Practice To Suffer So Racing Becomes Easy

Late PM:  Big Workout - 12.02 miles w/5 miles of tempo + 6x40m hills @ hard, but controlled effort.  Tempo splits [5:44, 5:56, 5:54, 5:53, 5:54] = 5:52 Avg Tempo, 7:11 Avg Run pace.  Got out to a faster start than I needed on the tempo, but I wanted to set the tone right!  Tempo felt hard, but controlled.  One more Big Workout and then it's a relaxing week of true taper before the Monumental.

In my last 2 10K races I set 8K PR's and tonight I ran a faster 8K than my two previous 8k races this year!  Not bad considering I'm still going to hit 80+ miles this week.  I know I'm going into this marathon next week about 10-15 lbs over ideal weight, which leaves a lot of time on the table.  I've not been letting it bother me as I let the weight naturally come off to avoid injury or sickness.  I'll have to watch my weight during taper week to ensure it stays about the same.  My last marathon was racing weight of 179-181, this one will be 167-171.  My ideal racing weight that gives me the most horsepower and economy is ~ 154 based on my past racing performances.  According to Tinman's estimates a 2 lb decrease in body fat is worth about a 14 sec. decrease in a 5k race time. That's a huge improvement if one can loose the weight without sacrificing needed muscle!  I can't imagine how 10 lbs less weight over the course of a marathon would feel!