Philadelphia Marathon Training, Race Week

Monday, November 14th:

5:30 am, 55 degrees, 65%, 5-15mph.  Maple Shade Loop (L).  Nike Run Avant.

7m rejuvenation pace - 8:21 average.

Woke up with a very tight lower back.  Left heel wasn't helping the situation either.  Stumbled for the first mile, never really got moving, just a sluggish/lethargic day.  Did 4x strides after which actually felt pretty good.  I'll pretend this run never happened, and move on to tomorrow.

Tuesday, November 15th:

Day off.  I have developed a lovely chest cough and post nasal drip over the last two days.  Mildly run down.  I don't think allergies are helping, either.  Not the way you want your race week to develop.  Taking the day off to recover.

Wednesday, November 16th:

5:15 am, 55 degrees, 95%, 0-5mph.  Maple Shade Loop (M).  New Balance 890.

1.5m warm up, 3MP (6:41 41 39), 1.5m cool down.

Incredibly humid this morning from the overnight rain.  The roads were also a little slick from the leaves and moisture.  Still feel a little run down but certainly not as bad as Monday.  The pace miles felt comfortable, just some residual chest soreness from the coughing lately.  Despite the illness, I still feel pretty comfortable with the 3 hour time goal.  Now it's just rest up and take it easy from here to the race.

Thursday, November 17th:

5:20 am, 50 degrees, 60%, 10-25mph.  Cherry Hill West Roads.  Nike Pegasus 27+ (Red).

5m easy (BOF) - 7:37 average.  4x strides after.

Seem to be on the tail end of my cold/allergies.  Despite some post nasal drip here and there, I felt really strong today from the first step and was relaxed the entire run.  Strides were smooth and controlled.  I am oddly at peace with myself right now and don't feel like I am a few days away from another marathon.  Maybe it's the ilness this week, maybe because I have been disappointed the last few marathons, maybe because it's my second chance this cycle...but whatever, my dialed-back expectations are keeping the nerves in reserve.  And I like it that way.

Friday, November 18th:

5:55 am, 36 degrees, 50%, 5-10mph.  Neighborhood.  Nike Run Avant.

3m easy (BOF) - 7:44 average.  4x strides.

Today was the day it all fell into place.  Smooth as silk.  Positive mental imagery.  At peace with myself as a runner.

Saturday, November 19th:

6:45 am, 32 degrees, 80%, calm.  Neighborhood.  New Balance 890.

4m easy (BOF) - 7:42 average.

Practiced everything race day.  Banana, bagel, coffee 1h 45m before the run.  Carried hydration belt and took 3-4 oz of water at the 5k mark.  Fell into rhythm and slowly increased the pace.  Positive imagery the whole way.  Can't pinpoint it exactly but there is something very different about the mood/atmosphere on marathon eve this time.  It's like I ALREADY have run the race and I already KNOW tomorrow will be something special.