Monday, March 26th:
Off. Quads and hamstrings really had a number done on them by the Caesar Rodney hills.
Tuesday, March 27th:
Off. Legs still recovering. Almost 100% full range of motion. Hamstrings still really tight.
Wednesday, March 28th:
5:00 am, 45 degrees, 40%, 0-10mph. Maple Shade Loop (S). Nike Structure Triax 15 Shield.
5m recovery
Hamstrings still tight, but it felt good to get out and get some very easy miles in this morning. Hoping it helps flush the waste out of the legs. Felt stronger as the run progressed, which is always a good sign.
Thursday, March 29th:
4:50 am, 59 degrees, 50%, 5-15mph. CHW Roads. Nike Dual Fusion ST 2.
5m easy
Felt much better than yesterday. Strong and smooth from the start.
3:45 am, 59 degrees, 40%, 10-20mph. Merchantville Loop (S). Nike Dual Fusion ST 2.
3m easy
Again smooth. Noticing improvements in form and arm swing.
Friday, March 30th:
5:15 am, 39 degrees, 60%, calm. Moorestown. Nike Pegasus 28.
10m easy (4m easy by myself, 6m easy with JP and CT)
Little slow the first mile, but ran comfortably steady the rest of the way. Felt much easier with company. Running with JP always gives me positive energy. :)
Saturday, March 31st:
6:20 am, 44 degrees, 80%, 0-10mph. Moorestown High School. Nike Structure Triax 15 Shield/Asics Japan Thunder
2m warm up with Rich/Colleen, 4x strides, 2 sets of 6x300 w/300 jogs, 700 jog between sets, 2m cool down.
Target splits: 54-55
Actual splits: (54 56 54 54 53 54, 53 54 53 54 54 51)
First time I ran in track spikes since high school. Forgot how cool and fast they make you feel. Fell asleep on the second rep, but really nailed the rest of the workout and blasted the last one with what I had left. The extra break after the 6th rep was perfect timing, as they workout was starting to catch up with me at that point. Just focused on staying as relaxed as possible, using my arms for drive and pushing for fast turnover. Perfect amount of volume for this type of workout - anything more would have been overkill.
Sunday, April 1st:
6:00 am, 43 degrees, 80%, calm. Moorestown. Nike Structure Triax 15 Shield.
13m easy
Great way to start the month. Perfect, casual easy run with Colleen. Pace was exactly the medicine I needed for today. And Colleen is always such pleasant company.
Weekly Total: 45 miles
Five weeks to go until Broad Street. Exactly where I want to be right now. I have in my mind the game plan for the next 4 weeks before the taper so now it is just a matter of executing the plan while staying healthy.
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Friday, March 23, 2012
Broad Street Training, Week 10
Monday, March 19th - Thursday, March, 22:
Off. I didn't originally plan on taking an extended break this week (I was planning on next week) but circumstances kind of dictated taking the break now. Monday, my body just felt destroyed. Tuesday, I came home from work exhausted and feeling under the weather. Wednesday, I was improving, but still had no motivation to run, and decided to just continue the break through Thursday.
The reason behind the break is two-fold - while my main goal is Broad Street in early May, I also want to do well at the Scott Coffee 8K in early June. There is just no way to train without interruption for that length of time without burning out or risking injury. I already felt banged up the past couple weeks as is, so I knew I needed a break some time. Looking back at my more detailed running logs for the past several years, I tend to race best when I set aside a 4 week specific block of training prior to the race. After this weekend, when I will be running the Caesar Rodney Half-Marathon (hard tempo effort, but not really racing), I still have 6 full weeks until Broad Street. That gives me a few days to recover from this weekend, 4 solid weeks, and then a 10 day or so taper to nail Broad Street. I can take a few more days off after Broad Street, get 3 solid weeks in before Scott Coffee, and be ready to race hard again. Then I'll take the first of two extended breaks (10-14 days of no running) for the year.
These mini-breaks are designed to keep me fresh, not burn out, and (hopefully) stay injury-free. After all, it's hard to improve if you can't continue to string solid weeks of training in a row.
Friday, March 23rd:
5:30 am, 61 degrees, 90%, calm. Moorestown. Nike Pegasus 28.
10m easy
I actually got up this morning without the usual aches and pains I normally feel when I first get out of bed...can't flex heel, can't left knees high because groin is still tight, can't stand up straight too quickly because lower back tightness, etc. It felt pretty weird to feel good.
Once I got out and running, the first few miles seemed SUPER easy also - just the regular chit-chat with JP, RW, and CT. I did feel some groin tightness start to return around mile 7 or so, nothing troublesome, just enough to remember what it felt like before the layoff. And I did start to feel the effects of the layoff the last few miles, just working harder than I normally would have to on an easier run. But all in all, it felt great to be back and get some movement in my legs prior to Sunday's half marathon. Hoping tomorrow goes just as well.
Saturday, March 24th:
5:30 am, 50 degrees, 90%, 0-5mph. Garden State - Ellis Circle - Garden State. Nike Structure Triax 15 Shield.
8m easy, including 4x strides at the end
After an initial 1/2m of heel soreness, I felt much better than yesterday. Fell into a groove at about the 4 mile mark when I implemented a more prominent arm swing, with light hands and a more circular powerful arm action. Felt much more natural and seemed to reduce impact of foot strike while increasing push off power. Maybe the slight change in form is just what I need to get into the groove again. We'll see when I test it in a race setting tomorrow.
Sunday, March 25th:
8:50 am, 50 degrees, 80%, 0-10mph. Wilmington, DE. Nike Pegasus 28/Adidas Adizero Tempo 4.
2m warm up (including 1/4m HMP and 4x strides), Caesar Rodney Half Marathon (1:22.19), 2m cool down.
Goal pace: (6:15-20)
Actual pace: 6:17
Splits: (6:08 16 08 15 08 20 21 38 34 04 04 5:55 55 6:34)
Very, very happy with my performance and effort level on today's very challenging course. Downhill first mile, lots of winding turns for the next 5 miles, and then serious non-stop climbing from miles 6.5-9. Felt well within myself on the first half of the course, as Ashley and I ran together and settled into a nice rhythm. Felt great through mile seven after the first short climbs, but definitely found myself working harder until the climbing stopped around mile nine. From there, I intentionally picked up the effort to try help Ashley catch the #1 female in the race, who kept about 10 seconds ahead us through the climbing. I did finally track her down around the 12 mile marker, and from there I kept up the effort to the finish. Ashley ended up about 25-30 seconds back, behind the #1 female - but the other girl ended up being disqualified for wearing another runner's bib, so Ashley got credit for the win!
I guess I would call my effort more of a fast finish tempo run than an all-out race performance, but I am still very pleased. That course is definitely no joke. I was also happy to see that after hammering my legs for 9 miles, I still solidly had 6:00/mi pace in my legs for 4 miles, which bodes well for Broad Street. Glad also that I mentally stayed strong on the course, and that I didn't ever give in to the discomfort or negative thinking. That's probably the biggest change I am seeing in my racing this year - I stay focused on the task at hand at all times, and never lose sight of the big picture.
Weekly Total: 35 miles
Definitely feel that the in-season mini-break this week did me good. I felt rejuvenated before today's hard effort, which even though it was mostly a pacing effort, is still a PR. I don't feel compelled to get in as many high milage weeks before Broad Street as I had originally planned, as I have confidence in my fitness and my training. As long as I stay smart and remain healthy over the next 6 weeks, I will run my best race of the season when it counts on May 6th.
Off. I didn't originally plan on taking an extended break this week (I was planning on next week) but circumstances kind of dictated taking the break now. Monday, my body just felt destroyed. Tuesday, I came home from work exhausted and feeling under the weather. Wednesday, I was improving, but still had no motivation to run, and decided to just continue the break through Thursday.
The reason behind the break is two-fold - while my main goal is Broad Street in early May, I also want to do well at the Scott Coffee 8K in early June. There is just no way to train without interruption for that length of time without burning out or risking injury. I already felt banged up the past couple weeks as is, so I knew I needed a break some time. Looking back at my more detailed running logs for the past several years, I tend to race best when I set aside a 4 week specific block of training prior to the race. After this weekend, when I will be running the Caesar Rodney Half-Marathon (hard tempo effort, but not really racing), I still have 6 full weeks until Broad Street. That gives me a few days to recover from this weekend, 4 solid weeks, and then a 10 day or so taper to nail Broad Street. I can take a few more days off after Broad Street, get 3 solid weeks in before Scott Coffee, and be ready to race hard again. Then I'll take the first of two extended breaks (10-14 days of no running) for the year.
These mini-breaks are designed to keep me fresh, not burn out, and (hopefully) stay injury-free. After all, it's hard to improve if you can't continue to string solid weeks of training in a row.
Friday, March 23rd:
5:30 am, 61 degrees, 90%, calm. Moorestown. Nike Pegasus 28.
10m easy
I actually got up this morning without the usual aches and pains I normally feel when I first get out of bed...can't flex heel, can't left knees high because groin is still tight, can't stand up straight too quickly because lower back tightness, etc. It felt pretty weird to feel good.
Once I got out and running, the first few miles seemed SUPER easy also - just the regular chit-chat with JP, RW, and CT. I did feel some groin tightness start to return around mile 7 or so, nothing troublesome, just enough to remember what it felt like before the layoff. And I did start to feel the effects of the layoff the last few miles, just working harder than I normally would have to on an easier run. But all in all, it felt great to be back and get some movement in my legs prior to Sunday's half marathon. Hoping tomorrow goes just as well.
Saturday, March 24th:
5:30 am, 50 degrees, 90%, 0-5mph. Garden State - Ellis Circle - Garden State. Nike Structure Triax 15 Shield.
8m easy, including 4x strides at the end
After an initial 1/2m of heel soreness, I felt much better than yesterday. Fell into a groove at about the 4 mile mark when I implemented a more prominent arm swing, with light hands and a more circular powerful arm action. Felt much more natural and seemed to reduce impact of foot strike while increasing push off power. Maybe the slight change in form is just what I need to get into the groove again. We'll see when I test it in a race setting tomorrow.
Sunday, March 25th:
8:50 am, 50 degrees, 80%, 0-10mph. Wilmington, DE. Nike Pegasus 28/Adidas Adizero Tempo 4.
2m warm up (including 1/4m HMP and 4x strides), Caesar Rodney Half Marathon (1:22.19), 2m cool down.
Goal pace: (6:15-20)
Actual pace: 6:17
Splits: (6:08 16 08 15 08 20 21 38 34 04 04 5:55 55 6:34)
Very, very happy with my performance and effort level on today's very challenging course. Downhill first mile, lots of winding turns for the next 5 miles, and then serious non-stop climbing from miles 6.5-9. Felt well within myself on the first half of the course, as Ashley and I ran together and settled into a nice rhythm. Felt great through mile seven after the first short climbs, but definitely found myself working harder until the climbing stopped around mile nine. From there, I intentionally picked up the effort to try help Ashley catch the #1 female in the race, who kept about 10 seconds ahead us through the climbing. I did finally track her down around the 12 mile marker, and from there I kept up the effort to the finish. Ashley ended up about 25-30 seconds back, behind the #1 female - but the other girl ended up being disqualified for wearing another runner's bib, so Ashley got credit for the win!
I guess I would call my effort more of a fast finish tempo run than an all-out race performance, but I am still very pleased. That course is definitely no joke. I was also happy to see that after hammering my legs for 9 miles, I still solidly had 6:00/mi pace in my legs for 4 miles, which bodes well for Broad Street. Glad also that I mentally stayed strong on the course, and that I didn't ever give in to the discomfort or negative thinking. That's probably the biggest change I am seeing in my racing this year - I stay focused on the task at hand at all times, and never lose sight of the big picture.
Weekly Total: 35 miles
Definitely feel that the in-season mini-break this week did me good. I felt rejuvenated before today's hard effort, which even though it was mostly a pacing effort, is still a PR. I don't feel compelled to get in as many high milage weeks before Broad Street as I had originally planned, as I have confidence in my fitness and my training. As long as I stay smart and remain healthy over the next 6 weeks, I will run my best race of the season when it counts on May 6th.
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Broad Street Training, Week 9
Monday, March 12th:
Day off. Left heel killing me. Body feels destroyed. And it's Monday. Bleh.
Tuesday, March 13th:
Day off. See Monday, March 12th. Except it's now Tuesday.
Wednesday, March 14th:
4:45 am, 53 degree, 90%, 0-5mph. Garden State - Ellis Circle - Garden State. Nike Pegasus 28.
8m easy
The couple days off definitely did my body good. Don't feel quite 100%, but I feel my legs coming back under me and the body aches/heel pain are starting to dissipate. Had some right quad/groin tightness pop up out of nowhere from 6-6.5m miles, but then it disappeared after backing off the pace a little. Just hoping to get my act together before Saturday's race.
Thursday, March 15th:
4:45 am, 46 degrees, 65%, 0-5mph. Maple Shade Loop (L). Nike Dual Fusion ST 2.
7m easy, including 4x strides at end
Another so-so run. Had heel pain the first 1.5m or so, slowly dissipated but I still don't quite feel 100% yet. Body feels like its in a funk. Good news is the last mile or so felt great, and the striders felt surprisingly good. Just continuing to run easy and hope I work through this feeling of bleh.
Friday, March 16th:
5:30 am, 47 degrees, 95%, calm. Wagon Lane - back. Nike Structure Triax 15 Shield.
6m easy, including 4x strides at end
Much, much better. Had cup of coffee about 40 minutes prior to the run, and also applied some Ben Gay on my heel before the run. Very slight heel soreness the first mile, much improved from there. Practiced mantras and focused on forms and breathing in preparation for tomorrow's race. Very smooth from 4 miles in. Strides afterward felt strong and relaxed. Feel much more prepared to "just race" tomorrow and see what the results bring, rather than focus on splits/time/etc.
Saturday, March 17th:
Happy St. Patrick's Day!
8:15 am, 46 degrees, 85%, calm. Haddonfield. Nike Pegasus 28.
2m warm up, 1/2mT (5:58 pace), 4x strides
9:00 am, 50 degrees, 85%, calm. Haddonfield. Adidas Adizero Tempo 4.
5K - 17:08! (5:28 34 32)
9:30 am, 50 degrees, 85%, calm. Haddonfield. Nike Pegasus 28.
3m easy cool down
Perfect day for racing. Body felt about 98% when I woke up, warmed up nice and slowly, tempo segment felt strong and relaxed. Everything pre-race went according to plan.
I decided to race with no Garmin today, and I am glad I did. Running "by feel" felt so much better and took the stress off of looking at my watch and just competing today. Fell into a decent rhythm and went through the mile right on the pace I planned. The second mile was kind of an uneven pace due to the big downhill, followed by several sharp turns, followed by the long incline that ended at the second mile marker. I kept my position the second mile and focused on staying relaxed. The last 1.1m is kind of a blur - again a few sharp turns before the long straightaway. The last 1K was long and, while I held position, I didn't quite have the mental reserve to make up the gap on the runner's in front of me, including Tom. Didn't quite "go to the well," but I am very happy with the result. Amazing even pace for no Garmin, and a nice surprise after how crummy this week went.
Some right groin soreness on the cool down, but it didn't matter. I was on cloud nine from the race!
Sunday, March 18th:
9:30 am, 48-52 degrees, 80%, calm. Moorestown. Nike Structure Triax 15 Shield.
11m+ easy
After yesterday's hard race, I anticipated the worst kind of heel soreness and groin tightness in the world when I woke up this morning. Imagine my surprise when I woke up feeling fresh, with almost no signs of yesterday's race. A little fatigued, but otherwise felt very solid on today's run. A great way to cap the week.
Weekly Total: about 42 miles
The way the week was unfolding, I really didn't think there was much of a chance I would race well on Saturday, which in a way makes my performance all the more satisfying. Will try to get some more miles in next week and then put out a hard, but not race, effort at Caesar Rodney Half Marathon next Sunday. Then the focus will shift entirely to Broad Street. Seven weeks to go!
Day off. Left heel killing me. Body feels destroyed. And it's Monday. Bleh.
Tuesday, March 13th:
Day off. See Monday, March 12th. Except it's now Tuesday.
Wednesday, March 14th:
4:45 am, 53 degree, 90%, 0-5mph. Garden State - Ellis Circle - Garden State. Nike Pegasus 28.
8m easy
The couple days off definitely did my body good. Don't feel quite 100%, but I feel my legs coming back under me and the body aches/heel pain are starting to dissipate. Had some right quad/groin tightness pop up out of nowhere from 6-6.5m miles, but then it disappeared after backing off the pace a little. Just hoping to get my act together before Saturday's race.
Thursday, March 15th:
4:45 am, 46 degrees, 65%, 0-5mph. Maple Shade Loop (L). Nike Dual Fusion ST 2.
7m easy, including 4x strides at end
Another so-so run. Had heel pain the first 1.5m or so, slowly dissipated but I still don't quite feel 100% yet. Body feels like its in a funk. Good news is the last mile or so felt great, and the striders felt surprisingly good. Just continuing to run easy and hope I work through this feeling of bleh.
Friday, March 16th:
5:30 am, 47 degrees, 95%, calm. Wagon Lane - back. Nike Structure Triax 15 Shield.
6m easy, including 4x strides at end
Much, much better. Had cup of coffee about 40 minutes prior to the run, and also applied some Ben Gay on my heel before the run. Very slight heel soreness the first mile, much improved from there. Practiced mantras and focused on forms and breathing in preparation for tomorrow's race. Very smooth from 4 miles in. Strides afterward felt strong and relaxed. Feel much more prepared to "just race" tomorrow and see what the results bring, rather than focus on splits/time/etc.
Saturday, March 17th:
Happy St. Patrick's Day!
8:15 am, 46 degrees, 85%, calm. Haddonfield. Nike Pegasus 28.
2m warm up, 1/2mT (5:58 pace), 4x strides
9:00 am, 50 degrees, 85%, calm. Haddonfield. Adidas Adizero Tempo 4.
5K - 17:08! (5:28 34 32)
9:30 am, 50 degrees, 85%, calm. Haddonfield. Nike Pegasus 28.
3m easy cool down
Perfect day for racing. Body felt about 98% when I woke up, warmed up nice and slowly, tempo segment felt strong and relaxed. Everything pre-race went according to plan.
I decided to race with no Garmin today, and I am glad I did. Running "by feel" felt so much better and took the stress off of looking at my watch and just competing today. Fell into a decent rhythm and went through the mile right on the pace I planned. The second mile was kind of an uneven pace due to the big downhill, followed by several sharp turns, followed by the long incline that ended at the second mile marker. I kept my position the second mile and focused on staying relaxed. The last 1.1m is kind of a blur - again a few sharp turns before the long straightaway. The last 1K was long and, while I held position, I didn't quite have the mental reserve to make up the gap on the runner's in front of me, including Tom. Didn't quite "go to the well," but I am very happy with the result. Amazing even pace for no Garmin, and a nice surprise after how crummy this week went.
Some right groin soreness on the cool down, but it didn't matter. I was on cloud nine from the race!
Sunday, March 18th:
9:30 am, 48-52 degrees, 80%, calm. Moorestown. Nike Structure Triax 15 Shield.
11m+ easy
After yesterday's hard race, I anticipated the worst kind of heel soreness and groin tightness in the world when I woke up this morning. Imagine my surprise when I woke up feeling fresh, with almost no signs of yesterday's race. A little fatigued, but otherwise felt very solid on today's run. A great way to cap the week.
Weekly Total: about 42 miles
The way the week was unfolding, I really didn't think there was much of a chance I would race well on Saturday, which in a way makes my performance all the more satisfying. Will try to get some more miles in next week and then put out a hard, but not race, effort at Caesar Rodney Half Marathon next Sunday. Then the focus will shift entirely to Broad Street. Seven weeks to go!
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Broad Street Training, Week 8
Monday, March 5th:
1:45 pm, 42 degrees, 40%, 5-15mph. Post Office-Vet's Office-Mechanic. Nike Structure Triax 15 Shield.
6m recovery
"Ran" my errands for the day. Groin very tight first couple of miles, loosened up toward end of the run.
Tuesday, March 6th:
5:30 am, 28 degrees, 40%, 0-5mph. Moorestown. Nike Dual Fusion ST 2.
10m easy
Groin tight again for the first 1/2m or so, but loosened up from there. Felt strong through 8 miles, kind of tired out the last two. Thankfully had JP, TE, CT, and RW to keep me company in the cold temps.
Wednesday, March 7th:
5:45 am, 32 degrees, 80%, calm. Moorestown High School. Nike Pegasus 28/Adidas Adizero Tempo 4.
2m+ warm up, 3x1600 w/600 jogs (5:28 26 23), 2m cool down
Had to work on the first rep, not quite as erratic on second rep, opened up last 400m of third rep (78s). Great mental strength. Focused on form and mantras ("Fast, not hard" "Go get 'em" "Not today"). Right hip flexor still a little tight, but obviously didn't affect the workout. I am of the mindset now that I am a true racer, not just a runner.
2:05 pm, 62 degrees, 30%, 10-15mph. Neighborhood. Nike Structure Triax 15 Shield.
4m rejuvenation pace (~9:00-10:00/mi)
Very, very slow jaunt around the neighborhood. Right groin/hip flexor extremely tight from this morning - not a lot of push off. Left heel was bothersome at times also, although I did get some good stretching in afterward. Focused on a short, quick stride and staying relaxed. Actually felt good to go so slow this afternoon.
Thursday, March 8th:
5:30 am, 54 degrees, 70%, 15-30mph. Moorestown. Nike Run Avant.
9m easy (First two miles 8:58/:28, second seven miles 7:20-:30 range)
Left heel very tight/sore when I woke up. Massaged it before I ran and took the first two miles very slow. Groin was also a little tender the first 1/2 mile. Joined Tom for the second 7 miles of the run - heel soreness subsided and fell into a decent rhythm. Finished feeling fairly strong.
6:30 pm, 67 degrees, 50%, 10-25mph. Moorestown. Saucony Guide 5 (test run only).
5m easy
Hadn't planned on doubling today but I wanted to test drive these new shoes that Saucony had at the store tonight so I went. Shoes were nice, stable but lightweight. Didn't help that I was run-down from the week and feeling the effects, so I probably couldn't fully appreciate the fit of the shoe. We'll see if I make it through the rest of the week's planned schedule (10 easy Friday, 11-12 w/workout Saturday, 11 easy Sunday). Counting down to my next planned day off (Monday)!
Friday, March 9th:
Day off. Body was just so worn down, I didn't really have much of a choice. Felt good to get some extra sleep in the AM.
Saturday, March 10th:
5:45 am, 32 degrees, 30%, 10-15mph. Moorestown Wilderness Trail. New Balance 890/Adidas Adizero Tempo 4.
13 miles total
3m warm up, 10x1000 (approximation, trails) w/1:00 jogs, 2.5m cool down.
Goal pace: 6:05-10/mi
Actual split paces: (6:05 05 05 04 08 07 02 00 02 5:51)
Body felt much better than yesterday, but my right groin/hip flexor still felt tight on some of the reps, and I definitely noticed some twinges on the cool down. Settled into a decent rhythm after the first couple of reps - fatigue starting setting in around the seventh one, but I stuck to my mantras, stayed relaxed, and maintained good form and push off. I ran the last one totally based on feel and pushed the pace, but it wasn't quite all out. Very high quality workout after last week's race, this week's tough mile interval workout, and the accumulation of a lot of miles. More impressed that I did it solo, early in the AM, and into a nice breeze at times. Mentally, just can't get much stronger than I am now. I may ditch next week's mid-week workout so that I am fresh for the Adrenaline 5K next Saturday. I owe it to myself to see what kind of 5K performance I can put out right now, even though that's not the primary distance for which I have been training.
Sunday, March 11th:
8:00 am, 34-42 degrees, 50%, 0-5mph.
11m easy (~7:30 pace per Tom's Garmin)
Still feeling a little run-down but I worked it out during the run. Strong at some points, weaker at others. Definitely feeling the effects of the last 10-12 days. Previewed the Adrenaline 5K course during part of the run - good mental mapping. Thankfully, had TE, JD, MR, and RC to keep me company today.
Weekly Total: 66 miles
No two ways about it - I am run-down from a hard 10-12 days of running. Three monster workouts, a hard first 10K of the season and some extra miles - definitely feeling fatigued. Going to take it really easy this coming week in hopes of putting out a good 5K time on Saturday.
1:45 pm, 42 degrees, 40%, 5-15mph. Post Office-Vet's Office-Mechanic. Nike Structure Triax 15 Shield.
6m recovery
"Ran" my errands for the day. Groin very tight first couple of miles, loosened up toward end of the run.
Tuesday, March 6th:
5:30 am, 28 degrees, 40%, 0-5mph. Moorestown. Nike Dual Fusion ST 2.
10m easy
Groin tight again for the first 1/2m or so, but loosened up from there. Felt strong through 8 miles, kind of tired out the last two. Thankfully had JP, TE, CT, and RW to keep me company in the cold temps.
Wednesday, March 7th:
5:45 am, 32 degrees, 80%, calm. Moorestown High School. Nike Pegasus 28/Adidas Adizero Tempo 4.
2m+ warm up, 3x1600 w/600 jogs (5:28 26 23), 2m cool down
Had to work on the first rep, not quite as erratic on second rep, opened up last 400m of third rep (78s). Great mental strength. Focused on form and mantras ("Fast, not hard" "Go get 'em" "Not today"). Right hip flexor still a little tight, but obviously didn't affect the workout. I am of the mindset now that I am a true racer, not just a runner.
2:05 pm, 62 degrees, 30%, 10-15mph. Neighborhood. Nike Structure Triax 15 Shield.
4m rejuvenation pace (~9:00-10:00/mi)
Very, very slow jaunt around the neighborhood. Right groin/hip flexor extremely tight from this morning - not a lot of push off. Left heel was bothersome at times also, although I did get some good stretching in afterward. Focused on a short, quick stride and staying relaxed. Actually felt good to go so slow this afternoon.
Thursday, March 8th:
5:30 am, 54 degrees, 70%, 15-30mph. Moorestown. Nike Run Avant.
9m easy (First two miles 8:58/:28, second seven miles 7:20-:30 range)
Left heel very tight/sore when I woke up. Massaged it before I ran and took the first two miles very slow. Groin was also a little tender the first 1/2 mile. Joined Tom for the second 7 miles of the run - heel soreness subsided and fell into a decent rhythm. Finished feeling fairly strong.
6:30 pm, 67 degrees, 50%, 10-25mph. Moorestown. Saucony Guide 5 (test run only).
5m easy
Hadn't planned on doubling today but I wanted to test drive these new shoes that Saucony had at the store tonight so I went. Shoes were nice, stable but lightweight. Didn't help that I was run-down from the week and feeling the effects, so I probably couldn't fully appreciate the fit of the shoe. We'll see if I make it through the rest of the week's planned schedule (10 easy Friday, 11-12 w/workout Saturday, 11 easy Sunday). Counting down to my next planned day off (Monday)!
Friday, March 9th:
Day off. Body was just so worn down, I didn't really have much of a choice. Felt good to get some extra sleep in the AM.
Saturday, March 10th:
5:45 am, 32 degrees, 30%, 10-15mph. Moorestown Wilderness Trail. New Balance 890/Adidas Adizero Tempo 4.
13 miles total
3m warm up, 10x1000 (approximation, trails) w/1:00 jogs, 2.5m cool down.
Goal pace: 6:05-10/mi
Actual split paces: (6:05 05 05 04 08 07 02 00 02 5:51)
Body felt much better than yesterday, but my right groin/hip flexor still felt tight on some of the reps, and I definitely noticed some twinges on the cool down. Settled into a decent rhythm after the first couple of reps - fatigue starting setting in around the seventh one, but I stuck to my mantras, stayed relaxed, and maintained good form and push off. I ran the last one totally based on feel and pushed the pace, but it wasn't quite all out. Very high quality workout after last week's race, this week's tough mile interval workout, and the accumulation of a lot of miles. More impressed that I did it solo, early in the AM, and into a nice breeze at times. Mentally, just can't get much stronger than I am now. I may ditch next week's mid-week workout so that I am fresh for the Adrenaline 5K next Saturday. I owe it to myself to see what kind of 5K performance I can put out right now, even though that's not the primary distance for which I have been training.
Sunday, March 11th:
8:00 am, 34-42 degrees, 50%, 0-5mph.
11m easy (~7:30 pace per Tom's Garmin)
Still feeling a little run-down but I worked it out during the run. Strong at some points, weaker at others. Definitely feeling the effects of the last 10-12 days. Previewed the Adrenaline 5K course during part of the run - good mental mapping. Thankfully, had TE, JD, MR, and RC to keep me company today.
Weekly Total: 66 miles
No two ways about it - I am run-down from a hard 10-12 days of running. Three monster workouts, a hard first 10K of the season and some extra miles - definitely feeling fatigued. Going to take it really easy this coming week in hopes of putting out a good 5K time on Saturday.
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