runs, core sessions, rest days, and optional cross-training.

6/17

Did a powerful upper body session today including a 1 rep max of 225 lbs on the incline barbell bench. I did it by myself so I was nervous to get pinned. I actually think I could have gotten 2. I’m really happy to be getting my barbell weights back up. Shoulders feeling great.

I followed this with dips, pretty heavy shrugs with the deadlift hex bar (2 sets 250lbs x 7-10 reps) and dumbbell pullovers:

I followed this with a sunny yoga/stretch/core sequence similar to this:

Calories low, around 1800-1900 with 200ish grams protein, low carbs, lowish fat. Will start my personal hell of carb loading for a 20+ miler this weekend.

7 mile pacer run nice and early, still cool(ish) out. I’m really trying to hold 8 minute miles for the duration of the marathon so I’ll be doing some speed training after my next long stamina run. Did a good core/stretch following it.

Took in 250 grams protein with just under 2000 calories.

6/19

• New PR: 705 air-squats in a row WOW. It took 22 minutes. I hit 850 total reps over a 3 mile hike: 10, 15, 25, 700, 100
• 3 mile hike
• Upper body: Maintaining heavy weights while trying to lose more fat. Went up to 100 lb dumbbells on flat for 7 reps and did a nice pulldown set. I hit 80’s for 11 and maybe could have gone 13. What ever it is, it’s weird because going back 5 years ago I could barely do 3 reps.
• Little bit of core work in the sun

I’m going to back off weights for a couple days and let things heal. Feeling very good though, just a couple things telling me to chill for a minute. That’s part of being intuitive and smart about training. Be careful with little tweaks and pains because they can turn into long problems. Best is back off for a few days and ease back in to the problem area.

6/20

70 minute 110 degrees Bikram yoga session and some light movement. 3000-4000 steps. Need a repair day.

Took in 210 grams of protein, low carbs, low fat 1800 total. I’ll add some extra carbs in tomorrow and Saturday preparing for a long Sunday run.

6/21

Great 5 mile hike with around 15 sprints. Hot and sweaty one it was 80 in the shade, pretty humid it felt great minus those stupid bugs that fly and hover right at your eyes. Also I have to put on like mega bug spray because I’m the bug magnet. But with that said, it’s still great to get out there, get dirty and get fresh air. I know at this point, not for everyone. The heat and bugs make it a pretty gross event lol.

Followed with a very short yoga sequence in the heat with one significant move which is this:

I have been working on balance and core strength for 15 years! When I started yoga, I was a disaster. Perpetual shoulder injuries from over-use because all I did was lift weights, 40 pounds overweight, zero flexibility, no core strength. Literally. So this is a nice tribute to putting in the work.

6/22

Killer upper body strength session targeting incline barbell presses. Worked up to 185lbs for 8, 185 for 6, 185 for 5. Dips 26 reps and killer tricep dropset. I have a weird left bicep forearm thing. Also did a lot of natural movement with my 6 year old. Later that afternoon I did a 30 minute stretch session in the sun, really trying to get ready for a long run.

Began to take in extra carbs, can’t express how little I enjoy that. I just feel like I’m binge eating nonsense.

6/23

Hit another solid upper body session targeting back with 4 x 30-45 sec pullup isometric holds, pulldowns, reverse flyes, overhead dumbbell pullovers:

Also side and front fly and a new PR dip set of 32 reps. Followed with another at 24 reps then did this:

I followed that up by going to the beach with my 6 year old where basically I was in a constant state of motion in the water, on the shore, digging holes etc. Pure serenity haha

I also pulled a couple 1/2 hour stints in the cold Atlantic Ocean battling big waves. It’s something I really love to do. Always have! Water was around 67 degrees, up 3 or 4 from last weekend, it made a big difference.

Prepping for a super long run I took in very light protein sources, low fat. Had insane raw bar at Matunuck Oyster Bar in RI and had a bunch of rice crackers (2 servings Trader Joe’s mini rice crackers), granola (1/2 cup Purely Elizabeth orginal) ahead of sleeping to make sure I have gas in the tank.

I’m experimenting with less carbs than I have done in the past, 150grams per day for a few days ahead rather than the 200-250 the previous 2. 100 grams the morning of and will have 100 grams IN run. Let’s see.

6/24

I had hoped for a long run today but I had some issues with gear. This is the topic of my next marathon tips video. Getting your gear right. No race day surprises or last minute changes!

Today I had a few issues:

1. My tank top not fitting right and constantly having to adjust it during the run
2. This is an odd one but it also had a bit of a print and that alinged with my nipples lol and was starting to shear one off UGH
3. My bandanna wasn’t my cotton red one, it was nylon or some other nasty synthetic material that didn’t absorb sweat and it was flopping around on my head.
4. Sweat then trickled into my ears causing my headphones to get weird, which is weird because I never have headphone issues.
5. Training time was off. I do my long runs on Sunday. The marathon will be on a Sunday. I tried to go out on a Monday. Too much pressure to get back to life, it was pulling at me mentally too.

I got in this position because of training in hot weather, which I don’t like. That and breaking my routine, which I shouldn’t have done. I’ll work it out but it’s 99% chance heat wont be a factor Nov 3 in NYC, but you never know. And, from now on, long runs are on the empty streets Sunday am.

With that said I did do a 9 miler at 7:51, on track for my 3:30 pace. I’ll do my really long bomb run this coming Sunday.

I also did around 2 more miles of natural movement taking my steps up to 17,000 on the day.

6/25

Had a really powerful strength session focused on upper body in the am. Went flat up to 225 for 2 doubles, dropped to 185 for 8, 135 til failure. I finished it with incline dumbbells 50lbs x 20ish. I’m nursing a bit of a weird forearm thing hindering my full power. I think I did it dismounting 105 lb dumbbells, but not sure. No worries. When 1 part is broken, there’s 100 that aren’t!

With that said I did hex bar shrugs 275lbs x 3 sets. 10, 8, 7 reps

Went into back with pulldowns, iso holds and biceps using the straight bar attachment avoiding my forearm.

Followed this with a 45 min stretch routine in the sun similar to this:

Took in 230g protein, 100g carbs and only 50g fat. Repair and muscle retention is my focus. I got my gear kinks worked out looking ahead to the weekend long run.

6/26

Nice smooth 7 mile training run, minor strength session, minor stretch session. Just a good mild day nothing extreme.

Normally on Wednesdays I do some form of insane squats. Air squats, barbell squats heavy and moderate weight. But I want to let my legs fully repair ahead of this weekends run. It’s often I still hold on to some soreness by Sunday and this week, I want to be all run.

6/27

Only did Bikram yoga, nothing else. 112 degrees. I know also that saying I only did Bikram is insane too. At one point in my life a Bikram class would be the most difficult thing I ever did, not it’s simply recovery. As much as it may have fallen out of fashion and the name is associated with the weirdo who invented it, I swear by it’s healing power. I still do it 1-2x per week, every week.

6/28

Awesome 5 mile hike it was a cool am 55 degrees, made it just perfect. Did 12-15 sprints, one Bring Sally Up and went almost to 4th and final round! I did almost another 4 miles in movement in addition to the hike. Great day for natural movement.

Began carb loading with bananas, honey, watermelon, 365 “O’s”, grapes. Took macros to around 200g protein, 200g carbs and limited fat to 60-70 on the day. Just to make sure my calories don’t spiral out of control. Still hit my RDI 2100 cal or so because I was mindful of fat.

6/29

Upper body strength session. Notable mention is I went up to 80lb flat dumbbells for 13 reps. This is pretty wild considering I picked 80’s back up for the first time during COVID 5 or so years ago and maybe hit 2 or 3 and felt so strong. Muscle memory is so crazy!

It’s even weirder that I hit this during marathon training.

Spent the rest of the afternoon doing house work, 3 or 4 hours of garage cleanout. Moved 10000 steps naturally and got something done.

Ramped up carb intake and even made my own granola to help fuel a longer training run.

I made my own organic granola! Ultimate clean run fuel. (recipe included)

6/30

Hit a 15 miler with a very consistent 8:30 pace. The big issue is Summer training and very hot, swampy days. I got out at 7am sharp and it was too late to avoid the extreme heat and sun. The heat ultimately got me into my 3rd hour. I felt I could keep going but it began to feel dangerous.

87 degrees and very high humidity. One of those just nasty days.

So I wound it out with a 3 mile walk totaling 18 miles on the day. Given the conditions, very happy with that effort.

7/1

Focused on upper body and active recovery today. With all of the run fuel carbs in my system I attacked a new PR of 90lb dumbbells on incline x 9 reps. I just can’t believe it.

50×20, 70×12, 90×9
Flat barbell 185 x 8, 135 til absolute failure, 50lb dumbbells on floor also to failure
2 isometric chinup holds for biceps / back up to 45 seconds 1st set, 30 sec 2nd set
Followed with arms on cables ultimate drop set. I’ll film this very soon it’s really helped to sculpt my arms.

Followed with a chill yoga sequence outside similar to this:

I am not really damaged from the 15 miler at all which is also freaky. I’m really building up my base now.

7/2

5 mile sunrise (6am sharp) “Zone 2” hike with many sprints and hill sprints. Probably 15. I don’t really count it’s more intuitive.

Followed this with some sunny deck core work and stretching.

Threw in a headstand too:

7/3

Severe strength session, then went on a 3 mile hike. Walking only.

Weights:
Barbell squats 135 x 10, 135 x 10, 185 x 8, 225 x 20
Flat Dumbbells: 50 x 20, 80 x 12, 100 x 7, 80 x 10, 50 til failure
Dumbbell overheads like this:

7/4

6.3 mile steady training run. Leg soreness from previous day barbell squats had not kicked in yet. Went on to play with my 6 year old and ended up moving an extra 3 miles. That kid keeps me going!

7/5

Soaked

5 mile hike with an absolute downpour right at the start. Super annoying with the head to toe soaked clothes and squishy feet again.

Got in around 10 sprints before it just got too muddy and dangerous.

Muggy, muddy, buggy, wet – did it. I even threw in a rainy bring Sally Up for the hell of it!

I threw in a sunny yoga stretch later in the afternoon, but it was just nasty out. Maybe lasted 20 minutes.

Originally published at: NYC Marathon Training: Test Your Gear! Painful Gear Fails & Lessons #nycmarathon #gear #training | Get Up Earlier

In this video, I discuss the importance of testing all your marathon gear before race day to avoid any unexpected and painful issues or energy draining annoyances. I share a personal story about how a new Summer tank-top fabric caused severe nipple chafing, which turned my run into a nightmare, and how using the wrong bandana caused additional annoyances. The key takeaway is to never try anything new on marathon day and always stick with what you know works for you. Test, test more and test even more!

Also, I give a breakdown of some essential gear I use for marathons, from my Brooks Glycerin GTS 20s to my Jabra Elite Active headphones. I also talk about the essential items I carry with me, such as honey drops, energy chews, and electrolyte chews. I can’t say enough about the need for reliable and comfortable gear to ensure your energy is focused on the marathon, not on dealing with gear malfunctions. Watch to learn how to prepare your gear for a smooth and successful marathon experience.

Fully tested Gear mentioned in this video:

Jabra Elite 8 Active – Sports Wireless Bluetooth Earbuds:

Nuun Sport Electrolyte Tablets

Runhit Compression Shorts (Best large phone holder)

Brooks Glycerin GTS

Wellbee’s 100% Pure Honey Candy – No Additives

Skratch Labs Energy Chews

SaltStick Electrolyte FastChews

I am also there to answer any questions or help in any way. This is video one of a lengthy series, stay tuned and good luck with the running! Ultimately, I am training for life or as Peter Attia calls it the “centenarian decathlon”. Every day, working toward a goal of enhancing and maintaining strength, muscle mass, endurance, mobility and flexibility to be a kick-ass 85+ year old.

Michael Baker e-RYT Yoga Teacher, CHC, 25 Year #WFH Digital Pro Actively training for the NYC Marathon & “Centenarian Decathlon”

Key Moments:

00:00:00 – 00:01:11 Nipple Chafing Disaster: Runner shares a story about new gear causing problems.

00:01:37 Sweaty Bandana Catastrophe: Another story highlights the importance of testing gear.

00:02:51 Don’t Introduce New Gear on Race Day: Emphasizes using familiar equipment during races.

00:03:15 Head-to-Toe Race Day Gear Breakdown: Detailed explanation of the speaker’s preferred running gear.

00:04:01 Comfortable Socks are Important: Mentions well-broken-in socks to avoid blisters.

00:04:48 Compression Shorts for Phone Carry: Explains how compression shorts aid in carrying a phone.

00:05:53 Jabra Elite Active Headphones Recommendation: Praises specific headphones for their features.

00:06:12 Be Prepared for Race Day: Final tips on charged devices, backup gear, and overall race day readiness.

00:07:00 Essential Edible Items: Discusses the importance of carrying honey drops, energy chews, and electrolyte chews.

00:08:00 Overall Preparation: Recap of the importance of thorough preparation and testing of gear before marathon day.

7/7

Hit a very swampy 1/2 marathon run. It was really gross out and again. I started around 6:45am and ended around 8:40am. When I began it was still a bit cloudy and 77 degrees and at the end around 85 degrees with full sun. I was so sweaty my shoes filled with my sweat making them weigh 5 pounds each and literally squishing on every step. Nasty. I followed this with a 2 mile walk.

7/8

Hit a great SHORT upper body strength session. Flat barbell bench up to 225×4 (getting there!) and a nice back sequence. The sweaty half marathon really hurt, so I kept it short (30 min) and then did an outdoor passive yoga sequence similar to this:

Also, dude to the smashing of my body the day before I took in around 250g protein from varied sources including 4 cups of chicken bone broth (my secret recovery weapon). Kept carbs and fat lower to reduce the bloat I always get from carb loading for a long run.

7/9

Today I hit a 4 mile hike with one Bring Sally Up and 7-10 light sprints. I didn’t go all out to make sure I didn’t pop something as I ran a 1/2 marathon 2 days ago.

Followed this with a short yoga sequence and short deadlift shrug trap & tricep workout.

Deadlift 350lbs and shrugged it 5x, twice.

A lot of exercise today, felt great.

Another day of amped up protein low fat, low carbs. Repair my muscles, shed some more fat. Still have a goal of overall body fat reduction down to the “150’s” for marathon day. I’m in the low 160’s now.

7/10

I hit a new PR for air squats today. I’m really gonna feel this tomorrow: 750 in a row in 85 degree heat. I started dry, 22 minutes later in a full body dripping flop sweat!

10 reps – 10 – 15 – 15 – 750
4 mile hike
5 uphill runs/slow sprints (legs were wrecked)

I followed this with a short powerful weight session working up to 90lb dumbbells for 9 reps on incline! Also, a PR! I also hit biceps but not as hard because I’m nursing a weird forearm pull. All good.

Remember this: If you have 1 broken part you still have a 100 others that you can work out. People stop working out because they have one issue. Work around it! Usually, you can walk or do yoga if all else fails and when you get to that place – you probably need to be there.

Protein high everything else lower. Hold on to muscle, lose fat, get lighter.

7/11

Early am 7 mile training run. I left the house at 6:10am and it was already 75 degrees with 10,000% humidity 

I did it before the soreness from the 750 squat set kicked in.

Throughout the day playing with my kid and other natural movement I ended up doing an extra 2.25 miles of steps:

This is great for these wildly hot Summer days!

7/12

Did a muddy, sorta rainy, sweaty, swampy hike with some slower uphill sprints, still nursing sore air squat legs. It all felt great minus those stupid flies that just buzz in my eyes and ears and drive me insane. Added on more movement with my kid totaling 15,000 steps on the day. Nothing super high impact, just a lot of low intensity movement.

On the hike I threw in a Bring Sally Up too. The buzzing flies in my ears really spiced that up lol ugh

Made my granola and began to load up some carbs for a long Sunday run. The weather is just not playing nice and even at 6am, it’s 75 degrees and swampy as all hell. Really can’t wait for some cool, dry winds to blow in. It makes going past 13-15 miles really miserable.

Food = Fuel

Carbs up around 150-175g on the day. Will go as high as 250g tomorrow. WIll chill out with fats and mega high protein and focus on carbs, salts, electrolytes to hit my long sweaty Sunday run goal of 20 miles. I must say how unnatural I find carb loading to be, but it’s clear and obvious that it’s necessary.

Also noting I am doubling down on electrolytes and bone broth for a solid run day foundation. See below for bone broth endurance benefits.

I want to make a note about treating food as fuel specific to any type of endurance work, especially in the heat, and it’s absolute importance.

I follow Nick Bare on YouTube and he is a hybrid trainer like me. Hybrid meaning he’s not a lifter or a runner or strength trainer, he’s all of them. He goes beyond what I’m doing so I consider him inspiration.

Food intake and what you have in your “gas tank” is beyond important for training. Whether it’s just getting over 2 miles for the 1st time or going for a marathon. If you run out of gas, just like in a car, the whole thing stops. It’s happened to me many times.

As I evolve and learn more and more I tailor my diet to the activity that lies ahead. It is a lot of work but it’s necessary. Take a listen, this is fantastic advice:

He talks about going as high as 500g carbs a day leading up to endurance work. It’s so hard to do. But the concept of reducing fat, keeping protein similar and amping up carbs is what I’m after. He talks about this specifically at the 35 min marker.

These are some of my run supplements on Amazon. I make bone broth homemade now but Kettle and Fire or Costco/Kirkland is great if you don’t want to make it.

I take 2 of these electrolyte tabs pre run and on run day:
Nuun Sport Electrolyte Tablets

I chew these in my run:

Skratch Labs Energy Chews

SaltStick Electrolyte FastChews

Bone Broth:

Hydration and Electrolyte Balance:

1. Sodium and Potassium: These electrolytes help maintain fluid balance and prevent cramping during long runs.
2. Hydration: The high water content helps keep you hydrated, especially when consumed before and after runs.

Joint and Connective Tissue Health:

1. Collagen: Supports the health of joints, ligaments, and tendons, reducing the risk of injuries common in endurance running.
2. Gelatin: Can help maintain the integrity of connective tissues and may reduce joint pain and stiffness.

Muscle Recovery and Repair:

1. Amino Acids: Provides essential amino acids like glycine and proline, which are important for muscle repair and recovery.
2. Protein: While not as high as in other protein sources, the protein in bone broth can still contribute to overall protein intake for muscle maintenance.

Digestive Health:

1. Gut Health: Gelatin supports gut lining health, which can improve nutrient absorption and overall digestive function.
2. Anti-Inflammatory Properties: The amino acids in bone broth can have anti-inflammatory effects, aiding in recovery and reducing inflammation from intense training.

Immune Support:

1. Nutrients: Vitamins and minerals in bone broth can support the immune system, which is crucial during heavy training periods when the immune system can be taxed.
2. Anti-Inflammatory Effects: Certain compounds in bone broth can help modulate the immune response, potentially reducing the risk of illness.

Energy and Endurance:

1. Minerals: Calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus are important for muscle function and energy metabolism.
2. Balanced Nutrition: Consuming bone broth can complement a balanced diet, ensuring that runners get a broad spectrum of nutrients.

Practical Benefits:

1. Easy to Digest: Bone broth is gentle on the stomach, making it suitable for pre- and post-run nutrition without causing digestive discomfort.
2. Versatility: Can be consumed on its own or used as a base for nutrient-dense soups and stews, providing flexibility in meal planning. @TerryA

7/13

Hit a new PR flat dumbbell lift today: 100lb x 9

I officially have to get more Iron Master weight! I can build 105’s but that’s all I have.

I followed this with a really intense back and triceps / push pull routine through total failure.

I did a couple miles of natural movement playing with my 6 year old. Basketball was game. Prepping for a long sweaty run also took in close to 300g carbs from multiple clean and just a bit of dirty sources. Protein high in the 200g range, fat very low in the 60-70g range.

Double down on electrolytes, bone broth again. Let’s see if I can sustain out there in the heat or it it will get me.

I also got some new Summer running gear to experiment with because my compression shorts over underwear with Vuori shorts is not working for the swampy weather:

So with these, I reduce my weight and lessen the heavy sweat retention on my clothing.

Let’s see.

7/14

Slow and steady DOES NOT win the race, but it’s what’s needed to run in this nutty summer heat. I ran 20 miles at a 9-minute mile pace, starting at 6:15am when it was 75 degrees, and finishing around 9:15am when it was 86 degrees. By the end, the sun felt like a flamethrower, and not one inch of my outfit was dry, including my sneakers which were filled with sweat. Gross!

Up at 4:15am, I had a 1/4 cup of my homemade granola, 1 tbsp honey, 1 banana, electrolytes with a pint of water, and black coffee.

The new shorts and running fanny pack thing worked out well. I spun the pack around so my giant phone was on my back/butt rather than in front.

I also chewed 2 NUUN tablets, 6 SaltStick fast chews and 3 Skratch Labs energy chews in my run. All linked below:

7/15

I can’t say enough about active recovery.

Today I did a 70 minute 110 degree Bikram style yoga class and nothing else. Just a nice active recovery. Legs a bit banged up, lower abs a bit sore. Lower back pretty hammered.

Took in high protein, lowered my carbs down to under 100g and will suck down even more the next few days.

Here’s a simple yoga sequence with no technical or yoga lingo – easy and accessible to anyone with a sore running body:

7/16

4 mile hike with some light sprints and a minor upper body circuit training session where I just went at each body part with one long light set. Prepping for a power session and still recovering from my 20 miler.

Protein jacked way up to around 250g on the day, carbs up around 150 total. Basically I added in a whole meal for more repair and recovery. After a good sleep I’ll be fully ready for intensity.

7/17

Severe strength session with a mild yoga stretch a couple hours later.

Weights:
Barbell squats 135 x 6, 135 x 10, 185 x 8, 225 x 20
Incline Dumbbells: 50 x 10, 60 x 10, 80 x 12 (failure)
Superset to Incline Barbell Press: 185×6, 135 total failure
Pullup Isometric Hold: 45 seconds, 30 seconds
Back Pulldowns
1 set dumbbell overheads like this followed by Tricep Dropset

7/18

7 miler in super swampy soul sucking humidity  followed by a chill active recovery yoga session.

Later that afternoon I did a short powerful vanity workout for arms. Bi’s and Tri’s. I’m still nursing a weird forearm pull, it’s about 90% but still not going hard on bi’s. I did a lot of cable work and drop sets.

7/19

4 mile “zone 2” recovery hike was really nice because the temps and humidity were a bit eased up a bit. I did a few uphill jogs nothing past my zone 2. No other exercise today just a bunch of natural movement with my 6 year old. Total steps on the day around 11,000.

Calories jacked up a bit today around 2300 calories taking in 230g protein, 140g carbs prepping for a monster Saturday weight session. I don’t plan to do another super long run for 2 or 3 weeks hoping by then the am temps drop, so I am not doing the whole “carb loading thing” until then. Which is fine by me because its not something I enjoy.

I will be doing some speed training during this time. Can’t see the need for carbs to go higher than 150g for any given training session.

7/20-7/26

Family vacation to Rhode Island.

I got in 2 great ocean view runs down in Narragansett / Point Judith followed with beach time and tons of natural movement. Swimming in the cold ocean with the big waves followed by local fresh seafood is the best.

On the days I didn’t run, I did repeated the same workout: Floor weights with the old 50’s I brought outside on the deck and I did this video 3x:

Along with 100 curls like this:

Back on my training!

7/27

Hit a 60%-65% strength training session. Day after family vacation body sore in so many weird ways from beach, weird sleep and just being off the routine. Jumped in but not too hard.

Prepping for a long training run tomorrow. Made my homemade granola, fueling up on 200-250g carbs and going at it!

7/28

20 miler and a LOCK on my official race day gear (see below). I got out super early (6:20am) to avoid the heat and it still got me in the last hour. I am really looking forward to cool dry temps but this Summer training has made me really strong in weird ways. Running distance is one thing but when heat is a factor it really complicates it all so much.

Gear, electrolytes, this soaked head to toe thing, the gd sweat in my shoes, the fn bugs. All of it made me stronger as much as it SUCKED.

For this run I got up at 4:30am. I had a NUUN electrolyte tablet in 12oz of water, 1/2 cup homemade granola, 1 tbs honey and a large black coffee.

I took a water bottle out there with a NUUN and also had 2 extra in my pocket. I had all of them. I also took down 5 Skracth Labs energy chews around 1/2 way though.

I hit the road at 6:20am and ran for 3 hours. The 1st hour was pleasant. Temps were great and even a bit cool. Then the damn sun peeked out and started it’s hellfire on me  and I just plowed through.

The new path project shorts with fanny pack are working out well. Full review for those coming too! I have solidified my race day gear, video coming very soon

My official race day gear head to toe:

It has taken me months to fully address every issue that may pop up during a long run. When I began training it was cool out so the heat and heat related issues were not a thing. As time has gone on after 1000+ miles, hundreds of hours and dozens of run stopping annoyances I have it all figured out.

Below is the list of finalized items I will use come run day. The only “optional” items may be lightweight gloves, compression shorts for some extra warmth and a base layer long sleeve shirt if NYC temps are in the low 40’s at the start. All of which I’ll probably have to discard along the way as I heat up.

My sole goal here is to have no issues during the run from head to toe.

I may add to this list but I won’t take away from it. Everything here is tried, tested, vetted and amazing, for me, an almost 50 year old man.

Video coming soon.

Optional cold weather add-ons for NYC Nov 3 weather:

My unedited Path Projects shorts review:

The shorts are great. Light, well made, barely notice they’re there in my sweaty Summer NYC marathon training runs. However one big flaw is the phone pocket.

I have a large phone (Galaxy) with a case and it barely fits in the pocket. Even if I jam it in, when I run it flops like crazy on my back and becomes entirely inaccessible during my run. Not that I need to be on my phone a lot but sometimes I want to take a picture or need to change a music setting or access a run app. Or I get a message from family (all other notifications are off). And on marathon day, will need to communicate with family post race and have the NYRR tracking app on me.

So this makes me have to use a “fanny pack” which I was really trying to avoid. I really wanted to be as lean and light as possible for my marathon.

The phone thing is a very important detail. Something more stable and tight to the body is needed.

7/29

Bikram style yoga class in 110 degrees. Felt great and killed at the same time. Legs were pretty smashed, lower back too.

Did a minor arms workout in the pm as well and a bit of basketball with my 6 year old. On the fast road to being fully recovered from the 20 miler.

7/30

5 mile light “Zone 2” hike today at dawn and something amazing happened. Literally the 1st signs of FALL fell right in front of me. I looked over and saw a tree already changing colors. This really inspired me because it means the marathon is getting close.

I did some light core work and active recovery stretching in the sun.

High protein, lower calorie today. 225-240g protein. I am trying to debloat from my carb loading.

7/31

Great barbell squats day. Worked up to a set of 20 x 225 quite like this:

Been going a touch deeper than 90 degrees.

I also worked up to an incline dumbbell set of 80lbs x 12.

I followed this with a short hike/walk outside in the nasty heat. Being in the woods helps minus the bugs landing on my ears and flying directly in front of my eyes. Please let it get cool again soon!

In addition to going over 200g protein, I pounded down an extra 100-125g carbs in the form of movie popcorn (no butter) and a cup or so of trader joe’s maple granola cereal for a morning run. That makes the total carbs on the day around 200-225.

8/1

Early, swampy, 73 and muggy and buggy at 6:30am, trainer.

Kept a good pace despite choking on humidity for an hour 

Did a short active recovery yoga sequence outside to loosen up my smashed squat legs. Starting to gear up for a decent trainer this Sunday. Nothing too far, no need to do a multi-day carb load. I’m aiming for a speedy 13.1.

Hit a short powerful strength session for back and bi’s. My weird forearm pull is 95% better. One more week of nursing and I should be back to it full steam.

8/2

Did a 4 mile / 10,000 step woods hike today. It was a good low impact sweaty walk with some light sprints. “Eye bugs” were out of control, heat and humidity just over the top. But, I did it, cleaned off and survived.

8/3

KILLER upper body strength session. Bicep at 99%.

Worked up to flat dumbbells sets:

80lbs x 13 reps
90lbs x 10 reps and I mean the last 3 were killer.

DId 2 sets of shrugs 190 x 15-20 reps

Lat/bicep isometric hangs x 2
Cable pulldowns x 2

Overhead dumbbell pullover followed by a nasty tricep dropset

Review these videos for reference:

Made my homemade granola and had probably a cup or more, I didn’t measure but I loaded up on high quality carbs ahead of hopefully my LAST SWAMPY Sunner run.

8/4

I pray this is my last week of this crazy humid hot swampy weather. Hit a 9.25 miler and literally my shoes were squishy sponges that weighed 5lbs ea filled with sweat!

8/5

70 minute Bikram style class in 110 degrees. Seems funny to do this and complain about the heat all the time. This is literally the same heat and humidity but worse lol but it’s different when it’s controlled and you are doing static holds. I swear by it for recovery!

8/6

7 mile trainer again with the swampy humidity. 8:05 pace, 6:30am Get Up Earlier

8/7

Power day with some weights. I worked up to 225lbs x 20 reps as seen here:

I also worked back with some loaded pulldowns drop set and I did deadlifts with just 190 for 2 sets of 10.

8/8

The swampy heat is lifting. I felt it for the first time this morning. I did another trainer heading back into the high 7’s per mile. I can now get back to the SPEED rather than just survival because of the heat.

8/9

Great strength session with flat dumbbells all the way up to 100lbs x 7 reps

50lbs warmup (15-20 slow reps)
80lbs x 12
100lbs x 7
80lbs x 11

Followed this with a nasty arms sequence. My bicep is 99%.
Intertwined Shrugs 135×30 – 190x 20 – 230lbs x 16 strict

8/10

70 minute Bikram in 110 degrees

8/11

Vitamin Sea Day

Day at East Matunuck beach hitting the waves with my boys, eating some clean protein, taking in the sun. Much needed “day off” even though I sat down for a total at 12 minutes all day.

8/12

Just a quick 6 mile trainer prepping for a mid-week big run. Started the dreaded carb load, gearing up for a 20 miler. Protein super high today 250g. All lean sources.

I also hit a powerful mid-afternoon strength session noting my bicep is 100%. No upper body muscle issues!

Went up to incline barbell 185×7, 185×5, 135 x failure, 95 x failure.
Isometric pullup holds x 2 30+ seconds
Back pulldowns with straight bar x 3
Nasty triceps drop set.

8/14

17.5 miles on a Wednesday! I got out nice and early to avoid the heat, it still nipped me a bit toward the end but overall it was cool enough, nice aside from the fact that I got up at 4am and got on the road at 5:45am 

I’m feeling really good about the cool weather training and Fall kicking in!

One thing I really want to point out though is CALORIES. It’s still something people don’t understand regarding weight loss and exercise. In this run and the activity of this day I “burned” 3500 calories more or less.

This is a significant number because 3500 calories equals 1lb of body fat. So my point is in this one day I ran 17.5 miles and then actively moved around for another 1.4 miles. This is an insane amount of activity and physical output that will take me, a person training for a marathon, several days to recover.

This output equals 1lb of weight loss. There are other nuances here and it’s not exact but it’s just an example of how much exercise is really needed to lose fat or weight in general.

It’s fully unsustainable.

If you go out and bang back 5 or 6 pieces of pizza, 3 or 4 beers and any type of fried app and / or desert you will hit 3500 calories. That’s how easy it is to get calories in. (See breakdown below)

So if you don’t pay attention to calories, no matter how hard you workout, you will not ever lose weight. It’s mathematically impossible.

The approximate calorie count for the meal you described is as follows:

1. 6 pieces of pizza:

• Depending on the type (cheese, pepperoni, etc.), one slice of pizza typically ranges from 250 to 400 calories.
• Total: ~1,500 to 2,400 calories

2. 4 traditional beers:

• A standard beer is about 150 to 200 calories.
• Total: ~600 to 800 calories

3. Fried appetizer:

• Common fried appetizers (like mozzarella sticks, onion rings, etc.) range from 600 to 1,000 calories.
• Total: ~600 to 1,000 calories

4. Dessert:

• Depending on the type (cake, ice cream, etc.), desserts can range from 300 to 700 calories.
• Total: ~300 to 700 calories

Approximate Total:

• Low end: 3,000 calories
• High end: 4,900 calories

This is a rough estimate and could vary based on specific ingredients, portion sizes, and preparation methods.

8/15

70 minute 110 degree Bikram yoga class to help recovery!

I generally do this class after every long run.

I also did an oddly powerful upper body strength session.

Went up to 100lb flat bench dumbbells x 7 reps.

50 x 25
80 x 13
100 x 7
80 x 8

Flat barbell 135 through failure

Also did a back pulldown drop set and dumbbell pullovers. I think it was all the extra carbs in my system fueling this! Went up and over 200g protein and kept carbs very low. I feel the need to “detox” from the carb loading for at least a day after the long runs.

8/16

5 mile / 10,000 step hike. Some jogging uphill but mostly just Zone 2 walking and mind clearing. Later in the afternoon I did an arms training session. All in all, recovery from the 17.5 miler was not a problem. I’ll get back on the road Sunday aiming to do between 7-10 miles faster than I’ve run yet.

8/17

Deadly squat strength day. Took 225 to a new PR of 21 clean reps:

Followed this with some wall sit sets 2x max time 1min+

I hit lengthy hex bar shrugs sets 140 x 30 190×17 230 x 15

That’s it. Perfect

8/18

6 mile maintenance run. I was aiming for 10 but I literally got stormed off the road. I began the run with a light rain and just intensified to the point of no visibility.

Hit a 70 minute Bikram class later that PM for some leg active recovery.

8/19

5 mile / 10,000 step hike with light uphill jogging. Staying in zone 2 and the theme of this Summer continued… I got rained out. After the devastating floods very close to home I couldn’t complain even a tiny bit.

Followed this in the PW with a short powerful arms sequence.

I did lengthy sets of close-grip flat bench:
135×16
135×18
95 until absolute failure
Pushdowns with straight bar, ropes and finished on floor.

Began biceps with iso pullup hold for 40 seconds
Alternating biceps curls 20×15 25×12 30×10
Biceps pulldowns 50lbs until failure
Bands til failure

I am recording this sequence very soon, it’s fast, powerful and uses compound exercises to maximize time. 30 min max, get it done.

8/20
Bikram 70 minutes in 110 degrees, again. Boring and repetitive? Yes and I love it.

8/21

Did a solid upper body strength session. Nice and heavy working up to 100lb flat dumbbells x 7 reps. No records just maintaining this muscle through marathon training!

8/22

Hit a 1/2 marathon this am. Something amazing happened. IT WAS COOL OUT! This is the 1st run I’ve had without being soaked head to toe in months. I really miss it and glad it’s back.

I didn’t do any carb loading for this run I just ate:

1 tbs honey
1 banana
1/4 cup unsweetened 365 o’s
3 Skratch Labs energy chews

Felt great!

8/23

60 min Bikram yoga class in 110 degrees, again! Active recovery is real. I want to point out throughout this training I sustained 0 pulls, strains or issues. I attribute that to active recovery and nutrition.

8/24

I did a solid upper body strength session including:
Incline dumbells 50 x 15, 75 x 10, 85 x 4, 100 x 6
One Bring Sally Up
Hex bar shrugs 140 x 30, 190 x 17, 270 x 8
Iso pullup hangs
Nasty tricep dropset

Then, for the 1st time went to an NFL game. So the rest of the day was spent walking a ton, playing football catch with my 6 year old, walking more and having a blast. I ended up putting in 4 miles or so just walking around all day.

8/25

Completely wiped from the Jets/Giants game just hit a low key strength session with weights, bodyweight and stretches. Acknowledging that sometimes, rest is needed. Began prep for a loner run on a Monday, which is odd for me. However, going forward my long runs will always have to be on a weekday through the marathon so a new schedule just started out of nowhere. Kids school, kids football on Sundays, other weekend obligations – a shift was needed.

With that said I made my homemade granola and prepped for the longer run.

8/26

Hit another half!

1/2 marathon is my new default training run. I did one on 8/22 – 4 days ago. For me and I think for most humans, 13 miles is a good place to train for distance. For me it’s the breaking point of where things get really hectic with my body, hydration, sustaining, sweating (Summer training). Anything beyond 13 requires so much more attention and prep.

At this point I’m in very good condition and have worked so hard to maintain (and build) muscle, lose fat, gain endurance and avoid injury. One day I’ll look back on being 49 (almost 50) and wish I was this strong again. It’s so much work but it feels incredible.

8/27

Kids back to school and my little guy has football, so schedules have to change. I kicked off the day with an am walk. But I didn’t take any time, I made coffee and took it with me and walked under the stars with my chest light at 4:55am.

I’ll do this from now on on days I know I’m not doing run or hike. Just under 2 miles, it was a great start to the day.

Later in the early PM to take a computer break I did a moderate strength session. Nothing very notable except working up to a set of flat dumbbells: 75 x 14 reps with a drop to 50 x failure.

Feeling great, just a bit fatigued from the 1/2 marathon but really not a big deal.

I ate more than normal today for recovery really amplifying my protein to around 250g. Carbs around 180g and fats on the lower side. Around 2600 on the day which for me is about 600 more than normal. I just felt it necessary for repair.

Intuitive Interval Training for Increasing Distance Run Speed.

Intervals can be very programmatic or, as I prefer, more intuitive. Intervals can be good for any level of runner including absolute beginners.

I will use a very intuitive method called “Fartlek”. The name is pretty funny see what it means below. Apparently “fart” in Swedish means speed 

The term “fartlek” comes from the Swedish language and literally means “speed play” (“fart” meaning speed and “lek” meaning play). It was developed in Sweden in the 1930s by coach Gösta Holmér as a way to break up the monotony of traditional interval training and to make running more enjoyable while still incorporating the benefits of speed work.

Holmér created fartlek training to improve the performance of Swedish cross-country runners, who were struggling against the Finns at the time. His method involved alternating between periods of fast running and slower recovery runs, but without any strict rules about the duration or intensity of these intervals. This approach allowed runners to train more intuitively, listening to their bodies and adjusting their effort based on how they felt.

Fartlek training quickly became popular because it was versatile, adaptable to any fitness level, and could be done anywhere—on trails, roads, or tracks—making it an effective training method for runners of all abilities.

Key Features of Fartlek Training:

1. Unstructured Intervals: Unlike traditional interval training, where the duration and intensity of the intervals are predetermined, fartlek allows you to choose when to speed up and slow down based on how you feel.
2. Varied Pacing: You can incorporate short bursts of speed, moderate-paced segments, and easy jogging all within the same run, allowing for a dynamic workout that adapts to your energy levels.
3. Improves Both Speed and Endurance: Fartlek training challenges your aerobic and anaerobic systems, making it an effective way to build both speed and endurance.
4. Mental Flexibility: It keeps your mind engaged, as you’re constantly adjusting your pace, which can make the workout more enjoyable and less monotonous.

Example of Fartlek in a Long Run:

• Start with an Easy Warm-Up: 2-3 miles at a relaxed pace.
• Incorporate Fartlek Play: During the main portion of your run (10-15 miles), pick up the pace to a faster effort (e.g., race pace or faster) for random distances or landmarks—like from one tree to the next, or for the duration of a song if you’re listening to music—then return to an easy jog.
• Cool Down: Finish the last 2-3 miles at an easy pace.

Fartlek training is inherently intuitive because it allows you to adjust the workout based on how you feel, making it a versatile and effective method for improving your running performance.

Can this be applied to a beginner runner?

Yes, fartlek training can definitely be applied to a beginner runner, and it can be a very effective and enjoyable way to introduce speed work without the rigidity of traditional intervals.

How Fartlek Training Benefits Beginners:

1. Flexibility: Fartlek is less structured, so beginners can adjust the intensity and duration of their faster segments based on how they feel, reducing the risk of overexertion.
2. Gradual Introduction to Speed Work: It allows beginners to ease into speed training without the pressure of hitting specific paces or distances, making it less intimidating.
3. Improves Running Economy: By varying the pace, beginners can start to develop better running mechanics and efficiency without overwhelming themselves.
4. Engagement: The playful nature of fartlek can make running more interesting, which is crucial for keeping beginners motivated and consistent.

Fartlek Training for Beginners:

1. Start with a Warm-Up: 5-10 minutes of easy jogging to get the body warmed up.
2. Introduce Short Bursts:

• During a 20-30 minute run, after warming up, introduce 4-6 short bursts of faster running (e.g., 20-30 seconds), followed by a return to an easy jog for 1-2 minutes.
• The pace for the faster segments can be just slightly faster than the runner’s usual pace, and the duration can be adjusted based on how they feel.

3. Use Landmarks: Beginners can use visual cues like lampposts, trees, or blocks as markers for when to speed up and slow down.
4. Cool Down: Finish with another 5-10 minutes of easy jogging to help the body recover.
5. Frequency: Start with one fartlek session per week, gradually increasing the number of faster segments or the duration of the run as fitness improves.

Example for a Beginner:

• Warm-Up: 10 minutes of easy jogging.
• Fartlek Play: 20 minutes total, with 4 bursts of 30 seconds at a faster pace, interspersed with 2-3 minutes of easy jogging.
• Cool Down: 10 minutes of easy jogging.

By keeping the sessions light and enjoyable, beginners can build their speed and endurance gradually, making fartlek a great introduction to more structured training down the line.

8/28

Bodyweight Leg Day: 700 air squats in a row. 20 minutes straight with just 3 easy warmup sets of 10 x 10 x 20 reps. I hope that was the last swampy day of the season. I did this around midway through a 3.5 mile hike.

Each rep, whether fast or slow was done between 90 degrees and parallel. I have been doing barbell squats the last 3 weeks so this was a total shock to my legs.

Performing a 20-minute air squat set of 700 reps while maintaining a range of motion between 90 degrees and parallel provides targeted endurance, strength, and stability benefits without overloading the joints. This controlled movement optimizes muscle engagement and supports marathon training by enhancing key aspects of running performance.

Benefits for Distance Running:

1. Reduced Joint Stress: Limiting the squat depth to between 90 degrees and parallel minimizes stress on the knees and hips, reducing the risk of injury while still effectively engaging the lower body muscles.
2. Targeted Muscle Engagement: This squat depth emphasizes the quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes, which are crucial for maintaining running form and power during a marathon.
3. Improved Muscular Endurance: High repetitions at this depth build endurance in the key running muscles, helping you sustain effort over long distances without fatiguing prematurely.
4. Enhanced Running Economy: Strengthening the muscles within this specific range improves running efficiency, as these are the same muscles used during the stride cycle, especially in maintaining proper form when fatigued.
5. Core Stability: The consistent depth requires core activation to maintain proper posture, which is essential for maintaining form during long runs.
6. Injury Prevention: By not going past parallel, the risk of overuse injuries is reduced, which is particularly beneficial for marathon runners who already place significant stress on their joints.
7. Increased Lactate Threshold: This controlled movement helps improve your ability to manage and clear lactate, allowing you to sustain higher intensities during your runs.
8. Mental Resilience: Completing such a demanding set builds mental toughness, which is critical for pushing through the challenging phases of a marathon.

8/29

Legs literally SMASHED. Hit a wake up walk (new habit) and a 70 minute 110 degree bikram yoga class.

It’s amazing to me what you can do with no weights.

To repair and recover from this “trauma” I will amplify protein the next several days as well. 200-250 a day.

8/30-8/31

AM Zone 2 walk 8000 steps
PM Upper body strength session

Interesting strength session in the PM 8/30.

I hit a new PR of 80lb flat dumbbells for 14 clean reps. This is 3x my abilities going back to the start of COVID when I really began to get back into lifting. I have a recorded video of me doing 80’s for 5 and at the time, I was blown away by it. I just can’t believe at almost 50 years old during marathon training, that this is possible!

Keep at it!

9/1

Ran a very early, swampy 1/2 this morning. I really thought the humid days were over but no. I finished again with fully soaking wet everything including squishy shoes ugh. I pulled off a decent time.

As the season changes my speed will increase.

I did some intervals in this run today. Taking it slower than amping up. I specifically ran as fast as I could up every hill which is a hoot at 5:45am 

9/2

Did an early AM strength session with a notable set of 80’s for 15 reps on flat. When I tell you that the last 2-3 reps were all out it would be an understatement! I followed that with 50’s until absolute failure.

Spent the rest of the day at the ocean with my family. My 6 year old had me in the ocean waves most of the day. That’s a recipe for great sleep!

9/3

Eartly AM recovery walk and natural movement throughout the day. Hit a PM strength session but feeling very tired from the long runs. So today would be considered a “back off” day which is essential sometimes!

9/4

“Short” recovery run 5 miles at a moderate pace. Again noting when you start to train and compound the training you body will send signals. if you ignore them, that’s when overtraining kicks in and “diminished return” on your training slowly creeps in.

I also did a PM strength session with some exercises I hadn’t paired together before:

Shrugs 190 x 17 (3 sets)
Dips 28 24 21 (3 sets)
Biceps pulldowns (3 sets to failure)
Iso pullup hold 45 seconds
Short stretching sequence

9/5

Did the wake and walk thing under the stars again. Super cool. Close to 7000 steps some pretty deep hills but didn’t break a sweat. Nice and chilly with the sun down and followed that with 60 minute Bikram yoga class in 110 degree heat.

Began to eat a bunch of quality carbs hitting around 200 on the day for 2 days. I genuinely hate this force feeding! But with no gas in the tank, the car stops.

NYC Marathon Hybrid Training: 700 Air Squats in a Row, New PR, Workout Included

9/6

Hit an almost 17 miler yesterday. Started off fantastic then the nasty heat kicked back in and turned me into a swampy mess with squishy shoes. I ended up doing a mile and a 1/2 extra in walking totalling around 30,000 steps on the day.

It really felt great and if the temp and humidity would chill out I’d be easily going over 20m. But rather than push it I back off. I don’t want to risk overdoing it, not this close to the marathon.

9/8

70 minute Bikram class 110 degrees!

9/9

Nice and smooth early 7 miler. My favorite run type. This is the run I want to do. The run that makes me feel the best all day. Especially in the cool temps.

When marathon training is over this will be my default trainer and maintenance run. 1 hour, 8:00-8:20 pace.

9/10

Short strength session with one nasty drop set for incline dumbbells: 80lbs x 13 reps drop to 50 til failure. Hammered out some 200lb shrugs 3 sets of 15-18 hard reps.

60 minutes Bikram yoga in 110 degrees. Boring, repetitive, necessary!

7000 step PM walk Zone 2.

9/11

3 mile train run
3 mile hike (trail walk)
10 sprints

More natural movement throughout the day totalling 15,000+ steps!

9/12

Took it easy on the legs today and hit a nice upper body strength session.

New PR: 80lb dumbbells for 16 reps! Wow. It keeps climbing, I can’t believe it.

I’m also actively trying very hard to reduce body fat again. My goal weight for the marathon is 155lbs. Less weight, less body fat will help a ton over the 26 miles.

Super high protein, low carbs on non-running days

9/13

I did a wicked barbell squat workout, short walk and short upper body strength session.

Worked with a client and did 110 air squats alongside him, then when he left I went right into barbells and got up to 225 x 11 reps.

Felt so great. I feel I could have gone a few more but didn’t want to f up my plan to do a long run in a few days after recovery.

9/14-9/15

Took it real light on my feet to recover and be ready for my long run. I spent the day on on the beach with a 6 year old which is actually more work than a mararthon lol and had a couple of beers!

The next day just light activity BUT I hit a new PR and did 80lb flat dumbbells for 17 reps! What the holy hell!

I have been carb loading and had several cups of my homemade granola and have to attribute the extra power to having so much fuel in the tank.

It’s very odd to me still to hit these PR’s. 7 years ago or so when I began to bring my muscles back to life 80lb bumbbells were a milestone weight. So wild!

9/16

6 weeks out from the TCS New York City Marathon. Today I hit a 23 miler (Happy Monday to me) at a steady 8:46 min/mile pace. This is about the exact pace I signed up for to do the marathon in to hit 3 hours and 50 minutes.

I’m looking to go faster and would like to complete it in 3 hours 30 minutes 8 min/mile, but if I hit this goal I’ll be happy with it.

This marathon is the most time and energy consuming thing I’ve ever taken on by the way. I f’n ran for 3 hours and 20 minutes straight on a Monday morning lol like what the actual f is that.

I also have taken my already relatively busted feet and made them look like something on your lawn on Halloween all jacked and blisters ugh it’s bad.

For the next few weeks I’ll be in “Peak Training”:

Keep long runs between 18-23 miles. My last long run should be 2-3 weeks before race day.

Do one tempo run each week at marathon pace, around 5-10 miles.
Add one speed session per week, like ½-mile or ¼-mile repeats.

After harder days, I’ll do easy/recovery runs at least 60-90 seconds slower than marathon pace.

I’ll continue to include hill workouts and strength training sessions.

Starting 2 weeks out “Taper”:

I’ll drop my long run to about 12-14 miles.

I’ll keep intensity with tempo and speed work but reduce the overall volume by 20-30%.

During race week:

My final long run will be 8-10 miles at an easy pace.

I’ll cut my mileage drastically, about 30-50% of what I usually do.

I’ll still do a few short runs with marathon pace miles to stay sharp.

I’ll focus on resting, hydrating, and carb-loading (so insanely gross) the last 2-3 days.

@followers

Michael Baker
Strength Training: GetUpEarlier.com
#Run #Lift #Hike #Yoga #strengthtraining

9/17

60 minute Bikram class in 110 degree heat in the am. It was a tough one my legs and lower back and lower abs really sore from the 23 miler.

In the PM I did a sunset walk outside in the perfect Fall temps. 3 miles or so, just as some more active recovery.

Finally got my homemade granola recipe up:

9/18

Nice 3 mile hike in the woods with some light uphill running. Basically ran slow up and down all of the hills totaling around 10. Later in the PM I did a strength session and if you can believe it I hit another PR doing incline dumbbells: 80lbs x 14 reps!

Wild!

9/19

Want to run fast? Head down an old farm road lined by trees and fog in the dark before sunrise with a freaky hazy moon overhead totally ALONE! Wow. I fn hauled ass haha

I hit an early 7 miler today 5:30am-6:30am.

I’m serious about that making me run faster  

9/20

Began the day with a 5 mile hike with some light jogging. Really really beautiful out. I deliberately didn’t pound on my feet and hit 10,000 or so steps.

Followed that in the afternoon with a short sunny active recovery yoga session outside in the sun but it was still just too damn hot to be enjoyable.

I started a minor carb load anticipating a 13.1 miler this weekend. Made my homemade granola again and this time mashed a banana right into it. It’s unbelievable!

My feet are very aggravated from my 23 miler Monday. I had several deep blisters not so sure why but 3 of my toes are really not happy. I’ll probably wrap them with bandaids before my long run.

I swear my feet look like I run with no shoes on ugh it’s not cool!

9/21

Strength session highlight was yet another PR of 100lb dumbbells for 8 reps on flat.

I swear it’s the carbs in my system giving me this new push of strength / stamina in the last couple reps. Carb loading for a marathon run helps amplify strength training. Hmmm I think this just means carbs enhance a performance, period.

9/22

Easy 1/2 Marathon from 5:40-7:40am ahead of my kids football game. Ya man!

9/23

3 mile hike / 7000 steps or so and a 60 minute Bikram style class in 110 degrees. Active recovery day.

Also very low carb today but moderate fat, high protein for repair.

My left calf was oddly sore today so I’m nursing it and won’t run again until Wed or Thurs.

9/24

AM strength session with ANOTHER PR: Incline dumbbells 80lbs x 14 reps. This is out of control!

PM late walk which is something I rarely do. It was so nice out. I got a 3+ mile walk, some light jogs as I nurse this weird calf back to health.

9/26

I’m in “Taper” mode for the Nov 3 TCS New York City Marathon. I got out there today from 5:20am-6:35am for an 8.2 miler “easy” pace. The schedule is as follows and this is important for anyone ever interested in running a marathon.

The taper from 5 weeks out:

Week 1 (Sept 30 – Oct 6):
Thursday (Today): 8.25 miles (completed)
Friday (Sept 27): 5-6 miles (easy recovery pace)
Monday (Sept 30): 16-18 miles (long run at marathon pace or slightly slower)
Wednesday (Oct 2): 7-8 miles (steady pace or tempo)

Week 2 (Oct 7 – Oct 13):
Monday (Oct 7): 14-16 miles (long run at marathon pace or slightly slower)
Wednesday (Oct 9): 7-8 miles (tempo or intervals)
Friday (Oct 11): 5-6 miles (easy pace)
Saturday (Oct 12): 6 miles (easy recovery)

Week 3 (Oct 14 – Oct 20): Start of the taper
Monday (Oct 14): 12-14 miles (long run, marathon pace)
Wednesday (Oct 16): 6-7 miles (tempo or intervals)
Friday (Oct 18): 5-6 miles (easy pace)
Saturday (Oct 19): 6 miles (easy recovery)

Week 4 (Oct 21 – Oct 27):
Monday (Oct 21): 8-10 miles (long run, easy pace)
Wednesday (Oct 23): 5-6 miles (tempo or intervals)
Friday (Oct 25): 4-5 miles (easy pace)
Saturday (Oct 26): 6 miles (easy pace)

Week 5 (Race Week: Oct 28 – Nov 3):
Monday (Oct 28): 4 miles (easy pace)
Wednesday (Oct 30): 3-4 miles (easy pace or rest day)
Friday (Nov 1): 2-3 miles (shakeout run, very easy)
Sunday (Nov 3): Race Day: Marathon

During these final weeks, the focus shifts to recovery, staying sharp, and keeping your body ready for peak performance on race day.

9/28

Easy 7 miler at less than marathon pace which is so hard for me to do. I always want to go faster! I began prepping for my final long run on Monday. By prepping I mean carb loading which opposes my soul ugh. Made my homemade granola and I’m digging in!

All good. Part of the process!

9/29

Literally all I did was drive around CT to kids sports and eat carbs all day. 400 grams. GROSSSSSS. I hate it lol

Rice, Rice crackers, granola, honey, some pizza and everyones extra crust, raisin toast, banana, watermelon, pineapple and 3 kona big wave beers  Just insane.

9/30

Hit a nice 17 miler today as the final long run of my training. Kept a nice steady 8:45 pace which I’d be happy with come marathon day. I walked an extra mile+ total for 30,000+ steps/2200 calories burned, or so. I’m going on a carb detox.

10/1

Did a short strength session this am and hit 80lbs dumbbells for 14 reps again. Hex traps 190×20 ouch. Body a bit banged up from the 17 miler yesterday.

Later in the PM got in 10k steps/60 min or so min zone 2 walk. active recovery is so important!

10/6

Nailed this. I was off a day or 2 here and there but almost verbatim on schedule.

Continuing tomorrow with a “short” long run. Aiming for 15 miles.

In addition to tapering my runs I’m also tapering the strength training. Both barbell and air squats, hills, sprints etc. Really prepping for the long run now.

Started the nasty carb binge as well. Ramping up to several grams of carbs per day ahead of the long run. I just can’t get used to it!

10/7

Hit a decent 16 miler despite the fact that I ran the entire thing in the rain. So from about mile .25 on I had sloshy soaked shoes and everything else.

I am so ready. I just have this feeling the conditions are going to be bad I don’t know why. 90% of the long runs that I have done over the last 6 months have been in shit conditions so I am prepared for the worst.

But if it just happens to be 55 degrees and sunny, I’m gonna kill it!

I am in week 2 of “TAPER”:

Week 2 (Oct 7 – Oct 13):
Monday (Oct 7): 14-16 miles (long run at marathon pace or slightly slower)
Wednesday (Oct 9): 7-8 miles (tempo or intervals)
Friday (Oct 11): 5-6 miles (easy pace)
Saturday (Oct 12): 6 miles (easy recovery)

Detoxing from the carb overload ugh

10/8

Active Recovery Day:
70 minute Bikram style class in 110 degrees
3 mile(ish) 10,000(ish) step evening “Zone 2” walk.

10/9

Decent pace on a 7 miler only 2 days after a 16 miler. I have gotten to a pretty bizarre place physically. It’s not sustainable but it’s a wild feeling. I also did upper body weights for 25 min or so later in the PM where I worked up to 16 reps @ 80lbs on flat dumbbells. Not a record but it’s hard to believe given the amount of running I’m doing.

Protein high
Carbs remain high for me 100-150g per day
Fat low to moderate
Junk/Alcohol low to absent

10/10

Killer upper body. I followed a great back sequence with this video:

It’s the best pump. Try it!

10/11

Anooooother 7 miler today. Slow, steady. Taper continues. I’ll start ramping up carbs tomorrow for a 14 miler Monday. I’ll be going fast for this one. Testing max speed actually.

10/12 – 10/13

Tons of on foot activity. Strength maintenance for upper body and a much needed bikram yoga session in 110 degrees. Prep for my final long, speed run.

10/14

I just broke several personal records with this one run! My 7 months of training paid off. Just under 3 weeks left until the TCS New York City Marathon and I’m ready to rock.

Today I hit a Monday morning 13.1 miler at a 7:38/min mile pace. My fastest 1/2 marathon yet and apparently my fastest 10k, 10 mile, 15k and 20k all in one shot. I held a 7:33/min mile pace for much of it.

3 weeks and counting! Let’s go!

10/15-10/18

Just wound out week 3 of the taper:

Week 3 (Oct 14 – Oct 20): Start of the taper
Monday (Oct 14): 12-14 miles (long run, marathon pace)
Killed this one, went a bit faster than my expected marathon pace because it felt great.

Wednesday (Oct 16): 6-7 miles (tempo or intervals)
This felt like labor. I took it easy.

Friday (Oct 18): 5-6 miles (easy pace)
This one just felt like nothing happened. This is how I know I’m all twisted. When a 7 mile run just doesn’t register as good, bad, hard or easy.

Saturday (Oct 19): 6 miles (easy recovery)
I may bow out on this Saturday work. My legs and body are really tired. Chances are I’ll swap out the recovery run with a Bikram style yoga class.

But otherwise I followed this verbatim.

2 WEEKS TO GO!

10/19-10/20

Did a 70 minute 110 degree bikram style yoga class 2 days in a row. I also did a daily step count of 6000 or so. Just kept moving a bit and really stretched out and repaired.

Each day I also took in 180-200g clean protein and kept carbs moderate to low. I don’t need to carb load as much through the taper phase and I truly hate doing it so that works out. I will really start to ramp up the carbs a week out.

I am entering Week 4 of the taper now:

Week 4 (Oct 21 – Oct 27):

Monday (Oct 21): 8-10 miles (long run, easy pace)
Wednesday (Oct 23): 5-6 miles (tempo or intervals)
Friday (Oct 25): 4-5 miles (easy pace)
Saturday (Oct 26): 6 miles (easy pace)

Protein high
Carbs moderate
Active recovery every other day
Mentally preparing for the actual marathon

10/21

Hit a 10 miler at a decent pace. Ultimately, I’d love to keep this pace for the whole marathon. Felt good, no aches or pains. Less than 2 weeks out!

Tomorrow I will detox from carbs and load on up clean, lean protein 200+ g. As I continue on with the last bit of the taper I plan to start my final carb loading 5 days out with a double batch of my homemade granola. Until then I will remain low to moderate carb (80-125g per day). I don’t like the feeling it gives aside from clearly giving a massive boost in endurance and power for the long hauls.

10/22-10/24

The taper continues as scheduled. 10 days out from the marathon and the focus is turing to all the details of getting into NYC and all of the gear. Forecast is sort of in the viewpoint now it looks like low 60’s. Just please don’t rain!

It has taken me months to fully address every issue that may pop up during a long run. When I began training it was cool out so the heat and heat related issues were not a thing. As time has gone on after 1000+ miles, hundreds of hours and dozens of run stopping annoyances I have it all figured out.

Below is the list of finalized items I will use come Marathon race day. Temps are expected to be 62 degrees. This would have been different if it would have been cold or rainy.

My sole goal here is to have no issues during the run from head to toe.

I may add to this list but I won’t take away from it. Everything here is tried, tested, vetted and amazing, for me, an almost 50 year old man.

Video coming soon.

May need in the AM for travel. Would need if it would have been in the 40’s as expected.

10/25-10/28

Taper continues with shorter runs, lots of walks, bikram yoga, sleep and repair. It’s been hard for me to dial it all back especially with my strength training. Squats, air squats, deadlifts, sprints, hills, hikes because of fall leaves covering roots/rocks. I’m down to upper body weights, short runs and lots of yoga/stretching.

Week 5 (Race Week: Oct 28 – Nov 3):
Monday (Oct 28): 4 miles (easy pace)
Wednesday (Oct 30): 3-4 miles (easy pace or rest day)
Friday (Nov 1): 2-3 miles (shakeout run, very easy)
Sunday (Nov 3): Race Day: Marathon

Here we go!