Freethinker ~ Freerunner

Marathon pace run this morning. 7:07 AP overall. I ran 18 in 2:08:14 with a 4 mile WU followed by 14 at slightly faster than marathon pace. I'm feeling good because I just set a PR on this distance on a training run. Last five splits: 7:00, 6:55, 6:52, 6:54, 6:40.

My 14 miles at marathon pace averaged 6:56 pace. 

VO2 Max: 9 w/ 5x600's.  I ran 5 miles before starting the 600's.  I had about 2 miles to cool down.  It was 36 degrees.

I ran the first 5 at about an 8:00 minute pace.  600's Splits:  2:17, 2:13, 2:14, 2:16, 2:20.    My legs felt a little sore from the marathon pace run on Sunday, but I felt good by the time I got to the cool down. 

MLR - 14.  7:45 AP.  I have to be honest and say my legs are still feeling pretty sore.  I think that is to be expected after running 14 at sub marathon pace on Sunday followed by a VO2 Max run on Tuesday.  That said I threw in a few faster miles at the end of this run.  My final four splits were:  7:23, 7:33, 7:20, 6:58.  I'm looking forward to a couple days in a row of recovery runs to let myself recover for the Tulsa Run on Saturday.   

6 recovery miles with 10x100's at the end.  It was low forties and windy this morning.  My right quad is feeling a little funny like it needs to be stretched.  I noticed this a few minutes after I got back home.  It might be the 100's.  I feel like I usually feel weird muscle issues in my legs a few days before a race. 

Recovery - 5.  A cold 36 degrees.  I'm feeling sufficiently tapered for the Tulsa Run tomorrow.   

The Tulsa Run is one of my favorite races.  I have run this race 6 times now, which means I have run it more times than any other race.  Each time I have achieved a PR including this year.  I bested last year by 1:14, but I was really hoping to go sub 60 minutes this year.  I unfortunately missed it by 34 nauseating seconds.  I will most definitely get it next year. 

1st 5K split: 19:56 6:26/M

2nd 5K split: 39:02 6:09/M

Finish: 1:00:34 6:57/M

The first 5K included a little bit of down hill.  The second 5K was perfectly flat with about half of it into the wind and the other half with the wind.  The last 5k included a wicked long incline on the last mile.  It was during the 2nd 5k that I was overtaken by the 1 hour pace group.  The came up behind me and I could hang with them for about 2 miles.  Had I realized there was going to be a 1 hour pace group I probably would have gone out with them.  I may have been able to go under an hour if I had run just a little slower in the first 5K.  I believe you have to run the 2nd 5k faster than the other two because of the hill on the last mile.  It looked like most of the faster finishers ran the 2nd 5K faster than the last.  The last mile is going to slow you down to some degree, so I will try to make up for it in the middle of the race next year.