Of Mice and Marathons

PM: 8 miles easy + strides. Core work and stretching after.

PM: 11.5 miles, averaged 7:51. Did 10 x 2 minutes w/ 2-minute recovery jogs. Averaged 5:30 for those, which wasn't too bad considering I have 0 speed right now. Effort was under 5k at this point I would say. I just went hard and tried to hang on. Started to smell the first hint of colors and figured I was probably chewing up my o2 toward the end.

I turned my pace off, and taped my boo-booed Garmin 610, which worked fine.Very wet and slushy.

AM: 7.25 miles easy. Pretty much an ice skating rink the whole way.

PM: Treadmill - 5 miles + strides. Did a set of weights after (presses).

NW Philly LR Loop - 20 miles very easy.

My stomach wouldn't let me get into typical long run pace. Time on my feet I guess.

Day off.

I was going to take Sunday off, but I have some work to get through this morning and I woke up later than planned. 33 days on, so that's a decent stretch for getting back into things. Might get on the bike to help flush the legs later if I can get on before getting back from campus and making dinner.

AM: 11.25 miles easy w/ a throwdown mile at mile 10 @ 5:30/5:31 (so, mostly easy) + core and stretching.

A guy stopped me as I went into the gym to do my supplementary stuff and asked about my running. His mom died about a year ago and he got out of running. I encouraged him to run, and think I may have helped. Super nice guy. I did at least one good deed today.

PM: 5 miles easy. First road double in . . . a long time with the decreasing daylight last fall, down time after the marathon, etc.

PM: 5 miles nice and easy with Megan

Conner Mantz!

AM/Lunch: Flourtown Tempo Loop - 15.25 miles, averaged 7:06

4 up/3.25 down w/ 8-mile tempo. Ran by effort. No cheating/Easter Egg Splits. Results were good. Just under 6:23 average. It helps that I have two 20 milers and a 17er under my belt already. Still, pleased with this as a start. It was a solid progression and I felt I could have pushed on harder if asked to for 2 more miles.

6:31, 6:31, 6:29, 6:26, 6:20, 6:15, 6:17, 6:12

AM/Lunch: 7.5 miles easy. Stretching and core.

Extremely slippery from melting and then reglazing. Managed to stay on my feet.

PM: Treadmill - 8 miles in about 58 minutes (I punched the emergency stop at 7 miles and about 51 minutes). Felt really good. Did some strides.

I made homemade ice cream last night with the maker my mom got me for my birthday. It is really really good. Unfortunately, it's going to have to be about a once a month treat to help maintain my weight, but man is it a delicious treat!

PM: Treadmill - 8.3 miles in an hour w/ strides. Didn't get out this morning because I was being lazy, but this felt pretty good. Sweatin everywhere. As I do.

AM/Lunch: Flourtown Tempo Loop - 13.5 miles, averaged 7:11

5 x 1 mile with 2:00 recovery jogs (~9:00-9:45). 5:46, 5:41, 5:41, 5:44, 5:43 (5:43 avg)

4 up/3.5 down

I skipped my last repeat. I was working a bit toward the end but the effort was normal. I was far ahead of projected pace and decided I have lots of time to add repeats (or minutes). Figured I would take this for now and . . . run with it. Pleased to finally be out of 6-minute purgatory for the first LT session of the year.  I always seem to run this workout early in a buildup just below to just over 6-minute pace. This is pretty much what I was running 4 weeks out from Philadelphia last fall (off of more mileage and accumulated fatique, of course).

PM: Treadmill - 4 mile plod + weights and stretching

AM: 6.6 miles easy. Core work. Legs were tired, but not trashed or sore.

Did not want to get out of bed this morning.

PM: Treadmill - 7 miles in about 51-52 minutes. I punched the emergency stop again. Felt really good. The run, not punching the emergency stop.

Lunch: Treamill - 9 miles in 61:40 w/ 4-mile tempo @ ~10.2 MPH

Started at 10, then dropped every mile until the 4th, cut it back to 10 but then bumped it back so I ran the last kilometer between 10.1-10.4. Not what I was planning and my quality has jumped a bit too much this week. I feel great, but that's not the point.

I usually run a 5-mile treadmill tempo about 2-3 weeks out from a key half and run about 6:00 pace and run under that for the actual race. Feels good to be where I am already.

One more week of basebuilding even though this week looked a lot more like a regular training week.

PM1: 6.75 miles easy

Some snow. I was a cartoon character slipping on a banana peel in a few places. Lucky I was able to grab on to a fence (light snow over packed ice is super greasy). I managed not to fall.

Megan and I are going to try a Mexican place in Fort Washington. The new place in Chestnut Hill is extremely tasty, but it is expensive and the entrees are the size of appetizers (no rice or beans and no free chips and salsa). Drinks are expensive and scanty as well. This place looks pretty good.

PM2: 35 minutes on the bike, followed by stretching and a pretty decent core session

PM: Treadmill - 8.25 miles with a set of 200s starting at 5k pace and ending at mile pace

Lunch: Treadmill - 5 miles in a bit under 35 minutes w/ blown workout

Plan was mile repeats starting around 5:49 and cutting down. I overshot the first one but it felt fine, then toward the end the effort got high (10.4), jogged a quarter and did the next one at 10.3. Just could not concentrate. Started another one at 10 after deciding I was going to try to just get through the workout. By then my head wasn't in it (it really wasn't from the beginning).

Couple problems here

1. Too cocky from last week

2. My head was really not in it. Having a tough time getting out of bed with the weather and not knowing about full-time job prospects.

3. I am much faster on the roads from 200s to marathon effort

PM: Treadmill - 8.5 miles. Followed that up with two turkey burgers and some baked sweet potato fries. That was good.

Unplanned day off.

Got home a bit after 9:00 and could have jumped on the treadmill, but didn't. Went to a lecture on prisoners and voting rights. Intriguing stuff, but I think the level of discussion was a bit too much for college students. Taught my two classes and Megan and I went to a play called Mothers and Sons. To think most of my days used to get busy like this. Free time is nice but an over abundance can drive you crazy (but I guess the alternative does too).

Got into Broad Street, which most people do. I want to run it hard but it's two weeks before a potential marathon, and one week after my key half. If I change my half to the end of march I have fewer weeks to get fit and my key 5k is a week later. Trying to be judicious with my race fee money this spring.

AM: 8.5 miles easy + strides. Did core at the gym after.

PM: 5 miles + stretching

AM: Treadmill - 9 miles in 60 minutes. Did 2 x 15 minutes at 6:00 to a touch faster with 4 minute recovery jog. Strides after the last interval and a 3 minute recovery jog.

I was supposed to wait and do a 4-5 mile tempo tomorrow but wasn't sure about the route getting there due to recent weather. Still should have waited one more day given Monday. Supposed to be quite cold in the morning and I hate running fast in tights. Today's workout wasn't what I wanted (4-5 tempo) but the effort was there. I wanted to quit pretty much every minute in the last repeat. I much prefer the roads where I don't have a clock staring me in the face. Still need to settle down a little and let my 10k the weekend after next judge my fitness (too long a time without a race). I'm ready to get after it and if not win, get a podium spot. 

PM: no shakeout. Megan and I ended up not coming home for dinner, getting a light dinner and very rare early week early day beers (5:30 is early drinking for a night owl).. We went to a fiction reading, which I enjoyed (they had free wine and small ginger cookies). When I was a serious student I used to do academic and cultural things all the time. Pretty insular these days but I had a solid week attending lectures and cultural events. I have plenty to eat, I'm warm, I can run a ton, and Megan is amazing. The rest will fall into place.

PM: 8 miles easy

16 degrees with some biting winds. Snow tomorrow, which will mess up the tempo loop when in rains on Sunday and then freezes on Monday. Ho hum.

Lunch: 7.25 miles easy

PM: Treadmill - 5.25 miles + strides. Set of weights.

PM: Treadmill - 9 miles in 62 minutes. Did a light workout of 6 miles @ 9.0-9.2 + a set of strides

The gym was up 14 degrees from what it's been so the pace to effort ratio was where it needed to be. Not much of a workout, but I'm slowing things down now that the buildup has started. No need for monster workouts just yet.

Lunch: Treadmill - 7.4 miles very easy. Core work.

PM: Treadmill - 5.25 miles. Stretching.

AM: Treadmill - 7 miles easy. Did some strides. Core and stretching after.

Got my first complimentary entry confirm this morning for the Unite Half Marathon (Rutgers U Half). I haven't earned it but I am happy to have saved $97. Financial matters have had me trying to really think about where I put my race fees, so this was a nice bonus.

PM: Treadmill - 5 miles

AM: Flourtown Tempo Loop - 11.25 miles, averaged 7:26

Sharpening Workout 5 x 1000 + 4 x 200

Goal was to hit slightly faster end of mile repeats for the ks (3:30-3:32) with 90 second recovery jogs and then run 6 x 200 in 38-40 seconds with about 90 second recovery jogs. I ended up only doing 4 x 200 because I made the loop and wasn't planning on much more than 10-11 miles.

Warmed up 3.4, did a few weak strides and went straight into the workout. The first one was slow and the rest varied by terrain and wind, which I had a decent dose of (10-15 straight on headwind).

3:36, 3:32, 3:35, 3:34, 3:28 (averaged what I did for 5 x 1 mile 2 weeks ago) Recovery jogs were 8:15-9:15

Quarter mile jog

36, 38, 37, 37 (recovery jogs were 8:30-9:15)

Wasn't really feeling great, but that's usually how these sharpening workouts go. Not sure if a PR is in the cards but I'd like to come in under 36 minutes on Sunday. Last year I ran a sizable PR off a week like THIS and only 2 solid months of training after injury and recovery.

PM: Off

AM: 7.5 miles easy. Stretching and core work.

PM: No run. Didn't fit it in before getting dinner ready. Looks like another week under 70. I think I am planning a bit lower mileage and getting in some serious faster stuff over the next 6 weeks to see what I can do in the 5k and half. Daylight savings is about 10 days away. An extra hour+ will make getting outside before dinner a sure thing.

The company that publishes Men's Health, Running Times, and Runners World is looking for different kinds of editors. Tempted to put in my application, but I don't quite have the skills for inDesign. That and I think I owe Runner's World some money for their automatic renewal that I never requested.

AM/Lunch: 7.25 miles easy. Did a few strides.

PM: 4.25 miles. Stretching.

PM: 5.1 miles. Did some strides. A few on the roads, a couple 200s on the track (mostly clear), and then one more on the road. Stretching after a late PB&J.