M'kay

14 miles in 1:44:56, 7:29/mi, HR 149. 

An enjoyable medium-long run on a beautiful sunny day.  Left foot still bugging me a bit....think the laces were too tight on Saturday and it irritated the top a bit.  Otherwise no complaints.

Adrenaline 8 - 79.58 miles.

9 miles in 1:08:42, 7:38/mi, HR 145.  1 mile in 9:40, HR 131 with the dogs.

Warm sunny day, great for running.  Motivation issue from last week gone so it was definitely weather related.  Top of left ankle/foot still a bit stiff but seems to be holding steady/improving slightly.  This feels familiar...believe I used to have this happen after tough long runs but not for a while.  Will continue to monitor but okay for now.  Core exercises after runs.

Asics GT 2120 - 223.68 miles.
 

15.27 miles in 1:51:30, 7:18/mi, HR 160. 30 minute warmup, 3.75 mi, 8:00/mi, HR 151. Fartleks: 3 x 12 minutes on, 3.5 minutes off @ Tempo Interval Effort. 3 x :40 on, :60 off @ Hills. 30 minute cooldown, 4.19 mi, 7:10/mi, HR 154.

Fartlek	Distance (miles)	Pace (min/mi)	HR avg	HR max	Terrain
1	1.81	6:38	173	178	up
2	1.96	6:07	173	176	up/flat/down
3	1.86	6:26	173	176	60/40 up/down
4	.11	6:08	156	168	up
5	.11	6:12	161	169	up
6	.11	5:51	163	170	up

Decided on running a 3x3000m Tempo Interval workout today as a Fartlek workout so I could incorporate some hills into the mix, to better simulate my upcoming marathon course. Also decided to make the last 3x200m intervals (:40 sec intervals) hill repeats once I was good a tired at the end.

Left foot felt good today....some strange sensations during the warmup initially but back to normal after a few minutes. Good weather and I felt good heading out today, which made for a great workout. All three 12 minute repeats were hard but felt good doing them. Probably had about 250' elevation gain over the three repeats but managed to average 6:24/mi, just outside of my Tempo Interval range but inside my Tempo Run range. Legs definitely tired on the last repeat but on all three felt like I hit my stride and had breathing, legs, everything working at a nice steady rate. Last three short intervals were up a moderate incline (~ 8%), so I also got some hill repeats in. All in all a good workout.

Brooks Adrenaline (Yellow) - 455.27 miles.

6.5 miles in 48:34, 7:28/mi, HR 146.

Quick but easy miles today.  Sun gone and replaced by clouds and light rain but at least its too warm for snow.  I've felt pretty fluid the last couple of days...hope that feeling lasts.  My calves have also been feeling worked which is usually the last leg muscle to complain so I got the rolling pin out...much better.  Core exercises afterwards.

Adrenaline 8 - 86.08 miles.

24 miles in 3:01:24, 7:33/mi, HR 153.

Ran 3 out and back 8 mile laps on my road, 4 uphill 4 downhill. Had Powerade available every 2.67 miles (carried out the bottle with me on the first lap and back on the last).

• 1st lap. Felt sluggish and kept things nice and easy: 1:01:16, 7:40/mi, HR 148.
• 2nd lap. Still felt low on energy but settled in: 1:00:52, 7:37/mi, HR 151.
• 3rd lap. Tired and legs sore but pushed the effort a bit more. Took accelerade gel at mi 16 and felt a bit more energy: 59:17, 7:25/mi, HR 159.

This is the first of two 24 milers I plan on running before May 18th. Each lap starts at about 1250' and crests at about 1750', so the total elevation gain/loss here is more than the marathon I'm planning to run. This run felt hard and was a good reminder of what it feels like towards the end of a marathon. I'm pretty sure the lack of energy was due to the pizza feast I had last night in celebration of the return of Battlestar Galactica, Season 4. Yes, I'm a BSG nut and now I must rest.

Asics GT 2120 - 247.68 miles.

6.5 miles in 50:37, 7:47/mi, HR 141.  1 mile in 9:09, HR 123 with the dogs.

Knot in lower left calf, some left ankle stiffness, pain in left shoulderblade....yesterday's 24 miler left its mark.  Almost scratched today but I usually do better with active recovery, so off I went.  First two miles very slow (8:46, 8:22) before finally warming up and settling into a nice easy pace.  Pleasant trot afterwards with the dogs.

Brooks Adrenaline (Yellow) - 462.77 miles.

Unscheduled off day today. Left calf definitely not healthy. Deep in the vertical center of my lower leg there is a stiffness/pain that occurs when I move my leg forward while my foot is planted. Pretty much happens just past the 90 degree point. I could probably run today as it seems to get a bit better on warmup but I'm not going to risk further damage....it didn't get any better after yesterday's easy day and I've got too much riding on the next month or so. I'm hoping that its not really serious and just needs an extra day of rest but have broken out the ice and and rolling pin (poor man's "The Stick") just in case. I'd flirted with the idea of cross-training on my recumbent bike instead but decided one day of complete rest won't kill me...plus, I'm not sure if the bike would make it worse. I hope to be back on schedule tomorrow but there's a very real possibility I'll be punting on my Yasso 800s workout.

*******

Boy, I can be a real idiot. I'm glad I married someone clearly smarter than I am to remind me of that fact (politely, of course) periodically.

I bought a pair of Vibram Five Fingers and got them on Friday evening. I've read (and they even warn you) that you should gradually introduce yourself to them so you can build up any missing leg strength. I've also read that folks tend to get sore calves for a couple of weeks. So Mr. Smart Guy (me) decides to wear them after his long run on Saturday. Not that I did anything crazy, but I did putter around the house for a bit *and* drove out to the barn and walked around out there for about an hour or so. All this, of course, completely escaped my attention in trying to figure out what I'd done to deserve my sore left calf. It didn't even register when I noticed my *right* calf was a bit sore today too. Now granted, some of this started before I got the Vibrams, but I'm sure they made it much worse.  And I distinctly recall saying I wouldn't do anything dumb to mess up my last months training before the marathon.  All of which is why I'm so glad my wife is smarter than I am...

15.76 in 1:57:27, 7:27/mi, HR 154. 30 minutes warmup, 3.87 mi, 7:45/mi, HR 143. 10 x Yasso 800s with 2:50 rest. 30 minutes cooldown, 3.78, 7:55/mi, HR 147.

Woke up with no pain in the calves. A rest day well spent. Set goal of keeping all repeats in the 2:50-2:55 range. Averaged just under 2:55 but missed my target on the last two. First four felt very hard. Five and beyond felt like my body had adjusted but looking at the splits I see that I adjusted.....slower. Leg turnover felt like it was the sticking point for running these faster but that doesn't necessarily make it so. I am having more success mentally focusing on the extreme short term instead of thinking about the rest of the repeats or even the remainder of the lap. Now I just need to not fade so much towards the end.

Adrenaline 8 - 101.84 miles.

9 miles in 1:09:19, 7:42/mi, HR 148.

Stiffness and soreness in left adductor muscles, surely from yesterday's workout.  I feel more beat up than I should for having taken Monday off.  Core workout afterwards.

Asics GT 2120 - 256.68 miles.

9.81 miles in 1:13:20, 7:28/mi, HR 157.  30 minute warmup, 10 x :20 Strides with 1:00 rest, 30 minute cooldown.

Ran on the fast end of easy with 10 sets of Strides in the middle over various terrain.  First half of the Strides felt nice and easy with good form seeming to flow effortlessly.  Last half they seemed to get harder and I had to focus on staying relaxed and in good form.  Warmup and cooldown parts were both an a somewhat aggressive pace. 

This week is a "recovery" week with a race at the end so mileage is going to be lighter than normal.  I'm feeling off.....runs are harder than they should feel and the mysterious ache syndrome is in full effect.  Hope this goes away before Sunday.

Brooks Adrenaline (Yellow) - 472.58 miles.

 

6.5 miles in 50:48, 7:49/mi, HR 150.

Slog today.  Felt like I was crawling as I tried to keep the pace very easy, yet legs still felt heavy.  Didn't get my typical boost mid-way through the run, either.  Gorgeous day in the 60s.  Believe I confirmed that I'm somewhat lactose intolerant yesterday, which unfortunately meant I was up in the middle of the night a few times.  Hope this feeling passes by Sunday.

Adrenaline 8 - 108.34 miles.
 

4 miles in ~ 32 minutes.

Just a warmup today before tomorrow's HM race.  Garmin died out of the blocks.....hibernating the computer has about a 1 in 15 chance of turning it on which lets the battery drain overnight.  Very annoying.  Still feeling a bit sore and beat-up but better rested today.  I'll spend most of this beautiful day (9:30 am and already near 60F) in a car driving to get my race packet.  Then I'll come back and hopefully have time to mow the lawn before it completely takes over the yard.

Asics GT 2120 - 260.68 miles.

1.25 miles warmup, 8:24/mi, HR 135. 13.1 race in 1:28:28, 8:41/mi, HR 176. Splits: 6:16, 6:30, 6:13, 6:29, 7:55, 6:48, 6:03, 6:57, 6:57, 6:38, 6:26, 6:57, 6:57, 1:20.

*** Fair warning.....this is a long read! ***

Today's story begins yesterday when I had to drive the ~300 miles round-trip to attend the "expo" and pickup my race packet (no day of race registration). A gorgeous day (70+ degrees) equaled horrendous traffic ~ 8.5 hours total and put me into a foul mood. I flirted with the idea of completely bagging the race at some points in the drive but I'd already paid the race fees and, well, I'm cheap. When I arrived to packet pickup, I found the expo to be relatively small (took about 2 minutes to walk through the entire ordeal) and wondered why the race director could not have setup a day-of-race packet pickup? Then I made it home just in time to tackle some lawn mowing before the rains returned and the grass in our backyard became taller than I was.

So race morning started at 3:30 am, about 2.5 hours earlier than I like to wake up. Normal race day jitters + being home alone (Dianna was at Mom's Weekend visiting Ashley) = about 5 hours sleep...not good. But managed to prep the dogs for their day home alone and got out the door by 4 am. Traffic was not nearly as bad at 4 am and I made it to the race location by around 6:45am. Better early than late.

I considered driving the course since I was early but decided not to for two reasons....first, I was enmeshed in race day parking and needed to find a restroom and second, I wasn't sure I wanted to know about all of the hills. I'd specifically selected this race for it's hilly course to better prepare myself mentally and physically for the marathon next month.

So I wound up mistiming some things and only wound up with 1.25 miles warmup but found myself lined up and ready for the 8:30 am start. Unfortunately, it didn'r start until around 8:38 am for some "course maintenance" which turned into "allowing people to get lined up". Evidently no one read the memo to race directors indicating that putting the porta-potties downstream from the start was a bad idea? Oh well.

My pre-race goal was to run a 1:24. I'd no idea how completely stupid this was until later but this meant I was aiming for a 6:25/mi pace. In the back of my mind, I was thinking to run between 6:20 and 6:25 miles, adjusted for the terrain. I figured I'd open things up on the downhills and pay the price on the uphills. Boy, was I right on the second part.

So finally the start. After a short downhill section, we were headed back uphill and this is probably where I made my first mistake. I was trying to keep the lead pack, escorted by a motorcycle and police car, in sight, so after cresting the hill at about 0.5 and heading back down on the gradual downhill, I found myself running at a sub-6 minute pace. No warning bells were ringing yet....I figured I was making up time from the uphill stretch.

The lead group hit the first turn ahead at a T intersection.....the police car turned left while the motorcycle went right. The group minus one runner followed to the left and I watched with some distracted amusement as the other runner took several steps towards the left turn, then backtracked to catch the lead group running right. The importance of this minor event would become clear later.

So mile 1in 6:16 (still no alarm bells), mile 2 in 6:30, mile 3 in 6:13. We're headed down towards the water so much of this is now downhill. I'm wondering the mile markers are all on the left hand side of the road and I can't read them? And why is the aid station setup on the other side of the road? They call out that they'll see us again in a while. This section of the race isn't on closed roads so that makes no sense. Maybe there's a loop that runs us past here I don't remember? Hmmm.....But I continue trying to keep my pace on the flats around the 6:20-6:25 mark. Unfortunately, we're picking up some nasty head/cross-winds coming off the water. Mile 4 in 6:29. A definite headwind component now feels like it's standing me up at times and this part is hard. The runners trailing the lead pack (which is now a few minute ahead) are strung out in a line and there's no one to work with.

It's somewhere along this stretch that I realize we're running the wrong course....the ocean is supposed to be off our left side, not our right. Our route isn't matching up in my mind with the one I downloaded from the race website. Most tellingly, I watch the lead motorcycle do a 180, drive back several hundred feet (the lead pack keeps going thankfully), stop, turn around again, and resume the lead. At this point, several curse words I rarely use are running through my mind as I ask myself how the heck this could happen. Which is what I'm doing until we hit the big hill.

I say big hill not because of the size (250+ feet) but rather because of the incline...it looked like we'd need some rappelling gear to ascend it. Mile 5 came headed up this hill...7:55. Ouch. About this time with the little O2 I had remaining that I was already in bad shape and the wheels were already coming off. Passed here by two runners towards the top of the hill that sounded like they were barely breathing while I'm wondering if I could really transition to a 0.5-0.5 breathing pattern. Passed by another runner who's been shadowing me for some time but I mark him and think I can retake him on the downhill section (we traded leads on a previous uphill/downhill stretch). After finishing the climb we started back down a long gradual downhill. Mile 6 came in 6:48 so I managed to make up some ground lost on the hill. Mile 7 was all downhill in 6:03 as I tried to take as much advantage of the downhill as possible.

I started seeing runners headed in the opposite direction now in singles and pairs. It slowly dawns on me that they are half-marathoners running the correct course and as I pass the runner shadowing me I learn that we're running the course in reverse. What does this mean? Am I going to be DQ'ed for running the wrong way while just following the lead group who was following the lead vehicle? I am in uncharted territory and am simultaneously demoralized and furious. I do my best to get my head together and press on trying desperately to keep the runner ahead of me in sight. Just after the mile 7 marker, we make a turn and start heading back uphill.

Now the other runners are a flood, filling 1/2 of the road. Unfortunately, that is supposed to be the road I'm running on to so it becomes half race/half-dodge person. This road is 1/2 open and there are intermittent cars headed my direction. After a while of this, I decided to move to the right shoulder where at least I'm only worried about the cars instead of both cars and other runners. The uphill is taking its toll...Mile 8 comes in 6:57. I'm getting some cheers from the runners headed downhill, some questioning looks, and a couple of "What race are you running?" but all I have energy for is breathing and moving my legs. I am hurting badly here and thoughts of stopping and walking or quitting altogether are coming regularly now. I push them back as much as possible and keep my head down, focusing on trying to stay as relaxed as possible and chewing up this long long hill. Mile 9 in 6:57 too.

Finally reaching the top of the long gradual hill I try to stretch it out to increase the pace a bit....no response from my body. I try coaxing, cursing, cajoling.....all I can manage is a 6:38 for mile 10. And this is where I get chicked. I heard the runner gaining on me slowly but surely up the hill and frankly didn't care but now I do. She's running well and I can barely tell she's working hard while I feel like I'm completely falling apart. She actually passes me at a turn where I got a bit confused and slowed briefly to question a volunteer on which direction to go having lost sight of the runners ahead on the hill. So part of me is glad to have someone to follow and I try my best to not let her get away from me. Another gradual downhill stretch (6:26, mile 11) followed by a looming uphill and she pulls steadily away. I hit mile 12 in 6:57 and some uphill and downhill components to mile 13 in 6:57 (what's with 6:57s? I don't know) and feel like I'm on the death march.

I see the lead full-marathon runner who looks much better than I trudging alone up a hill and wonder how the heck he can be so far along on this brutal course? Completely in awe of his effort I sacrifice some much needed O2 to call out some inane encouragement his way which elicits a look but not much else, so in retrospect, perhaps he wasn't doing as well as I'd thought? 2:43:37, which on this course seems pretty darned good.

Anyway, the final stretch routed us into the local high school stadium once around their track (which was some type of wonderful rubberized surface that was easy on the legs). As I headed towards the stadium (uphill of course) I hear a runner (more like a herd of elephants) closing fast from behind so despite feeling like I was redlined already I surged. The 3/4 track lap nearly turned into a puke run (lets call it a dry-heave run) and I came across the finish in 1:28:28, one second ahead of the other runner who turned out to be the one I traded positions with earlier in the race. Final split was 1:20 (all splits according to Garmin and it recorded the course a 13.22).

So I missed my target (1:24) and missed setting a PR (1:26:15). Combined with my weekend thus far, the "course snafu", lack of sleep, etc. I was in a state. Okay, so now add a helping of "no race medals in sight", "food/beverage station not yet setup", and dropping temps/starting rain, and I was downright POed. Food started slowly showing up but the race medals didn't show up until I was halfway to my car for some warmer clothes. Of course, the race medals were now being given out at the finish line, which was at the start of a one-way flow of bodies as the main half-marathon running force was now finishing, so I had to dodge some suddenly appeared race volunteers who didn't seem to care that I hadn't received my race medal in order to get to the finish (again), show my number and get my medal. I briefly flirted with hanging out for the awards ceremony wondering if I'd perhaps taken an AG award but the increasing rain and cold helped make that decision for me and I started back on my 3 hour return home drive.

After getting some time and distance from the race and letting emotions cool for a while, I've thought about several take-aways from this race:

1. I need to know the race course and should be able to navigate it on my own. Yes, races are responsible for setting up the course, providing support, etc. and there's no excuse for what happened this time around, I should've known better. No reason I shouldn't have recognized the wrong turn for what it was and made the correct turn myself. I've got a choice email I'm going to write to the Race Director but that doesn't absolve me of my responsibility to know where the heck I'm running. Our little detour cost me.....I basically ran on the outside of the loop instead of the inside (left turns instead of right turns) which added small but significant distance to the overall effort. Plus, the monster hill would've been replaced by a more gradual (and longer) uphill if I would've gone the right way. Last, on the windy stretch, it would've been a nice tailwind instead of a brutal headwind.

2. I can't defy the Laws of Physics just because I train on hills. A flat course will always be faster than a hilly course, period. Well, okay, so a *downhill* course might be faster, but if it's a loop course, the flat course wins. You can never regain *all* of the time lost on the uphills on the downhills. Now that I've accepted this, I need to figure out how to better plan races on hilly terrain. I need to figure this out quick since my marathon next month is on a rolling course.

3. Going out too fast is disastrous. How many times must I learn this lesson? To be fair, going out too slow is bad too because you wind up at the finish knowing you probably could run a faster time by just pushing it a bit more earlier, but running too fast too early does not work. The problem is figuring out what too fast is. I see now that the course and weather conditions yesterday were not conducive to the 6:16 mile I ran early in the race.

4. Running/racing needs to be fun. Somewhere along the way I lost that this weekend. I showed up at the starting line depressed, tired, mad...anything but ready to have fun. My only focus was on PRing and running a time that showed my training was paying off, that I'd get my sub-3 next month, everything but enjoyment. And I don't run well if I'm not having fun, so I need to readjust myself and my attitude.

5. People need to be held accountable. I need to hold myself accountable for those things I'm responsible for this weekend. The race staff needs to be held accountable for their small but important glitches. The race medal situation? Come on. Once the gun goes off, you know you've got just over an hour before the medals are needed. Have them at the finish and ready to award to the finishers. Same with the food. I paid $60 to run the race...I expect the race to be well executed. A few minor mistakes, okay. One major mistake, not good but okay. Several big errors? No excuses.

So that's it. Definitely a learning experience. I'm really trying not to be disappointed or upset too badly by this race but I'd be lying if I said I was not unhappy about it. But I need to learn these lessons and move on. And most importantly start enjoying myself again. Which I intend to do with a nice 30 minute recovery run today.

Brooks Adrenaline (Yellow) - 486.93 miles.

4 miles in 32:02, 8:00/mi, HR 139.

A hint of soreness in quads and hammies and a blister on right pinky toe but otherwise symptom free from yesterday's race.   Kept the miles light and easy and got some good stretching in afterwards. 

Looking back on yesterday I think early lactic acid accumulation did me in, based on the way I remember feeling then and now.  I need to remember that I do better taking it easy heading uphill, yet another thing I forgot yesterday.  Lesson learned (again).

Adrenaline 8 - 112.34 miles.

6.5 miles in 51:48, 7:58/mi, HR 143.

Kept a nice easy pace through the snow flurries?  From 70+ on Saturday to snow flurries today, how quickly our Pacific NW weather changes.  I had more success keeping my easy pace easy again today, so maybe the race this weekend wasn't completely without benefit in my training.

Asics GT 2120 - 267.18 miles.

9 miles in 1:11:00, 7:53/mi, HR 151.

Warmer today with some headwinds on the return. Legs still feel a bit tired from Sunday so I kept the pace very easy again today, which was a bit of a struggle as my subconscious mind kept speeding me up on the return leg (no such troubles on the outbound/uphill leg). I'm hoping to be fully recovered for tomorrow's Speed workout....Tempo Intervals.

Brooks Adrenaline (Yellow) - 495.93 miles.

16.05 miles in 2:00:00, 7:28/mi, HR 159. 30 minute warmup, 3.73 miles, 8:02/mi, HR 148. 5 x 8:00 Fartlek with 3:00 rest. 3 x 0:40 Fartlek with 1:00 rest. 30 minute cooldown, 4:03 mi, 7:26/mi, HR 151.

First hard workout following Sunday's race. I'd been suffering mild stomach cramps since yesterday evening and feared they'd impact my workout but decided to give it a go. Fortunately, the cramps disappeared quickly after I got moving. Converted my 5x2K Tempo Interval workout to a Fartlek session so I could keep teaching my body to run fast on hilly terrain instead of the track. Plus, the track isn't exactly my favorite place to run. Goal time for the repeats was between 6:07 and 6:20 but I really just tried to keep the effort at the high end of Tempo and let the chips fall where they may. As it turned out, the median between my uphill and downhill pace was 6:19.5....I'll take it. Did the last three short repeats on an uphill grade to get some fast hill work in. Workout felt hard but good.

Adrenaline 8 - 128.39 miles.

6.5 miles in 50:36, 7:47/mi, HR 145.

Despite the SNOW FLURRIES managed to get a nice and easy run in today. Forecast calls for drop in temps and snow today and tomorrow so my second 24-miler tomorrow ought be *fun*. Abbreviated core workout after today's run.

Asics GT 2120 - 273.68 miles.

24 miles in 3:02:22, 7:36/mi, HR 157.

Last 20+ miler for this training cycle. Cold and snow on the ground to start. Ran the Scott Turner loop twice with the extension to the cutoff three times, so plenty of elevation change throughout. HR monitor went bonkers for first 4-5 miles before settling down. Water only run today (no carbs). Felt a bit tired and legs heavy the first lap. Wound up making 3 brief pit stops which slowed me down a bit.  Picked up the pace a bit on the second lap and got the proverbial second wind....working harder but felt much better. First half in 1:34:18, 7:52/mi. Second half in 1:28:04, 7:20/mi. Legs didn't feel too stiff/sore afterwards, although left side adductor sore as usual and left ITB tight (pain along outer left hip and outer left knee).

Brooks Adrenaline (Yellow) - 523.93 miles.

6.5 miles in 49:48, 7:39/mi, HR 141.

Felt pretty good after yesterday's 24 miler.  Felt even better after I ran today....all the kinks worked out and legs felt good.  Good enough to do my core workout afterwards.  And good enough to overlook the snow on the ground this morning....again.

Adrenaline 8 - 134.89 miles.

8 miles in 1:01:13, 7:39/mi, HR 152.

Perfectly timed run avoided the rain before and hail after so I enjoyed the sun and pleasant temps, albeit with some winds.  Ran the local trails to add some additional hills to my training.   5 total loops with ~ 150' incline in 0.2 miles with some extra mileage after the first along the hillside and the to and from portion.  Not a true hill workout but just getting accustomed to more rolling terrain and frankly to build confidence after my disappointing last race.  Interestingly, the total elevation change for this run is only about 200' short of that for my upcoming marathon, which is reassuring.  Felt really good running today...the kind of day you hope for while racing. 

Asics GT 2120 - 281.68 miles.

9 miles in 1:06:20, 7:22/mi, HR 155.  

Call it a medium run, still in the easy range but a tad more aggressive than normal.  Felt yesterday's hilly route in my legs.  Core exercises afterwards.  Tomorrow must be easy.

Brooks Adrenaline (Yellow) - 532.93 miles.

9 miles in 1:07:17, 7:28/mi, HR 155.

Not as easy as I'd like it to have been.  Not sure why I have such trouble holding back sometimes...today my legs just seemed to want to GO, despite my hammies being a bit sore from the past couple of days.  Hope this was easy enough to be ready for my hard workout tomorrow.

Adrenaline 8 - 143.89 miles.

17.47 miles in 2:09:02, 7:23/mi, HR 158. 30 minute warmup, 3.67 miles, 8:09/mi, HR 139. 10 miles @ GMP, 7:54/mi, HR 170. 30 minute cooldown, 3.8 miles, 7:54/mi, HR 151.

First of three workouts changed in order to get more time running at GMP. I felt going in that this would be a hard one. Kept the warmup extremely easy in an effort to conserve energy I knew I'd need in the 10 mile GMP stretch. I was aiming to average 6:50/mi over the GMP portion, which was tricky since the first 3 miles were uphill, next 5 downhill, and last 2 uphill. Splits were 7:11, 7:21, 7:13, 6:30, 6:25, 6:35, 6:43, 6:41, 7:06, 7:13. The mile pairings were 1/6, 2/5, 3/4, 7/10, 8/9, so the averaged paces for each segment were 6:53, 6:49, 6:51.5, 6:58, 6:53.5.

This workout was hard and confirmed my fears.....I sorely need practice running at my GMP. This run was downright hard and I didn't even manage to average my goal pace. We shall see how the next two runs that incorporate MP running go. Tomorrow will *definitely* be an easy day.

Asics GT 2120 - 299.15 miles.

6.5 miles in 51:32, 7:55/mi, HR 142.

Beautiful day to run.  Definitely felt yesterday's run in my legs so an easy pace throughout.  Resting for tomorrow's Fast Finish Long Run.

Brooks Adrenaline (Yellow) - 539.43 miles.

20 miles in 2:25:35, 7:16/mi, HR 158. Fast Finish Long Run with first 12 at easy pace and increasing over last 8 to average marathon goal pace. Last 2 aimed for 10K effort and super fast finish. First 12 miles averaged 7:34.5/mi. Last 8 averaged 6:57.6/mi. Last 2 averaged 6:40/mi.

Still feeling the effects of Thursday's long marathon pace run in my legs so I knew today would be difficult. First 12 were up and down Scott Turner so a total of ~ 800' elevation loss & gain. Last 6 were 3 miles uphill (350'), 4 miles downhill (425'), and 1 mile uphill (75'). Tough going first four miles, settled into a decent easy pace and felt okay through 12. Sunny day that got much warmer than usual (55F in the shade by midpoint), so hydrated every 2-3 miles with Powerade or water. Took in a GU at ~ mile 8, which didn't sit well and caused stomach cramps later. Took in a Accelerade Gel at ~ 16 which went down much easier but with previous stomach distress it got a bit worse. Managed to keep close to MP but not quite for 6 of last 8, then managed to get down to 30K race pace for last 2 but just barely. Hard run on the hills still feeling a bit tired and beat-up from Thursday in some warmer weather, so I'm satisfied with the effort.

Adrenaline 8 - 163.89 miles.

6.5 miles in 54:10, 8:20/mi, HR 135.

Today was a slog.  Poor sleep last night after attending a 40th B-day party for acquaintances that had me up 3 hours past my normal bedtime.  Plus, I'm just flat out beat up from last two hard workouts.  Not difficult at all to keep pace easy....I'm amazed it was as fast as it was because it certainly felt like 15 minute miles.  Now I've got to muster the energy to go mow the grass and perform other homestead chores...

Asics GT 2120 - 305.65 miles.

8 miles in 1:00:50, 7:36/mi, HR 149.

Legs felt tired heading uphill the first 4 miles.  ~10 mph headwind didn't help, but it did help later on the downhill when it all felt pretty easy for a decent average pace.

Brooks Adrenaline (Yellow) - 543.43 miles.

14 miles in 1:40:37, 7:11/mi, HR 158. 

A moderate easy run where I pushed the pace on the downhills and towards the end a bit more than normal.  Last 1/2 mile was fast to the finish.

Adrenaline 8 - 177.89 miles.

9 miles in 1:07:59, 7:33/mi, HR 151.

Legs tired and a bit sore.  Kept the effort easy and focused on taking nice full strides.  When I run other than easy runs I find my legs tire easily with a fuller stride so I need to work on that.  As a result, the pace was a bit higher but the effort was about the same (except for my poor tired legs). 

Asics GT 2120 - 314.65 miles.