Boston, here I come?

Objective: 3 easy miles

Week 9 started off like the others, with an easy Monday run.  I kept the pace nice and slow, averaging 7:30/mile and kept my heart rate in the mid-150's.  More importantly, my stomach was okay and my legs feel great. 

Objective: 9 mile run

Now that's more like it!  I wanted today's run to mimic the first 9 miles of the marathon, and I did exactly that.  Started out going easy, but keeping my focus on a decent pace - went 7:12, 7:02, 7:06, 7:09, 7:07 for the first 5 miles, right about what I want to do during the race.  The last four miles I turned it on a bit, but kept myself under control, going 6:44, 6:48, 6:36, 6:40, for an overall 6:56/mile pace.  I was really worried about my stomach in the last three miles..had it been the marathon I would've been trying to bank extra time for the inevitable pit stop.  But it never got uncomfortable to the point where I slowed down, and actually relaxed for the last half mile for a happy finish. 

Objective: 4 mile run at my normal pace

The first mile today felt like the typical morning-run-after-a-fast-evening-run, as I didn't push too hard and clocked a 7:32.  I was fine with that pace but my legs woke up a bit and I noticed I was going faster..wound up doing the next three miles at 7:08, 7:00, 7:02 for a nice 7:09/mile overall pace.  My effort level wasn't particularly high, and I feel good going into an interval run tomorrow night. 

Objective: 6x800 intervals, 3:00 per interval

As usual, the "800m" is .54 miles, or about 870m.  Also as usual, I fell short of my very fast time goal on the fast stretches, going 3:03, 3:05, 3:06, 3:14, 3:18, 3:17.  I'm disappointed that the first three were over 3 minutes, because I probably could have pushed a little harder..after that I knew I had slowed down but was still going all out.  On my next speed day, I *will* get under 3 minutes for at least one of the fast parts...assuming I'm not in the hospital with a laboring wife (due date 8/25).

Objective: 9 miles, race pace

I came pretty close to today's goal..I wanted to mimic the first 9 miles of the marathon again.  The difference from Tuesday to today was the time of day..doing this run 40 minutes after getting out of bed is harder than after a full day at work.  So my times were all a bit slower - 7:16, 7:06, 7:16, 7:22, 7:22 to start and 6:58, 7:01, 6:58, 6:52 to finish.  Importantly, I felt good stomach-wise and in my legs - looking forward to a good long run tomorrow. 

Well, I got through the 17 miles but it didn't end very well.  The first 13 miles were smooth and steady, averaging 7:24/mile..right where I wanted to be for the duration.  Then the wheels fell off and I finished with miles of 7:46, 8:05, 8:15, 8:05...and I felt extremely tired during those miles.  I know 17 is a long way to go but I'm not too pleased with a weak finish like that.  The overall 7:33 pace is good enough I guess, but if I feel like this on race day I'll be in big trouble.

9 weeks down, 9 to go! 

Objective: 3 easy miles

There wasn't much easy about that one..I kept my heart rate low and averaged 7:33/mile (after a 7:59 start) but felt pretty wiped out from yesterday.  My legs didn't hurt or anything, just an overall tired feeling.  In the past I might've skipped this run but I've got an extra rest day already scheduled this week due to a friend's wedding.  I'm glad I got out there, and am hoping I'm closer to normal tomorrow.  

Objective: 9 mile race pace run

Amazing.  Dinner last night was pizza, a beer, and ice cream for dessert - must be a magic formula.  My legs felt great from the beginning of today's run, and once the rest of my body caught up after a couple of miles it turned into a great outing.  The first 5 miles were 7:10, 6:56, 7:00, 7:03, 7:01 - much faster than I have been starting, and I thought it could wear me out.  Then I went 6:43, 6:46, 6:37...and with one mile left decided to really turn it on...very unlike nearly every run where I'm faster at the end, but without pushing it too hard.  That last mile clocked at 6:08, for an overall pace of 6:49/mile.  I know I can't do something like that during the marathon, but it sure felt good tonight! 

Objective: 7 miles at race pace

On the schedule, this was really a 9 mile run but I had to rearrange due to a friend's wedding tomorrow.  I'll do my long run before that and an easy run on Sunday..doing the long run tomorrow will put me over 60 miles over a 7 day stretch so I shaved a couple miles off today's run.  Anyway - running early in the morning, I was never going to be at race pace the whole way so my goal was to ease into it, get steadily faster, and getting to the desired pace for the last couple of miles.  I managed that easily, going 7:40, 7:19, 7:23, 7:25, 7:02, 6:59, 6:48 for an overall 7:12/mile pace.  More importantly, I felt very much at ease in those last few miles.  Big day tomorrow, I really want the 19 miler to go well, with a solid finish.

Objective: 19 mile long run

Solid effort today, I feel much better than after last week's long run.  I felt strong most of the way, got tired towards the end but managed a 7:24/mile overall pace.  The last three miles were 7:47, 7:51, 7:55..#17 was slower because I was thirsty, and felt better after getting water halfway through that mile.  The last two can't be chalked up to thirst, so I was just tired..but I did have some gas left in the tank and did the second half of mile 19 at a much more normal speed.  I've got new 7 and 8 day records (61 and 70), and feel good rather than last week when I felt like crap all day.  I'll probably do a short run tomorrow to finish off the week.

Objective: 3 easy miles

Today was optional, and I'm glad I got out there and did the miles.  After yesterday's 19 miler we went to a friend's wedding where I consumed a whole lot of beer and scotch (and gave an awesome speech), and figured if I beat myself up too much I'd just take today off.  Luckily I felt pretty good all day and wound up averaging 7:16/mile somehow...wasn't trying to go anywhere near that fast and my legs were rubbery at the end but it worked out.  

10 weeks down, 8 to go! 

Objective: 4 easy miles

I made sure to get up early to get these miles in, and despite some lingering fatigue it went just fine, staying around 7:20 for each mile.  This upcoming week is going to be very high mileage, just as long as my junior runner stays put in the wife's belly the whole time! 

Objective: 10 mile run

Today's run turned out better than expected..I was worried about my stomach from the beginning but it stayed strong.  I looked at my watch after the second mile and saw that I was pacing right around 7:00, seemed too fast to start.  Then I did the same for the third mile before backing off for the next couple.  I got stronger at the end though, and finished with a 6:58/mile average.  The only downside is that I just finished at 8:30 PM..which means there's really only time to eat dinner and go to bed so I can do tomorrow's run in the morning. 

Objective: 5 easy miles 

Tough getting out of bed this morning, but I made it happen, and wound up with a pretty good run.  I was careful not to push too hard and keep the pace slower, and finished at 7:26/mile.  My left shin keeps having some soreness at the beginning of runs, but it clears up after a few minutes.  I had some fears that it could be a stress fracture when it first started but I figure that if it was, it wouldn't feel better after the start of the run.  If it doesn't slow me down, I'm not going to deal with it until after this race :)

Objective: 45 minute tempo run

I had to cut this morning's run due to starting a few minutes late, but managed to do a 39 minute tempo run in the time I did have.  I hit the tempo marks like I wanted to, starting slow and accelerating to race pace during the 4th mile, before a more relaxed finish.  This was easily my favorite run of the week, because now I get a full 48 hours before what will be a very hard weekend. 

Objective: 10 easy miles

Great run today - kept a very steady, easy pace the whole way and really felt fresh at the end.  With 20 miles looming tomorrow, the idea was to not do too much today, energy-wise and I never really had the urge to speed up.  Wound up at a 7:31/mile average, with each mile falling within 15 seconds or so of that time.  Big day tomorrow, really hoping to finish strong and feel good! 

Objective: 20 mile long run

Well that didn't work out as planned.  I felt okay through the first 10, although not as strong as yesterday..I was right at 7:30/mile to that point.  But I'm finding out that doing 10 miles one day followed by 20 is not what my body wants to do.  I ate some Gu, stopped for water a couple of times, but was just shuffling towards the end and threw in the towel.  I hate when that happens, but I know that finishing would have been terrible and ruined my day.  I strongly considered forging ahead for another 3 miles, but when I felt a growing blister on my right pinkie toe (never had one there before) I knew that nothing good could come of it.  Next time, next time...

 11 weeks down, 7 to go... 

Objective: 4 easy miles

Had I finished yesterday's run, this would have been out of the question - I was tired in general and my left calf was tight/sore.  But I knew I'd regret not getting the run in, so I got out there after work and got some good miles in, around 7:25/mile.  I've stuck to the 6 days/week schedule so far, which will definitely get interrupted when the baby comes so not skipping these runs seems pretty important.  Very glad to have a step-back week, it should allow for some good recovery time for the next crack at 20 miles in two weeks.

Also, today's run got me over 1,000 for the year..never thought I'd get there so quickly, but here I am! 

Objective: 6 mile run

I'm really noticing the benefit to doing the short, easy run after a long run - all of my Tuesday runs have really felt great.  I turned it up a little today, doing a couple miles in the 6:45 range and a couple closer to 7:00, being careful not to overdo it..overall pace finished at 6:58/mile.  I had a nice hill in the beginning, which I want to be sure to keep doing..gotta keep those hill legs strong! 

around college 

Objective: 5 mile easy run

Nothing special about today's run, went nice and steady at 7:25/mile.  This was definitely a "gotta do it because it's on the schedule" run, but I'm glad I got out there and did the miles.  No reason to take a day off today when I didn't really need it, when I'll have sleepless nights coming up soon...

5 mile loop 

What a week!  My wife and I welcomed our baby boy into the world on Thursday night, which obviously put a crimp in my training.  With the little guy in the hospital for a couple of days longer than planned, I got to run home today for some stuff..luckily we live close enough that running was an option.  I was basically at 7:05 for each mile, and it felt great to get outside again.  We'll see how the week goes, depending on how long he's in the hospital, safe to say the normal training schedule won't be followed though :)

12 weeks down, 6 to go! 

Well, our sprout is in the hospital through the week..he's perfectly healthy but Kaiser has super, overprotective policies that are keeping him there.  The nursing staff had a meeting in the afternoon, kicking visitors out, so I took the opportunity to get a few miles in.  I was surprisingly fast, averaging 7 min/mile for the duration, and made it back in time to keep my wife happy.

I decided to do a semi-long run before heading in for the afternoon hospital visit today, and it went really well.  I averaged 6:57/mile for the run, with only the first mile (7:08) above my 7:03 marathon mile pace, and felt good doing it.  Our little boy comes home on Saturday morning, and we're very excited..I'm guessing I won't sleep much the night before so I'm hoping to head out for a couple of hours that morning.

Pico and back