Freethinker ~ Freerunner

Last MLR before the marathon which is one week from today.  7:34 AP.  About 58 degrees starting out, with winds over 18 miles per hour or perhaps worse.  

I ran the first two miles into the South into the wind.  Most of the run was with the wind at my side which was nice.  The rain really started to down poor very hard at my halfway mark, but the temperature was still pretty warm.  Then after about 10 minutes of that the rain pretty much slowed to a drizzle.  Then about 10 minutes later the wind changed direction and started blasting from the north.  It felt like the temperature dropped 20 degrees and the rain started pouring real heavy again only this time it was icy cold.  I've run in the rain many times, but this morning I experienced some of the strangest conditions I think I've ever run in.

Besides the weather I has a slight stomach cramp on the final few miles.  Needless to say with the cramp, wind, rain, and wet shoes, which felt like running with 10 pound weights on my ankles, I did not clock a PR this morning.  But I did average a pretty good pace all things considered.  

Recovery run.  30 degrees.  8:17 AP.  

I have a slight twinge in the back of my right quad.  I felt it a little yesterday towards the end of the day at work and on the run a little this morning.  I'm not sure if it is the same thing I felt a couple of weeks ago when I picked up my Tulsa run packet the night before the Tulsa Run. 

7 miles with 2 at marathon pace.  Pfitz calls this a dress rehearsal.  7:27 AP.  28 degrees.

I ran 3 to warm up and 2 to cool down.  I ran the 2 at marathon pace on the hilliest part of the run.  Actually I ran them faster than my marathon pace because I wasn't sure the hills were going to affect me.  So I ran down the hills faster in case I could not sustain the speed going back up.  My splits were 6:46 and 6:51.  The effort felt a little too hard considering I will need to run 26.2 miles at a pace close to this.  I'm blaming it on the elevation and faster pace. 

I got home and discovered my sock was blood stained where I cut my skin near my achilles yesterday.  The stupid ankle zippers sometimes rub against my skin and I don't feel the sensations while I running.  Probably because distance running numbs pain sensors in the body.  Yesterday I got home and the skin was just a little bit raw, but not bleeding.  This morning I made sure to roll the ankles up so the zipper could not touch the skin.  I guess my sock and maybe my shoe just touching the already sensitive skin made it bleed.  I think I'll go with Neosporin and bandaids for the next few days.  This is not something I like to see just 4 days before the race. 

Recovery run.  32 degrees.  8:12 AP.  

Recovery with 6 100 meter striders.  7:54 AP.  

Recovery run of 4 miles the day before the marathon. 8:30 AP. 

I ran in shorts, short sleeves, with Nathan sleeves over my arms, gloves, and my hat.  It was 32 degrees. I was a little cold at first but I warmed up by the later half.  This gave me a good idea that shorts and a tech shirt rather than a thermal will be good for the marathon.  It will be closer to 40 degrees and the sun should be up by the 8:00 start time.  

Nothing left now to do but get through work today, get a good night's sleep tonight, and run a hell of a race tomorrow morning.