AM: There are two workouts that I really like for gauging my readiness for a marathon. One is the 10xmi the other is the 3x5K. This morning I did the latter. Three nights in a row of reduced sleep didn't help and in anticipation of the workout I woke up twice. During my warm-up mile at 5:15am I was even thinking about bagging the workout. The first 5K is my Adam 5K v2 that is super aided. Then I had a little over a mile recovery to my Adam 5K v3. This was my first time doing this course and it has 1/3rd the elevation changes. So still a little aided but definitely more honest. There is then a little over 2mi recovery then a repeat of TTv3 followed by a 3ish mi cool down. The first repeat went fine but I felt like I was pushing MUCH harder than what the Garmin was telling me. I would like to point out that miles 1 and 2 are less than .1 seconds different. Final time FIRST 5K 17:33, (course tool flat equivalent; ~18:21). Overall I was happy with that, and it was right in the mix to what i had done last month as a solo 5K effort. Then came the convincing myself to do another. I have to admit I like this workout for the mental struggle as much as the physical. The whole way up to the start I was ok, I'll do this one but back the final one. The first half mile I felt like I was crawling. By the one mile mark I finally felt like I was in a groove. I passed by a large group of runners waiting to start their run, it was almost 6am. One of them pulled in and "almost" took me out with their car. At least the others cheered me on and it fueled me to push a little harder. Note that the first 2 mi are just under 1 second different in pace. Final time SECOND 5K 18:16, (course tool flat equivalent; ~18:34). Overall I am happy with the profile of this course with the last mile giving you just a little more help to finish strong. So the final "recovery" my gut was starting to turn. I was like ok I had two good efforts maybe just stop. But I got past the mi on the way back to the start and told myself this is where the mental strength comes in and the character building for the marathon and I have to see this through. So I started the 3rd 5K and actually felt better than the start on either of the other two. Maybe it was calling myself out on the marathon prep. Maybe it was knowing it was the last one. However all splits were faster than the previous 5K on the exact same course. In the future I think I will do all three repeats on this course or end with the v2 super aided... Note AGAIN that the first two miles are just under 0.1 second different in pace. Final time THIRD 5K 18:11, (course tool flat equivalent; ~18:27). Very happy with the negative split. The three mile cool down was rough but good.
I glanced at the splits as I was running but they really didn't register. I did not see how consistent I was on the first two miles each time until just now. I am VERY sore but the good kind of muscle sore and even though I did not hit my target pace. I was hoping for under 5:45 for each as they are all aided, this is a spectacular workout for me. What I didn't realize is that the average of the 9 mi was 5:47, so not that far off. We'll see if I can walk tomorrow. Below is all the fun. The three boxes are to represent the 5Ks...  
PM: After a little recovery hanging around the house we headed up to Park City as a family. We did the lift ride to the top of the mountain and a little hiking. After some Blue Iguana and a stop at High West to pick up some adult beverages did a shake out run. This is something I have not had need to do for awhile. I agree it can be a life saver after a tough workout. But until today I haven't really met that threshold. I did a post-dinner flat home loop. The sun was an amazing red during the sunset. The first mile my right knee was being very bad. Tight, sore, and not wanting to bend. But by the second mile it had finally let go. My left calf was also pretty tight but over all things loosened up by the end of the run and I was not too bad off from the effort this morning. 3.5 Mi 8:52 Avg.
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