Run Derneld, Run!

A little over 30 minutes with Ellie in the stroller around 10am. She is a good coach, getting me psyched up for tomorrow's race. 

Left at 5:45am to get to the busses around 6:30am. Relaxed and started reading Cadillac Desert: The American West and Its Disappearing Water. I look forward to reading the rest. Sat next to a older couple that is completing a half marathon in every state. This was number 45 for them!

The race successfully started at the time that was planned, and I also want to compliment everything else about this race. It is a very well organized and well sponsored race. 

The race started off with a little downhill and I figured I was probably over doing it when I clocked a 6:43 first mile. I tried to go by feel, which ranged from 7:08 to 7:25 on some miles until mile 9. I figured at that point I might as well try my best to make this race count. There were still two guys ahead of me that I had set my sights on early on in the race. The leader in the 10k race also got right up with me and was a great pacer, running about as fast as I wanted to. I actually suspect that he thought I was another 10k runner, because he DID NOT let me get ahead for awhile. Miles 12 and 13 were 6:28 and 6:24, and the kick at the end was very good. I left the 10k'er with about 1.4 miles to go and didn't look back. It was around that time that I successfully passed the two guys that I had targeted early on. I also got to meet Saige, the only person on FRB that I have met in person. She beat me, and was also first female overall by a long shot.

Mile Splits:
6:43 7:09 7:14 7:26 7:09 6:53 7:14 7:09 7:34 7:05 6:43 6:29 6:24 

10.92 in the early morning around the Snake River Landing area/Greenbelt/Freeman Park. Then took Ellie out in the early afternoon right after lunch for another 5.2 (should not have eaten lunch right before running, it felt gross). 

6.05 easy at lunch. 5.02 easy with Ellie before dinner.

7.03 easy with some short spurts, making sure not to take anything too hard considering it's been 4 days since racing a half marathon. 5.10 with Ellie before dinner.

6.07 at lunch, and 4.36 with Ellie before dinner. Had another sad accident with the stroller on some roadside in need of repair. I am finally going to give in and get a jogging stroller. This cheap Graco stroller has endured almost 200 miles of running already...

6.33 at lunch with 8 strides. Felt really good. Then did another pre-dinner run (5.08) with Ellie.

Exactly three hours of steady running this morning. I really like using this as my peak distance run during marathon training. As long as it still takes me to finish a marathon, I don't think maxing at 2.5 hours gives me quite the endurance conditioning I need. As a benchmark, last time I did this exact workout was for the SLC marathon. I ran 21.6 miles in the same amount of time.

Lunch and then before dinner with Ellie

VO2max workout: 5x1km w/ 3 minutes easy in between sets. WOW! I have always been uncomfortable with VO2max pace. I mean nobody is comfortable with it, but I get nervous that I'm going to go arrythmic with my heart (which is what used to happen to me in gymnastics and in the weight room doing repetitive anaerobic exercise). This went well though. My body is going to be sore, since I never do these kinds of workouts. I guess I'm trying to branch out, and add another dimension to my training to try and improve. Next time I might do 1 or 2 sets less and include some repetitions or LT paced sets. Overall, very happy I did it!

Did 5.1 with Ellie before dinner.

6.52 at lunch at a pretty slow recovery pace and then 3.5 with Ellie before dinner.

6.16 at lunch with 8 strides. Ran on the treadmill instead of with Ellie this evening due to the impressive rain. 8 more strides. Strides were 20 seconds each with 1 minute recoveries.

Easy miles before dinner on the treadmill. Can't wait for better weather.

Good workout on the treadmill this morning.

2 easy miles.

6 marathon pace miles (7:30/mi). At the end I did 0.8 miles @ 2% grade and 0.8 at -2%.

1 easy mile.

6 marathon miles (7:30/mi). 1st mile @ 2%, 2nd @ 2.5%, 3rd @3%, 4th @ -2% and at 8.2mph, 5th @ -2% and 8.4 mph, 6th @ -2% and 8.5mph. For the last 0.2 miles, took away the decline and finished at 6:40/mi for a faster finish. It turns out that the speed limits on the treadmill go down with declines. Oh well.

2 easy miles to cool down.

Easy slow miles at lunch and then with Ellie. Ellie isn't feeling too well, so she got really bundled up. Idaho Falls has also been colder/windier today than in the past few weeks...

Just ran at lunch. Helped a neighbor move in the evening and had lots of other things that needed my attention. Did 8x20sec strides with 1 minute easy jogs in between.

Lunch workout: Warmup outside where it was quite windy, and then to the gym to use the treadmill. Short re-warmup on the treadmill, then 2 sets of 2 miles at lactic threshold with a 2 minute jog in between. The first set was set to 8.9mph (6:44/mi) and felt pretty good, so I did the second one at 9mph (6:40/mi), kicking the last 0.2. I am feeling pretty excited about the upcoming St George marathon! 
3.28 with Ellie in the evening, until she got bored and fussed until I took her home. Did a little more on the treadmill before dinner.

Treadmill at work. Easy pace. Did 0.75 of it at 3% grade.

30 minutes in a new pair of shoes after Ellie went to bed and before Cheyenne got back from pack meeting.

90 minutes in the early morning. Idaho Falls is cold windy and wet right now. 

30 minutes during Ellie's nap on the treadmill.

2 mile warmup.Lactic threshold pace on treadmill: 3x(2 miles @ 6:40/mile with 2 minute jog). An easy mile. Then 8 strides. Then easy running to finish off 2 hours. 16.12 miles total.

No running at work. Too busy.

3.68 with Ellie, then she wanted to go home because of the cold. 2 more miles just before dinner.

6.51 easy miles at work, with 8x20 sec strides, separated by 1 minute jogs, towards the end of the run.

5.06 miles with Ellie in the evening.

7.2 miles at lunch time: One of my last workouts before race day. I did the following back-to-back, 1 mile @ threshold (6:53), 2 miles @ marathon goal (7:26 7:27), 1 mile @ threshold (6:38), 2 miles @ marathon goal (7:23 7:10). The last mile was a little fast because I kicked at the end. I am really excited to see how my performance has improved since last year when I raced in St George. I also know that if I let my excitement get the best of me, I will probably burn out early in the race, so I'll try and stay calm for the next 10 days...

5.15 with Ellie before dinner. Running was really fun today, it just felt so good to be moving.

4.34 towards the end of lunch time (crazy day at work).

5.1 with Ellie before dinner.

Sluggish-feeling day. Tomorrow is another day... 6.09 at lunch, 3.53 with Ellie before dinner

90 minute at moderate pace this morning with 2 sets of 6x20 second strides.

If anybody is reading this who has done the St George Marathon, I am looking for counsel from experienced persons. I've done the race once before, but faded in the last quarter. Any race-specific tips you may have for the race. This is my sixth marathon, but only my second St George Marathon.