Marathon Training

Did a track workout with the Trigators.  7:56/mi for the first 2.25 mi

1/2 mi straights and turns

6 x 800m ( 400 hard, 100 easy, 100 sprint, 200 easy) 1 min rest in between

400's ( 90 sec, 90, 90, 90, 89, 86) didn't keep track of the rest but the 100's were all out

3 mi on my own at close to marathon race pace 8:23/mi

I felt good today and the weather was nice around 70.  It did get very dark though in some places I couldn't see anything running around campus.  It doesn't help that I just finished reading the James Patterson book Kiss the Girls about two serial killers capturing women about my age on college campuses. 

Biked for 45 min on my trainer.  Nice easy pace.  Triathlon season is over until March but I'm planning on doing two in March and a 1/2 Iron distance the first week in June and a full Iron distance in October so I still need to keep up the easy biking.  Swimming on the other hand is over with until next semester starts since I won't have access to a pool over winter break.

Did an easy 1 mi warm up on the track.

Joined the Trigators and did a 5 mi campus loop at 7:55/mi pace.  This is about 15-20s per mile faster than at the beginning of the semester and I felt much better too.  It actually felt kind of easy.  The nice weather helps too its at least 15 degrees cooler. 

I'm feeling pretty good about the Thanksgiving day 5k.  My brother is getting faster and has challenged me in the race although he has never beat me in a race of any kind.  He tried in this same race 2 years ago and failed.  I psyched him out by running behind him for the first mile and he went out too fast.  He is 18 months older than me and we are competitive at everything.  My boyfriend is also challenging me in the race although I expect him to beat me.  He ran a 19 something in a 5k a year ago, but he's put on 20 lbs since then too...so maybe not. 

Easy 3.  My legs were a bit stiff and I was tired from working on papers all day and sitting in front of my computer.  It was good to get out side even for a little while.

Ran 8 mi at a little under my marathon race pace 8:17/mi.  It started getting hot toward the end when there was no shade.  I was doing a loop and was not exactly sure of the distance, so I did a couple of laps around a track in the middle of my run.  The distance was pretty close, I would have only been about a 1/4mi off with out the detour.  It was nice to have that extra distance for a cool down though.

The weather was perfect.  I started running about a 1/2 hr before sunrise, so it wasn't pitch black and people were getting set up for tailgating on campus.  We have a noon game today.  I did an out and back from my condo to a trail and the course is fairly flat with a few little hills.  I needed to use the bathroom about mile 4 and there wasn't one until mile 6.5, so those miles were kind of fast, I picked up the pace a little.  After I made it to the bathroom the run went well, I felt really good on the way back.  The campus was starting to fill up with tailgaters and I'm about to join them.

My pace was a 9:21/mi which is right where I wanted to be, about a minute slower per mile than my marathon goal pace.

This was a great start to my day.