Fall 2013 Base Training, Week 8

Monday, November 11th:

5:10am, 45 degrees, 47%, 0-5mph.  Hialeah-Kilmer(R).  Adidas Supernova Glide 5.

7mi easy - (7:50)

Had a little bit of left calf tightness but I stretched it well afterward.  Pretty smooth the entire way for an early Monday morning run.

Tuesday, November 12th:

6:35pm, 37 degrees, 43%, 10-15mph.  Maple Shade Loop (L).  Adidas Adizero Boston 3.

7mi easy - (7:48)

Very steady running, despite the cold wind/temps tonight.  Felt loose and strong.

Wednesday, November 13th:

6:55pm, 36 degrees, 49%, 5-10mph.  Home-CHW Loop x2-Home.  Saucony Cortana 3.

8mi total - 2mi warmup, 5x "5 Gears" - 5 sets of 1:00/each at (7:30/7:00/6:30/6:00/5:30) - 25:00 continuous run at 6:21/mi average, 2mi cooldown

Paces per set:
7:21/6:35/6:28/5:53/5:31
7:26/7:00/6:14/6:00/5:32
7:28/6:48/6:26/5:59/5:30
7:28/6:50/6:27/5:59/5:29
7:26/6:51/6:30/5:56/5:30

A very fun and challenging workout, especially on the roads.  I kept wanting to go from Gear 1 (7:30/mi) straight to Gear 3 (6:30/mi), so I would catch myself having to slow down during each Gear 2 (7:00/mi).  Gear 5 (5:30/mi) was fast and fun, but it was nice knowing there was some recovery afterward.  Continually switching gears definitely makes you stay focused and the workout seem to fly by - a much more fun way to run 6:21/mi pace for 4 miles than a straight tempo run.

Thursday, November 14th:

5:55pm, 49 degrees, 27%, 5-10mph.  Hialeah-Kilmer(R).  Adidas Supernova Glide 5.

7mi recovery - (8:11)

Very relaxing recovery run.  Weather was much more comfortable than the last couple nights.

Friday, November 15th:

4:50am, 33 degrees, 77%, calm.  Moorestown and back.  Adidas Adizero Boston 3.

10mi easy - (7:48)

Nice, crisp breathable air this morning.  Eased into the first two miles, than stayed pretty steady around 7:40 pace.  Started practicing taking Gatorade (3mi/7mi) and Gu (5mi) during runs again to get into the habit of fueling, especially since I will be getting a lot of practice at that on Sunday pacing friends in the Philly marathon.

Saturday, November 16th:

5:40am, 44 degrees, 90%, calm, light rain.  Hialeah loop - Neighborhood.  Adidas Adizero Tempo 4.

6mi easy - (7:56): w/4x:20 fast strides after

Eased into the pace again (8:36 first mile) and by 3 miles I was just rolling along the Hialeah hills.  The fast strides afterward felt SO relaxed/smooth/controlled.  I felt really fast and sharp today for the first time in awhile.

Sunday, November 17th:

7:00am, 52-59 degrees, 88%-75%, 0-10mph.  Philly Marathon Course.  Adidas Adizero Tempo 4.

22mi total - 11mi @ 7:10/mi, ~10:00 break, 6mi @ 8:00/mi, ~10:00-15:00 break, 5mi @ 7:10/mi

Paced Steve, then Erin/Michelle/Annette, then Jamie for part of the Philly Marathon.  Great weather day, and had lots of fun joining in the camaraderie.  Little sore afterward, but well worth the fun.  Longest run since Gettysburg in April.  We'll see how I feel when I wake up tomorrow morning. :)

Weekly Total: 67 miles

I really liked the "5 Gear" workout on Wednesday, and today's pacing run was a blast.  It reminded why I love the marathon so much, and why I hope to run another one this spring.