Started with 3 easy miles then 5 at LT then 2 easy to cool down. Since the tempo miles took a little extra effort on Saturday I wasn't sure if I would be able to get through this run. Started the tempo run and the pace felt very good. Held steady at 6:38-6:40 throughout the run. Effort felt solid and but never felt like I was pushing too hard. Can't figure out why running less miles at the same pace 2 days ago felt like so much more work.
Had a very busy morning so I had to get up early to get the miles in. Out the door at 4 and just plugged along. The miles seemed to go by quickly. I think it was because I was still asleep. Other than feeling a little heavy, the legs felt good.
My left knee is causing me concern. A little painful to walk down stairs. It bothered me for the first couple of miles but started to feel alright as the run progressed. Legs had an overall feeling of soreness which I think is a good thing at this point. Hopefully it means that I am working an appropriate amount.
Had alot of excuses for not running this morning but I ignored all of them. That is an improvemnet for me. Left knee still achy and legs are sore. The run went really well after the first couple of miles.
Met Kam and Tara on the LPT. We were all about 3.5 miles into the run. We ran at a comfortable pace. Just right for a long run. Kam thought it would be fun to run up to Freedom Hills park and do a couple of laps aournd the park followed up with a run up the switch backs. The run up to the park was bad enough and the run up the switch backs just about killed me. I actually liked the change of pace and the use of different muscles seemed to help endure the long run. Left Kam and Tara after 18 miles and I feared that my pace would plummet again like last time. Focused on keeping it below 8:00/mile. Felt surprisingly good. I knew I was going to be a mile over my planned mileage for the day so I considered walking the last mile home. Felt good enough to run the last mile and still felt really strong when I finished. One of the many marathon predictors out there says that the time it takes to run a 22 mile training run is a good indicator of how fast you can run a marathon. Finished in 2:59 so that is a good sign.
