Monday, July 11th:
5:10 am, 75 degrees, 75% humidity, 5-10mph. Kilmer Loop-Neighborhood. Saucony C2.
Easy pace (BOF) - 8:30 average. Somebody had a severe case of the Moondays! Had absolutely no energy at all this morning. Thought about bagging the run after 2 miles out from home, decided I would at least head out one more mile for a total of 6 - when I got back into the neighborhood I had a sudden burst of energy and let it carry me 2 more miles to finish the planned run of 8 miles. No idea where that burst came from. Today was absolutely a lesson in perseverance and at least I got to finish on a high note.
Tuesday, July 12th:
Day off.
Wednesday, July 13th:
4:45 am, 78 degrees, 65%, 0-5mph. Valley Run-Kilmer Loop-Valley Run-Cherry Hill Blvd. New Balance 890.
1.5m warmup, 7mAltT (.5/.5) goal (5:55/6:35), .5m cooldown
Actual splits: (5:54 6:34, 53 31, 52 33, 55 37, 55 37, 54 fell down 7:15, 5:52 6:27)
Probably not the best idea to do this workout on a morning this warm but you sometimes have to roll with the forecast. Also probably not best to do this workout without an opportunity for gatorade somewhere mid-run, as my body definitely felt like it was starting to overheat around the 5th rep. The recoveries became increasingly difficult, even while I could maintain the faster segments. I caught my left toe on the sidewalk at the end of the 6th fast rep and fell down, which helps explain the slow recovery for that half-mile. I didn't panic and try to catch up the pace. I really had to push the last mile and I was near all-out to hit those last two splits. Cooldown was very slow. Overall pleased with the workout, in spite of the conditions and the tripping incident.
Thursday, July 14th:
4:45 am, 65 degrees, 65%, 10mph. Maple Shade Loop (long version) - Neighborhood. Adidas Marathon 10.
Easy pace (BOF) - 7:42 average. What a difference 13 degrees makes! After yesterday's warm run bath, today felt like running in a cool creek. Breathing easy, no residual soreness in legs - just an absolutely spectacular morning. On a side note, I am pretty sure I broke or badly bruised my left little piggy that had roast beef. It turned an awful shade of purple yesterday, but there is no pain when I push off or walk around - only if I squeeze the toe. I don't think there's really anything you can do for a broken toe anyway, so hopefully the purple color subsides over time. If not, it sure makes me look tougher than I am!
3:00 pm, 81 degrees, 30%, 10-20mph. Neighborhood. Nike Pegasus 27+ (Red)
Easy pace - 7:45 average. Afternoon was just as spectacular. Low humidity. Nice cool breeze. Perfect.
Friday, July 15th:
5:30 am, 62 degrees, 90%, calm. Moorestown. Saucony C2.
Easy pace (BOF) - 7:50 average. Another beautiful morning. Conversational pace with Tom/Rich/Oleg.
2:00 pm, 83 degrees, 35%, 5-15mph. Neighborhood. Adidas Marathon 10.
Rejuvenation pace - 8:45 average. Took a very relaxed, easy stroll around the neighborhood. It truly felt like I was running 9:30 pace, so I was actually kind of surprised to see I was moving faster. May move my marathon pace workout to Sunday to give myself some extra rest - we'll see how I feel in the morning. Legs definitely felt more loose and pliable after the run, though.
Saturday, July 16th:
5:35 am, 68-72 degrees, 70%, calm. Tavistock Loop-Croft Farm-Cooper River-Tavistock Loop. Nike Run Avant.
2m warmup, 12m Marathon Pace Progression - 3m each (6:40/35/30/25), 2m cooldown
Actual Splits (6:40 40 38, 33 31 34, 27 27 28, 24 26 23). MP average: 6:31. This is not a workout for the weak of heart, especially when you run 12 miles the day before. I stopped for about 5-7 secs for gatorade within MP miles 5/8/11, and I still hit all the splits except mile 11, which I was very pleased with. I also incorporated hills within the workout to simulate what I will be facing in Baltimore. Once I dropped below 6:30 pace, I noticeably had to work harder, so I have a better idea what I am in for come October. I am counting on improved fitness gains, cooler temperatures, and tapering to make sub-6:30 pace comfortable. I'll also have the opportunity to do this workout again later on in the training cycle to see how I have improved. Of course, the half-marathon will also be a good measuring tool. Very draining today, but I am very pleased with the result.
Sunday, July 17th:
3:00 am, 70 degrees, 80%, 0-5mph. Kelly Drive-MLK Loop. Nike Pegasus 27+ (Red).
Easy pace - 8:11 average. The reason I ran so early this morning was to try help pace some friends who were competing in a 24 hour race. The Back on My Feet 20 in 24 "Lone Ranger" started at 10:00 am yesterday and will finish at 10:00 am this morning. The goal of the race is to see who can complete the most laps (8.4 miles) of the Kelly Drive-MLK Loop in Philadelphia in a 24 hour period. You can take as many breaks as you want, eat, shower, get a massage, sleep, etc - it's just who can cover the most distance in a 24 hour period. Since the race started early yesterday, there was a very good chance that none of my three friends would be running at 3:00 am when I got there, depending on how their day went. Sure enough, I ended up doing the loop alone as I was unable to find them - I figured they were either sleeping or had enough and headed home. However, it's pretty amazing to see how many people were still out on the course at 3:00 am walking/shuffling/running along. The looks on their faces and obviously broken bodies were a sight to behold. A completely different kind of running. I have run more the last two weeks than I have in almost any two week period of my entire life - and there will be runners who cover my two week total in the 24 hour period! Just incredible. It's hard to complain about being beat up, sore, and tired once you see these dedicated warriors.
Weekly Total: 63 miles
A few bumps and bruises this week, but still knocking off the mileage as planned. Even though the tempo run didn't quite go as planned, the marathon pace run was a great early sign of where I am at in training. It was also a tough week with the weather, and based on the forecast for next week, it's only going to get worse. I think if I can survive the next month of hard training in the heat, I will be in a great position when the weather finally cools off. 6 weeks to the half marathon, 13 weeks to the marathon.
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