Week Before The Two Weeks Before

Three weeks out before a marathon is my toughest week for a few reasons.  I usually "up" the intensity quite a bit, plus I just want to get it over with and start easing the mileage load the last two weeks.  This past week was three weeks out before Boston.

The toughest run was on Tuesday in Omaha, NE.  (check out the elevation below)  I ran one of the toughest hill workouts I've ever ran.  The overall elevation gain was about 990ft in only 14 miles, with 10 different 50-100ft climbs.  Plus, the toughest hill was a 200ft monster over about a mile.  I managed to run the workout at a 7:31 pace, which I was happy with for the elevation.  I took it easy toward the end - I didn't want to screw anything up physically for my race.

Here is how the week went:
Sunday - 18 miles @ 7:21 pace (long run)
Monday - 4 miles (recovery)
Tuesday - 14 miles @ 7:31 pace (hill workout)
Wednesday - 10 miles (recovery)
Thursday - 11 miles @ 7:47 pace (tempo run)
Friday - Rest
Saturday - 20 miles @ 7:42 (long run) 
Total - 77 miles

I'll plan on about 45-50 miles this week with a hard tempo run toward the end, and then chill out the following week, rest and prepping for the race.  Hope your training is going well!
... be great today!

8596 ... My Lucky Number!!!

Thanks to Lazy Bones Running for the heads up ... the Boston Marathon Bib Numbers were assigned!!!  And Tada ... here she is!

That's me, good ol' #8596!  It's getting closer and closer and starting to become a reality!  I'M RUNNING THE 2011 BOSTON MARATHON!!!  As you get older, things get a little faded and don't excite you the way they used to ... but I'm soooo geeked about this!  I can't wait!  And now is probably a good time to let the cat out of the bag ... I'm really trying for a PR at Boston!  I'm shooting for 2:30 ... (ha, yeh right)  Well, a PR anyway!  If I can stay healthy between now and then, I feel like I have it in me which would be SICK! (as the kids say ... they do still say that don't they?)

Also today ... please check out Nelly On The Run!  Nelly's a good guy, and I really enjoy his blog. He recently gave me the Stylish Blogger Award!  I've had the honor a couple of times before and I'm sure everyone is tired of reading details about my mundane life ... so in honor of the award, please stop by and start following Nelly's blog!

Nelly is ALWAYS incredibly positive with his comments and is a very talented triathlete!  You'll enjoy the read and probably pick up a few pointers like I always do!  Plus, he's a huge Stanford Cardinal fan ... who knew???

Nelly ... Fear the Tree!

Thanks again Nelly ...  you're always very encouraging!  I really appreciate it!

Finally today ... thank you so much to Jeff of Detroit Runner!  Jeff did a great job of sponsoring the I Just Felt Like Running 5K over the past couple of weekends, and it turns out that I won a gift card from Road ID!  Awesome!  I've been intending to check out their products, and this will be the perfect opportunity!

Jeff, thanks for the great give-away, hosting the race, and your wonderful blog ... it's one of my fav's! 
... be great today!

Workout Journal ... Easy Like Sunday Morning

            Course:  Longview Lake to Lake Jacomo Out & Back
                Miles:  21            
                Time:  2:36:52
        Avg Pace:  7:28/mile
            Avg HR:  158
         Workout:   Long Run
               Temp:  36 Degrees, Humidity 70%, Wind 10ENE
Miles this week:  70

Workout Summary:
Long run from Longview Lake to Lake Jacomo and back.  Ran "The Jack" and the 3rd Street Hills during the route.  Cold headwind for the first 10, but really warmed up and picked up pace after I made the turn back South at about mile 10.5.  Elevation is posted below.

         
Notes:
Maybe my best training run ever!  Just a great day of running!  Started a little cold with 10mph headwind making the "feels like" temp about 22.  Plus, I was in shorts which didn't help.  But I had a pretty aggressive pace plan and actually ended up being about 10 seconds faster per mile than planned!  Here are the splits ...

1) 8:29                    6) 7:49                   11) 7:10                   16) 7:18
2) 8:07                    7) 7:30                   12) 7:08                   17) 7:02
3) 8:03                    8) 7:29                   13) 7:10                   18) 7:06
4) 7:54                    9) 7:35                   14) 7:09                   19) 7:12
5) 7:40                  10) 7:25                   15) 7:09                   20) 7:11
                                                                                                   21) 6:55

There were three things that I was most excited about after this run.  One, my energy level all day was great ... I felt like at a slower pace I could have ran 30 miles.  Two, my pace over the last 11 miles was 7:08 ... and I never really felt like I was pushing it very hard.  Three, I ran a pretty hilly course today for 21 miles. And I tried to place some "Boston Simulated" hills at miles 19-21 ...  and they really weren't an issue.

All in all, I couldn't be happier with where I am in my training right now.  I have a little pain in my left ankle just above that inside "knob".  It's been pretty constant all winter, but other than that, everything is good.  I've posted about this before, but I feel like I'm really reaping the benefits of slowing way down on my recovery days.  Also, during long runs, I have really tried to focus on starting slower.  It really seems to be paying off as my times are faster than ever at this point in training.

View the complete workout at Garmin Connect:
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/72866151

Workout Journal ... Hill Run, The Jack & Back

            Course:  Jacomo Out & Back, The Jack 2X
                Miles:  11            
                Time:  1:25:18
        Avg Pace:  7:45/mile
            Avg HR:  164
         Workout:   Hill Run
               Temp:  28 Degrees, Humidity 75%, Wind 10NW
Miles this week:  38

Workout Summary:
Pretty solid hill workout!  Ran "The Jack" by Jacomo Lake 2x.  The total elevation gain for my last race, the Austin Marathon was 880ft - today's workout for only 11 miles was 805ft. Here is the elevation chart.         

Notes:
I've noticed that since I changed to Garmin Connect online, there is a huge difference between the elevation gain stated on the web and my old Garmin Training Center program on my computer.  For example, in Garmin Training Center today's total ascent reading was 1187ft???  Regardless, it was a good workout and I was happy with my overall time!   I tied my week 6 Thursday training record of 7:45/mile pace ... but the original record didn't have hills - so this one is now the standard.

View the complete workout at Garmin Connect:
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/72248961

Workout Journal ... Downtown Loop, Progressive Run

            Course:  Lees Summit Downtown Loop
                Miles:  11            
                Time:  1:22:28
        Avg Pace:  7:28/mile
            Avg HR:  160
         Workout:   Progressive Run
               Temp:  37 Degrees, Humidity 83%, Wind 9E
Miles this week:  15

Workout Summary:
Great progressive run! With the exception of Mile 5 ... it was perfect.  Ran Mile 5 a few seconds slow ... stupid Mile 5!  After a couple of warm up miles, got progressively faster until the last mile which was a cool down.

   Splits:
      Mile 1  ... 8:38
      Mile 2  ... 8:01
      Mile 3  ... 7:52
      Mile 4  ... 7:25
      Mile 5  ... 7:27
      Mile 6  ... 7:20
      Mile 7  ... 7:15
      Mile 8  ... 7:01
      Mile 9  ... 6:56
      Mile 10... 6:53
      Mile 11... 7:38
     
Notes:
Couldn't be happier with another really strong run.  Felt fluid and smooth throughout with no pain anywhere!  During the last couple of training cycles, I've really been trying to SLOW WAY DOWN on my non speed or tempo days.  It feels almost too slow when I'm running it, but I feel incredibly refreshed and "healed" during the timed workout the next day ... like today's.  It really helps that the weather is warming up too.  It was only 37 degrees today during my run, but I ran in shorts and felt fine.  Little wind was a great bonus this morning too. 

I track all of my training times for every race.  This week is "week 6" before the Boston Marathon.  And I ran faster today than any other "week 6" Tuesday run.  I know that sounds silly, but it was a huge mental lift feeling like I'm getting faster and stronger.  Hopefully I'll stay healthy until Boston!

View the complete workout at Garmin Connect:
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/71940456

Workout Journal ... Long Run, Lees Summit Loop

            Course:  Lees Summit Loop
                Miles:  15            
                Time:  1:55:35
        Avg Pace:  7:42/mile
            Avg HR:  158
         Workout:   Long Run
               Temp:  33 Degrees, Humidity 70%, Wind 10NE
Miles this week:  66

Workout Summary:
Good long run!  Looped from home to Chipman Crossing and back. Ran with the wind on first half, and then against a chilly headwind on the way home.  Started slow and finished strong, here are the splits.

   Splits:
      Mile 1  ... 8:45
      Mile 2  ... 8:19
      Mile 3  ... 8:13
      Mile 4  ... 7:55
      Mile 5  ... 7:44
      Mile 6  ... 7:26
      Mile 7  ... 7:19
      Mile 8  ... 7:28
      Mile 9  ... 7:20
      Mile 10... 7:30
      Mile 11... 7:18
      Mile 12... 7:31
      Mile 13... 7:29 
      Mile 14... 7:23
      Mile 15... 7:36

Notes:
Really strong run after 10 miles with Madison yesterday.  Started pushing a little at Mile 5 trying to run 5-10 at 7:30/pace.  Actually averaged about 7:24/pace during these 10 miles, so I was pretty happy with that.  Felt a little tired and grawgy during the first 3 miles, but eventually found a good stride and got pretty strong the remainder of the run.

I have moved my long runs to Sunday, following a run with Madison (her long run) on Saturdays.  This will be a new challenge.  Up until now, I have always taken the day off before my long run, but I'm going to run with her as long as I can - the mileage might get to be too much during this training cycle.  For example.  I don't know how comfortably I can run 12-13 with her on Saturday, and then run 22-23 on Sunday for my long run ... but we'll see.

Everything feels healthy and strong.  The inside of my left ankle continues to hurt a little when it gets cold outside ... I have no idea why, but other than that everything is fine.  Took a 20min ice bath after the run.  Lite run tomorrow and then back to tempo and speed work in the mid-week.

Garmin Connect Link:
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/71632589

Workout Journal ... March, In Like A Lion!

            Course:  Campbell Jr. High Track
                Miles:  10            
                Time:  1:10:50
        Avg Pace:  7:05/mile
            Avg HR:  163
         Workout:   Yasso 800's
               Temp:  23 Degrees, Humidity 79%, Wind 15ENE
Miles this week:  31

Workout Summary:
Yasso 800's ... 8 x 800 @ 3:08 avg(6:16 pace) w/aprx 2:00 rest between each one, but "rest" at an 8:00/mile, plus 2 mile warmup & 2 mile cool down.  Ran at Campbell Jr. High newly resurfaced track - very cusiony!

   Splits:
      Mile 1  ...  8:52
      Mile 2  ...  7:43
      800 #1 ... 3:11 (6:22 pace), 2min rest @ 8:00/pace
      800 #2 ... 3:10 (6:20 pace), 2min rest @ 8:00/pace
      800 #3 ... 3:09 (6:18 pace), 2min rest @ 8:00/pace
      800 #4 ... 3:11 (6:22 pace), 2min rest @ 8:00/pace
      800 #5 ... 3:08 (6:16 pace), 2min rest @ 8:00/pace
      800 #6 ... 3:05 (6:10 pace), 2:30min rest @ 8:30/pace
      800 #7 ... 3:06 (6:12 pace), 2:30min rest @ 8:15/pace
      800 #8 ... 3:02 (6:04 pace), 2:20min rest @ 8:05/pace
      Mile 9  ...  7:14
      Mile 10 ... 7:00

Notes:
GREAT DAY OF RUNNING!!!  I passed 500 miles for the year and had maybe my best speed workout ever, as far as speed, strength, and quality. 

It was freezing cold with a 15mph headwind on the back stretch so I feel really good about it considering the conditions!  I felt strong, healthy, and fast throughout and it never seemed like I was killing myself.  On the first five 800's I looked down and I was running a 5:50/pace and had to slow down a little.  It obviously got a little tougher as I progressed, but I  managed to push my times a little faster.  Hopefully in a few weeks when it warms up I can do this workout sub 6:00 which would be awesome for me.

As I've written before, I'm not a huge fan of Yasso 800's because of the constant starting and stopping, so I try to keep moving during my 2:00 rest period between each one.  Today, while "resting", I kept moving at an 8:00/mile pace - which seemed to slow my heart rate down a little and give me some time to recover.  Also, I'm not a big fan of track workouts mainly because I don't race on tracks.  There is no elevation, and the surface is a little softer.  But it was a nice change of pace this morning and made for a good workout.

I only had to stop and walk 3 times between each one, and the third time was to leave a little deposit  under the bleachers.  Couldn't help it!  Michael is trying to turn me into a herbivore and my bowels are violently resisting.  Sorry ... sue me.  But other than that, I couldn't be happier about the workout!  Now my only chore is not falling asleep on the way to Omaha today! But out of town on business means ... I GET TO EAT MEAT!!!

Garmin Connect Link:
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/70887146

Workout Journal ... Legacy Track Tempo Run

            Course:  Legacy Park Community Center Track
                Miles:  10            
                Time:  1:17:21
        Avg Pace:  7:44/mile
            Avg HR:  167
         Workout:   Tempo Run
               Temp:  24 Degrees, Humidity 93%, Wind 5SE
Miles this week:  54

Workout Summary:
Good tempo run at Legacy Park Track.  Kept heart rate elevated and felt pretty smooth other than the tight turns you are forced to make in the confined area. 

Thank you, that's plenty!

Notes:
Madison and I were supposed to run together this morning, but the icy roads prevented it. It snowed a few days ago, and we were planning on running through the streets of our neighborhood, but a thin layer of ice this morning made it so you could barely stand up.  Pretty bummed about it.  Hopefully next week we'll get in 10 together!

Pretty good recovery week!  Lots of rest and not a lot of mileage.  I plan on easing back into it tomorrow with another tempo run on Tuesday, and light hill repeats on  Thursday.

Garmin Connect Link:
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/70192159

Workout Journal ... Recovery Run

            Course:  HyVee O&B
                Miles:  10            
                Time:  1:19:51
        Avg Pace:  7:58/mile
            Avg HR:  155, 84% max
         Workout:   Recovery Run
               Temp:  39 Degrees, Humidity 77%, Wind 15NE
Miles this week:  44

Workout Summary:
Smooth recovery run - started slow, and after 3 mile warm up, averaged about 7:50 pace, which felt comfortable.  Fairly flat out & back past HyVee & Burger King on 291.  Just tried to keep lose and stretch out.

Notes:
Felt great during the run.  Nothing injured or sore after the marathon on Sunday.  Just still a little energy depleted and stiff, but everything seems good.  Ran 8 miles yesterday, and 10 today - I'll take tomorrow off and go light on the weekend.  And then back at it next week.  I feel pretty good about where I'm at health-wise.

Garmin Connect Link:
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/69875183