Viet’s Blog

  Coming off the back of the Vernonia Marathon and a solid performance in the Lake Oswego 10k, I approached this race as a “B” level event, meaning that I took it seriously, but I didn't put in a full 18 training block in the same way I treated Vernonia. Here’s a detailed account of my preparation, race day strategy, and the lessons I learned along the way. Training and Preparation In the six weeks leading up to the race, I maintained a steady training regimen, peaking at around 40 miles before tapering down. My taper wasn’t as restful as it could have been; I prioritized keeping my legs active rather than taking extended rest periods. One crucial aspect of my preparation was stretching. After attending a stretch lab demo, I learned my hamstrings and hips were particularly tight, which is common for runners. With a week to go, I integrated nightly hamstring and calf stretches to address potential knee pain, a recurring issue for me. Race Kit My race kit was assembled with comfort a...

  Offseason Thoughts + Winter Miles I wanted to write something because for a lot of runners these cold, rainy, icy winter months are considered the “off-season.” All local marathons are done by end of October, and aside from a few Turkey Trots, it’s quiet until the upcoming spring.  If you trained for a marathon and peaked at 30+ miles per week, you shouldn’t just pack it in and record 0 miles for the next 3 months. If you do that, you’ll lose a huge amount of fitness over the winter and will have to start back at square one when you start running again in the spring.  Although it’s normal and recommended to take a few weeks off after a huge effort, you should view the off season as an opportunity to reflect on the previous year, identify things to improve upon, and set goals accordingly. In all the while, try to maintain whatever aerobic base you can. Going from 50% mileage to peak mileage is much easier than starting back from scratch. Additionally, it will give you se...

  I think its becoming a yearly tradition for me to do a time trial the morning of Thanksgiving. Last year I felt like I needed to redeem myself for a poor Portland Marathon performance and I didn't want to spend 40 dollars to do a 5k Turkey Trot fun run. So instead I went out to the Willamette River to run along the bike trail. Its pretty cool this time of year and the trail is generally flat so I find it an ideal time to test my fitness for a significant distance. Last year I did a 13.1 mile loop around the waterfront in a little over 1:46, which was about a 5 minute improvement over a previous PR of 1:52.     This year I did much better at the Portland Marathon, but still wanted to test out my half marathon time. The goal this year then was simply to beat last year, with a modest time of 1:45. This signifies running a sub 8 minute mile the entire way, and for some reason represents a psychological barrier for me. When I'm running in the 8 minute range, I already feel l...