Monday, September 15th:
Rest. Giving my ankle/achilles/soleus some needed recovery time this week. I am not worried about it long-term, just want to feel good for the race on Sunday.
Tuesday, September 16th:
8:00pm, 68 degrees, 53%, 0-5mph. Neighborhood. Asics Kayano 19.
3.5mi (28:38) (8:11/mi)
Easy test jog around the neighborhood. It feels like most of the kinks in my leg are out. Did some really good stretching afterward. If all feels well tomorrow, I might try some faster stuff.
Wednesday, September 17th:
6:40pm, 68 degrees, 58%, 0-5mph. Home-CHW Track-Home. Adidas Adios Boost.
9mi total, including 6x800m (2:44/avg) w/400m recovery jogs (~2:15/avg)
Splits: 2:47 47 46 45 44 35
I am pretty sure I discovered the source of my ankle/soleus/achilles issues the last few days - a very tight piriformis and gluteus muscles. I did a lot of rolling focusing on those areas both last night and before the run this evening - man, was it painful at times but it gave me instant relief. I didn't have any great expectations when I got to the track, but I knew right away I was in for a good session. After settling in the first two reps, I had total control and rhythm of the workout; I could pretty much tell all of my 200m splits within each rep just by feel alone. I was feeling really great after the 5th rep so I decided to just run the last one as fast as I could while still controlled - I ran an even effort, hard first lap and then kept hitting another gear every 100m on the second lap until I was in full stride the final 100m. I can't say that I was completely all-out, but I don't think I could have run it more than 2-3 seconds faster than I did. I was expecting maybe a 2:38-:39, so the 2:35 kind of took me by surprise. All those interval speed sessions the last 6-7 weeks are finally paying off.
From here, it's all easy running until Sunday. I will continue to roll and stretch in the hopes that I can start the race feeling 100% healthy instead of 90% healthy. I am interested to see what marathon pace effort feels like right now for 13.1mi. I am feeling rejuvenated after tonight's effort.
Thursday, September 18th:
5:55pm, 73 degrees, 52%, 5-10mph. Maple Shade Loop (M). Asics Kayano 19.
6mi (47:40) (7:57/mi)
Felt like I was walking tonight, it was so, so easy. Had the feeling of 9:00/mi pace. Again, I think the extra recovery this week and all the hard work the last couple weeks are finally sinking in. Combined with the more comfortable running conditions, I am suddenly feeling pretty good again.
Friday, September 19th:
8:20am, 58 degrees, 69%, 5-15mph. Hialeah-Valley Run-Kilmer-CH Blvd. Nike Pegasus 29 USATF.
9mi (1:10:36) (7:51/mi)
Another day where I was smooth as silk. Despite getting over the left leg soreness, I feel ultra light on my feet right now with a lot of spring in my step. Hope to ride this feeling as long as I can.
Saturday, September 20th:
6:20am, 54 degrees, 90%, 0-5mph. 3x Neighborhood Loop. Mizuno Wave Rider 17.
6.5mi (51:51) (7:59/mi). Strides.
Easy, relaxed run on another beautiful, crisp September morning. Unfortunately the temperatures are forecasted to spike some tomorrow (70F, 90% for the race), but I am ready to put out a strong, marathon pace effort and see where that gets me right now. I'll just make sure to ease into the pace the first few miles to offset the temperature increase.
Sunday, September 21st:
8:00am, 70 degrees, 90%, 0-5mph. Philly Half Marathon Course. Adidas Glide 6 Boost.
16mi total, including marathon simulator (1:23:35) (6:23/avg), including last 5k@6:13/avg
Soupy conditions this morning, but I was still able to get a good practice run at marathon pace. Woke up at 4:00am, got coffee, banana, and clifbar in me right away. Waited about an hour and ate two pieces of toast with peanut butter and started drinking my 32oz of Gatorade for the morning. Did a very light 15:00 jog before the race at a snail's pace, as I wanted to warm my muscles but not overheat. Took my first Gu about 15 minutes before the gun and got in 2-3 very light strides at roughly marathon pace.
When the gun went off, I settled in right away at a comfortable pace and went through the mile in 6:39. For the next two miles it was impossible to check splits because the Garmin was way off due to the tall city buildings. I did finally get a time at 3mi, and my rough math says I probably ran mile 2 ~6:30 and mile 3 ~6:21. From there the splits were much more accurate, and I kept every mile between miles 4-10 somewhere in the 6:19-:27 range. I didn't feel really comfortable until about mile 7, which I think was mostly due to the weather and having to constantly dump water on my head to keep cool. But twice I found some runners to draft off for about 3/4mi stretches, which really helped me settle down and conserve energy.
Coming off the downhill after Fall's Bridge, I carried a lot of momentum with me so that when I got to the 10 mile mark it was rather easy to pickup the pace to 6:05-:15/mi range. It turns out another racer was implementing the same fast finish strategy with a similar goal time, so we worked off each other and talked pretty comfortably that last 5K, even as we ramped up the pace. It was a great way to finish the run, leaving me feel strong with lots of running in me.
I am glad I decided to go with the simulator today, especially in light of the tough conditions. I now know that it's okay to ease into the pace the first few miles, not worry about settling in until about mile 7-8, and that I get stronger as the race goes on and the pace ramps up. I also know how important it is to conserve energy by using other runner's when I can. A lot of great lessons today with a great result.
Weekly Total: 50 miles
I hadn't initially planned on taking it so easy this week, but I am glad that I did. I think I got an accurate idea of what better to expect 9 weeks from now and a good gauge of where I am at right now. More importantly, I know how critical it is to not overdo workouts from here on out and to get to the starting line healthy. If I get better conditions on race day and feel as good as I did today, I feel pretty confident about the sub-2:50:00 goal.
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