My 6 weeks marathon plan

I would like to share with you my 6 weeks marathon plan. I know that 6 weeks is very short, but I had first of all to recover during September from a knee injury that happened late August at a 100km race. And I had been sick for 6 days during week 3. So it was not the ideal training, but I feel strong and confident. The hard part will be the weather, here is the forecast: 60% precipitation chance, 23km/h winds and 12°C. Not too bad :-D

This plan was designed by Philippe CALVARIN (France Elite Duathlon champion in 1993 and many other titles).

	TRAINING PLAN	STATUS
WEEK 1	50' jogging	Compex
	30' jog + 2 x (10 x 30''/30''), rest=4' jog + 10' jog	OK
	REST	OK
	50' jog (empty stomach)	OK
	REST	OK
	1:20 jog (last 20' @12km/h)	OK
	40' jog + 8km (marathon pace) + 3km (half marathon pace) + 2km (10km pace) + 10' jog	OK
WEEK 2	REST	OK
	20' jog + 15 x 400m @15.6km/h, rest 200m jog + 10' jog	OK
	REST	OK
	1:30 jog (last 30' @12km/h)	OK
	40' jog + 12 x 1000m @12km/h, rest 200m jog + 10' jog	OK
	REST or 50' jog	OK
	Bike 2h + 1h jog	1h30+30'
WEEK 3	1:15 jog (last 15' @12km/h)	Compex
	20' jog + 20 x 500m @14km/h, rest 200m jog + 10' jog	OK
	REST	OK
	1:30 jog (last 30' @12km/h)	1h05
	30' jog + 4 x 3000m @13km/h, rest 3' jog + 10' jog	SICK
	REST or 50' jog	SICK
	Bike 2h + 1h jog	SICK
WEEK 4	1:15 jog (last 15' @12km/h)	SICK
	20' jog + 20 x 400m @17.6km/h, rest 100m jog + 10' jog	SICK
	REST	SICK
	1:30 jog (last 30' @12km/h)	Try the 20 x 400m training => too hard
	50' jog	OK
	REST	OK
	30' jog + 30' @ 12km/h + 10km (marathon pace) + 5km (half marathon pace) + 1km (10km pace) + 5' jog	OK
WEEK 5	REST	OK
	1h jog	OK
	REST	OK
	20' jog + 3km @ 13km/h + 3' jog + 2km @ 13km/h + 10' jog	OK
	40' jog	TIRED + RAIN SHOWERS
	REST	RAIN SHOWERS
	1:15 jog	RAIN SHOWERS
WEEK 6	REST	RAIN SHOWERS
	30' jog + 3km @ 13km/h	TIRED + RAIN SHOWERS
	30' jog	TIRED + RAIN SHOWERS
	REST	1h10
	30' jog +5 straight lines	OK
	REST	OK
	Orléans MARATHON in 3:15	MARATHON

Disk crash on Ubuntu: the rescue guide

Here is a geek post that will not deal with running.
My personal laptop is running on Ubuntu. I always used to be a Linux geek and I made the complete switch to gnu/Linux after trying to use Windows Vista on my brand new laptop: a nightmare. Nothing available by default to burn an ISO CD, to watch a DVD, etc. The transition had not been painful, Ubuntu is very impressive and can run all my hardware.

The hard part came when my hard drive began to get bad sectors a few weeks ago. I was not able to compact my Thunderbird Inbox, and neither to backup it to a usb drive. I was really upset. How will I fix my drive? Nothing seemed available in the system. So I decided to run it "old school" way, using the shell with the command line fsck.

This post is a comprehensive guide that aims to help people who are using Ubuntu and who do not have a deep knowledge of Linux.

Step 1: download a Ubuntu Live CD image, go to: http://www.ubuntu.com/desktop/get-ubuntu/download
Step 2: burn it using Brasero Disc Burner.
Step 3: reboot from the live CD.
Step 4: open the disk utility (Sytem / Administration / Disk Utility)
Step 5: find the path to your partition (e.g. /dev/sda3), do not mount it.
Step 6: open a shell (applications / accessories / terminal)
Step 7: get the root grant
type: sudo su -
Step 8: check & repair the partition
type: fsck -cf /dev/sda3
-c is looking for the bad blocks and add them to the bas blocks inode.
-f force the search & repair.
Step 9: answer yes to all the questions (by typing "y")
Step 10: reboot
Step 11: backup immediately your data (it was not possible before, due to the bad blocks)
Step 12: enjoy a safe computer.

Quick update: marathon in 4 days

Hi everybody, my last boy is born 5 months ago. He is an amazing little boy full of energy and a great joy for his parents. This left me no time for posting on this blog. Training is getting hard, with an hectic schedule, short nights, and my job. Hopefully, I was able to run some pretty nice races but was really tired on the start line:
- end of June: Le Raid du Morbihan (178km), I gave up at km 144, I was able to finish the race, be without any pleasure, tiredness was TOO painful
- end August : 100km des étangs de Sologne. A great race but my bike injury on the left knee (accident happened in April) came back after 35km. At km 45, I had to slow down, then I switched running & walking. I finished with a strong mental in 13h50, my initial goal was 10h! One month of rest was required to be able to start running again.

Then, I decided that I need to change dramatically the way I train. Speed was currently an option in my ultra running races. Back to the basics! My next race will be a marathon. I asked to my friend Philippe to design a 6 weeks marathon training plan for a 3:15 goal. The D day is approaching, it will be Sunday the 14th of November in Orléans (France) : http://www.orleansmarathon.fr/
Orléans is closed to my home, about 1h by car, it is convenient. 259 registered runners so far. The weather forecast is terrible, cold and rain shower. Should be fun.

Son, Santa Claus does not exist - For real dad?

Hi there, I did not post anything for a long time. But I have so many stories to tell.

Today, I want to share a short piece of my life. I was running in the forest, trying to convince my 6 years old boy to become a running warrior :) Then, he suggested:

"- let's play to Santa Claus. I'll do a reindeer, and you'll be Santa. Dad, what makes the sleigh fly?".

"- Magic" I replied, followed by these terrible words: "- Do you think that Santa Claus really exists?". His face turns to white:

"- For real? No, you're kidding dad".

"- No, son. He really does not exist".

"- What about the presents? Where are they coming from?"

"- Family does".

I was annoyed for revealing the terrible truth without asking the green light to the family council (my wife & I). But I wanted deeply inside of me to prevent my son from a total disgrace in front of his school mates: "look at this baby, he's still believing in Santa Claus".

I promise I will try to write more often posts on this blog. We are expecting a new boy soon, so I will do my best between family, job, training and blog!

May I introduce you... CrossFit!

CrossFit is a general fitness program focuses on improving health and physical condition. CrossFit is stated as “fitness for the elites”! Let's have a look to several CrossFit definitions:

What is CrossFit: http://www.crossfit.com/cf-info/what-crossfit.html

CrossFit is the principal strength and conditioning program for many police academies and tactical operations teams, military special operations units, champion martial artists, and hundreds of other elite and professional athletes worldwide. Our program delivers a fitness that is, by design, broad, general, and inclusive. Our specialty is not specializing.

On Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crossfit

CrossFit is the trademarked name for a physical fitness program that is marketed by CrossFit, Inc. CrossFit Inc. certifies CrossFit trainers and licenses the CrossFit name to gyms.

CrossFit promotes overall physical fitness in terms of cardiovascular/respiratory endurance, stamina, strength, flexibility, power, speed, agility, balance, coordination, and accuracy. It uses powerlifting, Olympic weightlifting, kettlebells, dumbells, gymnastics rings, pull-up bars, and bodyweight and calisthenics exercises. CrossFit practitioners perform a variety of activities including running, rowing, skipping, rope climbing, jumping, carrying objects, and quickly moving large loads over long distances.

The CrossFit regimen, which combines weightlifting, sprinting and gymnastics, is used in gyms and by various fire departments, law enforcement agencies, and by military organizations such as the Royal Danish Life Guards.

So CrossFit is an overall method to improve your performance when you practice your sport.

When you google for CrossFit, you will find out some weird readings regarding the clubs. The number of affiliated gyms has grown from 18 in 2005 to over 1,600 in 2010.(Wikipedia). The videos on YouTube show a bunch of dumb guys who are training rudely and quickly in a garage turned into a gym, with bucket to let them puke when required! Have a look to this video: “Andy Petranek: LA Task force ».

After watching it, I thought “Wow, this is like Fight Club!” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fight_Club_%28film%29 ).

So, how did I get involved into this nightmare? Luis did! Luis is a running buddy from San Francisco ; he is an ultrarunner and an Ironman. He started CrossFit training one year ago and posted trainings and videos on his Facebook wall. Amazing. I thought he had lost his mind! Luis is tough, shaped for rude workouts. I thought that only Luis can practice CrossFit. I asked him for training suggestions, without weight lift, because I was afraid to hurt my back. He gave me a lot of advices and tips.

Now, I am still a CrossFit beginner, but I am feeling stronger and better. The progression is amazing. You can dramatically improve your strength when you begin. So good.

Useful links

Web sites:

http://www.crossfit.com/

http://www.crossfitendurance.com/

http://journal.crossfit.com/

Exercices:

http://www.crossfit.com/cf-info/excercise.html#Girls

Diane : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8dV6S6RLFM

Fran : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IVBgKB4Gnsw

Annie : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAjV-LOW_uo

Annie (explained by Andy Petranek): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98o2pj9ECW0

Angie (explained by Andy Petranek): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HgPbIGMPY3M

Andy Petranek: LA Task force

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQurvLrg_RY

Petranek Crossfit WOD Nasty Girls

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxgICD4GCIQ

What WOD stands for? Workout of the day.

http://www.crossfit.com/cf-info/faq.html#General0

Crossfit Games:

http://games2010.crossfit.com/

Crossfit for Kids:

http://www.crossfitkids.com/

Luis' blog:

http://velasqu7.blogspot.com/

Luis' CrossFit club:

http://www.sancarloscrossfit.com/

http://sancarloscrossfit.blogspot.com/

http://www.facebook.com/pages/San-Carlos-CA/San-Carlos-CrossFit/192880428796

Luis

Fuel for trainings: an ultra play list

I want to share with you one of my best training tips: music! I do not listen to music when I am running in the forest or on the road. Music player is not autorized on many races, and on the Spartathlon as well.

But since I have to train at the gym, I like to listen something stimulating, tired of commercial electro craps that you may usually listen in any gym club.

I have grown with heavy metal and still enjoy to listen some. But not every hard rock song is suitable for the gym. In the last months, I had a huge crush on two Symphonic metal nordics bands: Nightwish (Finland) and Epica (The Netherlands).

Listen on Deezer

Listen on Deezer

I am listening music for: treadmill, interval training on a treadmill, crossfit, etc.

Here is my playlist: Nightwish (Once, Wishmaster), Epica (The Divine Conspiracy), Crucified Barbara (In distortion we trust, 'til death do us play), Metallica (Death Magnetic), the black eyed peas (for situps) and other commercial crap that I am too shame to confess...

http://www.nightwish.com/

http://www.epica.nl/

http://www.crucifiedbarbara.com/

2010: a tappering year!

Welcome back, after a long silence due to a dramatic lack of time. This is a bite late for wishing a merry xmas and a happy new year, but I would like to thank my team (Philippe & Isabelle), Cap Running Aventure at Versailles (France) which provided my Asics equipments. Asics is making good shoes, I ran with Cumulus 11 & Trabucco all over the past year and my training was fine. I do not know if I improved my performances as 2k9 was a year of discovery (to explore new places where no man has boldly goes before :) but I did not get hurt. I used to twist my ankles often in the past, now everything seems to be fixed and the shoes did their job.

Cap Running Aventure web site:
http://www.runningaventure.com/
Cap Running Aventure on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=100000780886101
Cap Running Aventure on Twitter:
http://twitter.com/runningaventure

I started the training in the rude way on January the 1st. A first run in the cold and the snow. We had a lot of snow showers and running in the white virgin snow was delightful. My coach wrote a plan to train for a 100km. But this plan was definitly too long: 23 weeks. As I planed to run the 100km of Perigord Noir (Belvès/France) at the end of April, I started the training at the very first week of December. Which was not possible for me, I was tired and my body needed urgently a big break. So I did just a few scattered trainings in December.

The beginning of January was also the opportunity to focus on my races calendar. What should I pick up to prepare the Spartathlon? Here is my short list:

• March: Ecotrail of Paris 80km (bib won at the UFO's lottery, thanks UltraFOndus!)
• March: 6 hours of Buc
• April: 100km of Périgord Noir
• May: 24h of Villennes sur Seine?
• June: Grand Raid du Morbihan (177km)
• July: Lakeland 100 miles (in the UK)

And then, we'll see...

UFO #65

Hi guys,
wish you a happy new year! The issue #65 of Ultrafondus is no longer sold in stores, so I am allowed to publish the article in its original format.
Follow this link to download it (only available in French.)
Enjoy!