Boston Push

I went biking for about 2 hours at an easy pace. Still sick with congestion and the morning phlegm hack fest. It is getting better though, and you have to love the sexy, gravelly voice it gives you.

Went out for my first real run since last week. I am still a little sick, so I only pushed myself for about 3 miles. I had intended to have my mileage up to about 40 last week, but that did not work. I am going to try to get this week in the range between 35-40, but we will see how that goes with school and my health.

 I was very apprehensive about running today, as the last two runs at marathon pace or faster have produced profound lower intestine cramping. I am unsure what has brought this new cramping phenomenon about, perhaps the start of getting sick? There was no cramping today, though I had some feelings in the upper GI, not really discomfort, but a pressure. I ate my dinner, though, and drank my water, and have had no problems tonight. Hopefully, this is a fleeting memory in my running log.
 

I did 10 miles today, with no GI distress. I saw the doctor yesterday concerning this problem, and she did not seem too concerned. She thought it was probably connected to sickness, stress from school, lack of sleep. I hope that I have seen the last of these problems and that I can get down to training.

The run went well. The first five miles were done at a 7:15-7:20 pace, and I did not feel like I was pushing too hard. The last five were done easier at a 7:40-8:00 pace. I let up on the second 5 miles, still scared about GI distress. I am still 2 weeks out from my 18 week plan, and I am still debating a low mileage high intensity and a high mileage plan. I seem to run better after having a day off - my running pace and intensity are at a higher level. If I do a lower mileage plan, I will be able to train with specificity, i.e., train closer to how I will be running the marathon.

 

I did the unthinkable today - I ran without a watch! 

I have a Polar 625x that is coupled with a foot pod to measure running pace and miles. I love it. I have found it to be very accurate, within 0.1 mile with minimal calibration and usually even closer to actual mileage. I go out every run, even if it is an unfamiliar course, and I know about what my pace and mileage are. It has also been nice because now I can be running and know what my pace is just by feeling the wind in my hair.

 But today, today I left it at home and had one of those "run like you were a kid day." I ran a normal course, so I knew it was 6 miles, but I didn't let heart rate or pace dictate my run. I enjoyed the sun, nature, and even got to see two deer feeding off the side of the trail: one doe and one year male with fuzzy spike antlers. I think too often I get caught up in my pace, even when I am running recovery or easy miles. It was a nice change of pace (no pun intended).

 Saturday it will be back to the pacer when I run my long run. I have been running my long runs in Bend, OR, which is about 3500-4000', and after June, all my runs will be in Bend. That is about 3300' higher than the Portland Marathon, so I hope the "altitude" training will translate to a faster marathon time.

Rest/Travel to Bend day.

Today was my long run. I did the first 7.4 with my fiancee, and we went at a slow steady pace around 9:30, with the uphills being significantly slower. It was all trail running and the terrain was varied with a good deal of uphill running. I think we ended up going around 1000' uphill, and this was all done at an elevation of 4000', significantly higher than Portland at around 300-400'. The last 5.6 miles were done on my own at a faster rate, but by the end I was pretty pooped. Overall, my pace ended up being around 9 minutes with a HR average of 152, but with a lot of uphill running.

 I really enjoyed the run. The trail was beautiful and followed a bubbling creek for a good portion of the run. If you are ever in Bend, OR, I recommend running in Shevlin Park and the Deschutes River Trail.

One week left until my training program for Portland. After some of Sasha's comments, I am really optimistic about making my 7:15 goal at Portland to qualify for Boston.