Base Training, Week 7

Monday, October 29th:

Off - Hurricane Sandy!

Tuesday, October 30th:

8:00 am, 47 degrees, 90%, 10-15mph.  Neighborhood-Merchantville-Neighborhood.  Brooks Ravenna 3.

12k easy - BOF 4:54 (5:19, 5:04-4:44, 4:20)
~7.5mi - 7:53 average

Surprisingly nice conditions this morning in light of last night's unbelievable winds/rain from the hurricane.  There was heavy debris on the roads, but no real major tree/building/house damage that I came across.  Kept a pretty steady, easy pace for the majority of the run, and then picked it up a notch with 2km to go and then again with 1km to go - finished very strong.

Wednesday, October 31st:

6:00 pm, 47 degrees, 60%, 10mph.  Merchantville Loop.  Brooks Ravenna 3.

8k easy - BOF 5:00 (5:14, 5:04-4:55, 4:42) 4x 75m fast strides
~5 mi easy - 8:02 average

The Halloween that wasn't.  Glad I was able to get out for a run, but it just didn't feel right tonight.  Would have preferred to see my girls out having fun instead.  Oh well.  The run was okay, but the fast strides after felt awesome.  Starting to get another gear when I want it.

Thursday, November 1st:

4:10 pm, 50 degrees, 60%, 10-20mph.  Kilmer Loop + Triangle.  Brooks Ravenna 3.

10k easy - BOF 4:44 (4:55, 4:46-36, 4:42)
~6.2 mi easy - 7:37 average

Overcast and gusty day.  Definitely felt the wind more on the way back.  Left shin was a little bothersome at times - I think it may be due to bruise on that leg and not necessarily running related.  Will monitor.  Otherwise, pretty solid effort.

Friday, November 2nd:

4:10 pm, 50 degrees, 60%, 15-25mph.  Merchantville Loop.  Nike Structure Triax 15 Shield.

8k recovery - 5:11 (5:13, 5:17-:05, 5:14)
~5 mi recovery - 8:20 average

A little gustier than yesterday, but felt so wonderful running at a slow pace today.  Sometimes you miss the scenery when you are traveling too fast.  I remembered today why my lower left shin hurts - my wife accidentally (or so she says) slammed a chair into it the other day.  I think she is subconsciously trying to sabotage my regular running schedule.  Just kidding.  :)  Good news is, it's not bothering me as much today, but I will continue to monitor to see if running exacerbates it.

Saturday, November 3rd:

8:10 am, 44 degrees, 60%, 10-20mph.  Maple Shade Loop (M+).  Brooks Ravenna 3.

9k easy - BOF 4:52 (5:15, 4:57-46, 4:41)  5 x 75m strides fast
~5.6 mi easy - 7:50 average

I felt supremely awesome this morning!  Never looked at my watch once, just went out for an easy stroll and had tons left in the tank.  I let loose on the strides at approximately mile race pace.  Best I have felt after a run since resuming training.

Sunday, November 4th:

7:00 am, 37-42 degrees, 70%, calm.  Moorestown.  Brooks Ravenna 3.

16k easy - BOF 4:44 (5:01, 4:55-:37, 4:44)
~10 mi easy - 7:37 average

Great long run with Rich today.  We were casually chatting the entire time but still kept up a deceptively steady pace.  From 8k-12k we were like clockwork: dead-on splits of 4:41/km (7:32/mi).  Great way to cap the week.

Weekly Total: 63km (~39.1 mi)

Outstanding week, in spite of Hurricane Sandy.  Nailed my daily goal for all 6 days of running, and I feel fantastic.  May introduce some fartleking next week.