THOU SHALT BE A COMEBACK

8:10 average pace on the rolling dirt hills.  I skipped the laces over the sore spot on the top of my foot and it worked great, I ran with no foot pain.  This confirms for me that the problem is extensor tendonitis and not the dreaded metatarsal stress fracture.  Right IT band was a little buggy on downhill portions but aside from that was okay. According to my schedule I only run 52 miles this week(cutback week) which is fine, considering I am fighting off these little injuries.  Hopefully they continue to improve.

7:37 average pace.  3x2 at marathon pace with .5 brisk recovery.  I really like this workout--am probably running it faster than my actual marathon pace but at least this will make my marathon pace seem all the more doable for 26.2 miles.  This workout makes me feel confident but doesn't destroy me or push me into the uncomfortable zone, but it still gets the legs and lungs going.

 2 mile warm up 8:49, 8:35

2 at MP 7:08, 7:09

.5 in 4:00(8:00 pace)

2 at MP 7:12, 7:06

.5 in 3:55(7:50 pace)

2 at MP 7:09, 7:05

1 mile cool down in 7:55

Foot is doing great today, skipping the laces over the hot spot makes all the difference, and some of the redness is starting to dissipate.  Right IT band whined a little at the slower paces, but I don't feel it at marathon pace--it seems to like the faster speeds better.  I think the IT band strengthening exercises are helping.

8:46 average pace.  Nice and easy.  One circuit of strength drills afterward.  Foot is doing great.  Right It band is still a little buggy on hills, but I am working on it.

8:51 average pace.  Mostly very easy but between miles 6 and 7 I felt the need for speed so I did 6 VO2 max strides with almost full recovery between.  My ITB was buggy on the easy jogging but feels great during fast running.  I found a flat stretch of road and ran my strides there--was pleased that I still have some zip in my legs, sometimes I feel so slow.  

1.  322 feet 21.05 seconds(5:45, max 5:36) 45 second jog

2.  316 feet 19.92 seconds(5:33, max 5:15) 43 second jog

3.  302 feet 19.23 seconds(5:36, max 5:08) 58 second jog

4.  337 feet 19.48 seconds(5:05, max 4:20) 68 second jog

5.  316 feet 19.28 seconds(5:22, max 5:00) 60 second jog

6.  322 feet 18.37 seconds(5:02, max 4:47)

I am on the fence about tomorrow's workout.  My schedule says a 1/2 marathon or 15k race, which there isn't one around, and I don't think I can do a solo time trial of that length and hit anywhere near race pace, plus this is really supposed to be a cutback week.  I am tossing around several options.  I could try out the one minute on, one minute off speed workout, or I could do a marathon pace tempo of 6-10 miles(plus a warm up and cool down, of course), or I could just run easy and call it good.  I thought about going to the track and doing a one mile time trial but the snow and wind is supposed to be coming tonight so I would be setting myself up for a lousy performance.  Maybe I should just do a long, slow run.  Any suggestions?

Julie's idea about a big workout got me thinking, so I decided to do both tempo and one minute intervals in the: 

Junior Big Workout

2 mile warm up 8:56, 8:26

4 mile tempo at MP 7:12, 7:15, 7:14, 7:05

.95 mile recovery at 8:32 pace

10 repeats of one minute on, one minute off--tried to do 5k pace when I was "on", paces per Garmin were 6:27, 8:06, 6:31, 8:05, 6:14, 8:12, 6:28, 8:20, 6:03, 8:41, 6:36, 8:50, 6:14, 8:58, 6:25, 8:50, 6:15, 9:15, 6:05, 8:46

one mile recovery 8:49

now let's see how MP feels, 2 mile MP tempo 7:07, 7:11 and DONE.

7:40 average pace.  Pretty tough workout but it goes quick and I feel great now!  I was definitely feeling more fatigued in the second tempo but feel like I could have kept going at that pace.  Foot was fine, ITB buggy only when I am going slower than MP, at MP and faster it is fine--weird?  Had whole wheat blueberry pecan pancakes and emergen-C two hours before, did not fuel during the run.  Gatorade after and a post-run recovery meal of a homemade hamburger on wheat toast with mozzerella cheese and some grapes.  Yum!

8:39 average pace.  Legs aren't sore from yesterday, so that's good.  I'm getting a sports massage today to see if it will help with my stinking ITB.   I've never had one--heard they were wonderfully terrible, but I will soon find out!