Monday, Sept. 12th:
Day off. Penelope had a rough night of sleep and I just had no energy to put in any miles this morning. Plus, I think my body could use some extra rest after yesterday's epic long run workout.
Tuesday, Sept. 13th:
4:55 am, 64 degrees, 95%, 0-5mph. Kilmer Loop. New Balance 890.
6m easy - 7:55 average.
Felt much better than yesterday. No problem getting up, got into a great rhythm after 1m, and finished feeling strong.
Wednesday, Sept. 14th:
4:30 am, 68 degrees, 95%, 0-5mph. Neighborhood. Nike Run Avant.
1m warm up, 3x2mT w/3:00 jogs (6:04 03, 03 04, 03 05) 3:00 rest, 1.4m cool down
Was supposed to be a 4x2m workout but I bailed after the 3rd rep - massively tired and overheated. The humidity really affected me today, and my legs just felt so tired/heavy after the 1st rep. Valiantly battled to finish the 3 reps, which is still a high quality workout. Can't be too bummed - body just didn't have it today.
Thursday, Sept. 15th:
4:45 am, 66 degrees, 90%, calm. Maple Shade (L) - Neighborhood. Adidas Marathon 10 B
8m easy (BOF) - 7:44 average.
Had a mild calf cramp last night - did a bunch of stretching, but it still felt a little tight this morning. Once I got moving though, I felt incredibly recovered from yesterday - felt like I was holding back most of the run. Will monitor the cramp - glad to see that yesterday was an anomaly.
Friday, Sept. 16th:
5:15 am, 49 degrees, 75%, 0-10mph. Cherry Hill West-Pennypacker-Grove St.-Cherry Hill West. Adidas Marathon 10 B.
9m easy (BOF) - 7:41 average.
You only get one "first cool morning of September" run and I savored every moment of it. It felt like I came down from altitude training, that's how easy and strong I felt today. Cool air on the skin, easier to breathe, just a natural state of things. Forecast calls for a few more of these in the next few days which will be nice, but they can't replicate the feeling of the first one. Pure bliss.
Saturday, Sept. 17th:
6:00 am, 50 degrees, 75%, 0-5mph. Pearl Croft-Kingsway-Croft Farm. New Balance 890.
7m easy (BOF) - 7:45 average.
I didn't feel quite as strong as yesterday, so I mentally backed off the pedal a bit but still almost finished with the same overall average as yesterday. Got stronger as the run progressed. I could really get used to these cool mornings. I would give anything for today's conditions on race day.
Sunday, Sept. 18th:
"The Dress Rehearsal"
6:30 am, 60 degrees, 70%, 0-15mph. Baltimore. Adidas Marathon 10 B.
2m warm up, 14MP @ 6:25 average (6:31 30 16 29 29 29 30 30 34 25 24 24 11 15), 2m cool down.
Most people in their right mind don't wake up at 2:30 am, drive an hour and forty-five minutes, run alone for 18 miles in a major US City, and then drive an hour and forty five minutes home. Especially when it's not even a race. But that's what I did today - so call me crazy. When I was finished, however, I was ecstatic about how well the run went. The conditions were great, a tad breezy at times, but ideal for marathon running. I mentally survived the challenge of climbing the four miles of hills but found that I quickly recovered and had tons left for the last 10K of the course, most of which is downhill. I took the fear of the unknown out of the course today, and my performance indicates I might be in even better shape than I think I am. This obviously doesn't mean that I will ace the course on race day, but it sure helps to know that I have already aced it once during non-race conditions.
Weekly Total: 57 miles
It is literally all downhill from here. Seeing the course and taking the mystique out of it was huge. I feel more than prepared to go out and run a great time. Now all I need are conditions like today on October 15th and I will have no excuses.
4 weeks to the marathon.
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