Of Mice and Marathons

AM: Neighborhood - 6 miles, averaged about 8:35

Tried to run on some soft surfaces in the neighborhood but got bored. Legs are good and beat up. 

PM: Neighborhood loop - 4 miles, averaged 7:36. Legs felt better.

Might as well call this one "Wrench Loop." A good little 4 mile loop, the rhythm of which I like, and of course it looks like a wrench mapped out

A very happy birthday to Rob Murphy today. 

Noon: VG to Forbidden Drive (NW) out and back - 9.25 miles, no watch. Did some strides.

PM: Wrench Loop - 5 miles, averaged 8:11. Stopped off at the track and did 3 x 200 ~98% effort in 33.6. Tried hard to get in the lower 30s but I can't run that fast. Good thing I don't really have to.

Lunch: Flourtown Tempo Loop - 14 miles, averaged 7:21 w/ 6 x 1 Mile w/ shortish recovery jogs with idiot calculations (avg 1:42). Averaged just under 5:55 for the repeats

Warmed up 4 w/ ~1/3 mile @ marathon pace. Legs are still kind of beat, but I was pretty happy with the workout, especially with my bad math while running. I somehow ran the 5th repeat of 82 seconds.

5:54, 5:55, 5:54, 5:56, 5:54, 5:55 (1:45, 1:52, 1:41, 1:23, 1:55)

Jogs were 8:20-8:30 with the 4th just under 9-minute pace. Cooled down 3 miles back up to Chestnut Hill (ouchies). I am pretty sure this is a PR for this workout, even though I have runt he same pace for 4 x 2 mile workout.

PM: Treadmill - 4 miles in 30:43. Starting to get dark early.

VG to Forbidden Drive (NW) w/ Thomas Rd extension o&b - 10 miles, averaged 8:17

Valley Green to Forbidden Drive (SE) out and back - 10 miles, averaged 7:49. Did some strides on the way back.

I'm making beef stew for dinner. Hoping it comes out okay.

AM: Houston Meadows (variation) - 9 miles, averaged 8:39

Legs were pretty dead. I saw two deer, one of which I thought was a dog because it turned back around and came toward me. I stopped my watch for a second, then continued. I got perhaps 25 feet from it before it took off. I was trying to see if I could pet it.

PM: Neighborhood + Springside Track - 4.75 miles, averaged 7:32. Did 6 x 200 strides on the track ~5k pace down 4:30 pace

Legs were more responsive but still tired. Hoping my big workout goes well tomorrow.
 

Flourtown Tempo Loop - 20.5 miles, averaged 7:17

Big Workout 4-3-2-1. This is the first time I've ever tried this one. It's not the hardest long run/big workout I've ever done, but it's pretty close. I think I followed it correctly.

Warmed up 6 @ ~ 8:00 pace (legs are still spanked)

4 miles @ just under 6:33 pace (6:36, 6:34, 6:31, 6:30)

4 minute honest jog (~7:40)

3 miles @ 6:25 pace (6:24, 6:27, 6:23)

3 minute recovery jog (~8:18)

2 miles @ 6:13 pace (6:11, 6:14)

2 minutes recovery jog (9:25, getting fatigued)

1 mile @ 6:06

~3.5 cool down

Happy with this one. I did not feel like doing it and my legs took forever to warm into it. Probably a good sign that I can still hit my paces when my mileage has remained relatively high and I am fatigued.

AM: VG to Forbidden Drive (NW) out and back - 9 miles, averaged 8:20

PM: Wrench Loop - 4.25 miles, averaged 8:19.

Getting pretty dark on these PM runs after I get back from campus.

AM: Creshiem Valley Trails + Wissahickon Valley Trails - 8.25 miles, averaged 9:50 (~750 feet of gain)

I apparently set a PR on the climb to the Secret Indian. He's marked on Google Pedometer, which I thought made it not secret, but I am pretty sure I ran by him twice.

PM: Neighborhood + Springside Track - 4.75 miles, averaged 7:34. Did 6 x 200 cutdown, then a 400 in just under 75 seconds

AM: Flourtown Temp Loop - 15 miles, averaged 7:15 w/ 8 mile aerobic tempo

4 miles up/3 down

8 mile aerobic tempo in 51:48, averaged 6:28

6:37, 6:39, 6:28, 6:33, 6:27, 6:24, 6:21, 6:18

Narrowly avoided my second German Shepard attack in the last 2 1/2 months. It came across the road at me so I started yelling for help and looking for cover. Ran around a car and thought of jumping on it to get a height advantage (I should have broke every damn window in that car given that it was the owner's). I screamed for a while, and finally some neighbors informed me it was the people's dog in the yard I ran into. I grabbed a fence post but it was rotted. Still a decent poking tool. The owner must have got the dog around back of the house because I no longer saw it but didn't see the owner. I ran my mouth to anyone who would listen for a while. It's probably time to get some sort of defense device.

That pretty much ruined my concentration and I started to run too fast (~mile 2.3-2.5).

PM: Walking Dead-looking school athletic fields - 4 miles, averaged 8:14

Wyndmor - 4 miles with Megan, averaged 9:32

I showed her the oddly placed statues I found last week. Good week. Slight cutback this week. Feeling really good and fit but I want to resist pushing harder than I am. This past week had some really good marathon specific workouts. Still some solid training left to do.

Valley Green to Forbidden Drive (NW) out and back - 10 miles, averaged 7:29. Did some strides.

Enjoyed watching the Chicago Marathon. Tracked a few guys who dropped at odd points (35k and 40k). Mr. Krong went after it, which was good to see. Given the hard start and tough finish he really wasn't far off PR range. One of my training buddies ran 2:49, and he was planning to run 6:00 pace even though "it probably wouldn't end well." It always gets me excited to race in the fall.

Treadmill - 6 miles in 43:42. Did some strides.

Effort felt very high for the pace. Day sucked. Run sucked. I slipped of the mill monkeying with my iPod, but with my ninja skills I caught myself. I'm going for a better day tomorrow. It involves a 23 miler, so there's a 50/50 chance it will suck.

Forbidden Drive (back and forth mostly) - 23 miles, averaged 7:27

PR for gels. 1 before and 3 during (I generally don't use them in training). Used the Valley Green water fountain for some brief water stops to get the gels to absorb. They worked out fine and at that pace I didn't notice them once they were in my belly. PR for miles run on dirt was well. I think 17-18 were on softish surfaces.

67 degrees and 90% humidty to start and 75 with 66% humidity to finish. I was planning on plodding around 7:45 pace but 7:20-7:35 felt pretty good despite the saturated air. About 1400 feet of climb according to Strava, which seems more accurate than Garmin.

Forbidden Drive (NW) out and back - 10 miles, averaged 8:29

Weighed in at 170.4, went running, had a small mouthful of water, weighed in a 165.8. I like the second number better. 

Somewhere in Utah there's a Mormon software engineer who runs road races in Crocs, getting bombarded with emails by irrate bloggers.

Forbidden Drive (SE) out and back - 10 miles, averaged 8:05. Did some strides.

Flourtown Tempo Loop - 16.25 miles, averaged 7:05. Big Workout.

Warmed up 4 miles and did about a third of a mile at marathon pace. A beautiful fall day, about 60 degrees and sunny to start with a good fall breeze. I decided to shed my shirt on my secret hanger as it was definitely getting warm enough. Did some strides, which I haven't been doing much before workouts just to keep the mileage continuous.

4 x 2 Mile with w/ ~3:40 recovery jogs

Set 1: 11:56 (5:59, 5:58); 3:12 recovery @ 9:12

Set 2: 11:50 (5:55, 5:54); 3:57 recovery @ 8:30

Set 3: 11:54 (5:56, 5:58); 3:47 recovery @ 9:12

Set 4: 12:03 (6:00, 6:03); Total average just under 5:58

3 mile cool down.

EXACTLY 10 seconds faster than a month ago, but with slightly longer recoveries (not really enough to be that significant). Probably a PR for the workout effort-wise given when I did this in March it was 19 degrees and I ran 5:54/5:55 in screw shoes! This loop is definitely less forgiving. I was working toward the end, but I have done the workout enough to know where the effort should be. This was slightly harder than the one a month ago if memory serves me.

PM: Neighborhood - 4.25 miles, averaged 7:44

Broke in a "new" pair of Kinvara 2s. My old ones are splitting. Could go some more miles, but at $50 I think they don't owe me anything.

Chesnut Hill College Hill Loop - 7.5 miles, no watch

Ran the first two with Megan before she turned around. Picked it up slightly from there, but kept it quite easy and enjoyable. Lots of leaves on the trail.

The chorizo and eggs I had for lunch, although very high in protein and quite delicious, was likely the culprit for my late run "I'm going to crap my split shorts" bad form/running style.

There's also a Harry Potter Festival going on in the neighborhood. Apparently it is quite famous and schools come to compete in whatever that Harry Potter game is that is played with brooms. Lots of younger kids in capes walking around.

For the second time I saw a Neapolitan Mastiff, which I didn't know until I finally asked the woman who owns it what it was. I wouldn't necessary buy the breed, but I thought it was an intriguing, quite handsome one.

There. I think I covered everything.

Country Roads - 10.25 miles, averaged 7:40. Did some strides.

Tried to connect to one of the trails I've yet to explore but the route I took wasn't super safe. You get out of Chestnut Hill and it's all beautiful farmland, but not great for safe running. Lots of sheep and other critters.

Snagged a pair of A6s. I am retiring lots of shoes and selling some that I won't end up wearing. Really good sockless. HUGE update from the 5s. Not sure if it is a marathon shoe for me. Need some more runs. As responsive as my Newton flats (which I wore for my last marathon) and even lighter, but they are more forgiving with the 4mm as opposed to 0mm drop. I may just play it Safety BoB and run in a new pair of Kinvara 5s.

I'm really taking a cutback week this week (was supposed to last week, but even cutting out doubles didn't quite do it). Doing my tuneup half next week end. My #1 goal is to win the race.

Lunch: Flourtown Tempo Loop - 13 miles total w/ tune up workout

Tried the loop in reverse today and it is a good bit faster. I regularly lose 2-3 seconds (or more) on the short steep hill.

4.1 warm up

5 x 1 mile w/ ~2:00 recovery jogs (1:52 average)

5:40, 5:40, 5:42, 5:44, 5:40 (5:41 average)

3 mile cool down

I now wish I was running a half on the open roads but hopefully the bike path/packed dirt course will be okay next Sunday. I would hate to waste my fitness on a crappy course of mud or other factor. Ultimately the focus is the marathon, but I generally revise final goal plans based on a 4-week out half tune up. If I said I was happy with the workout today, that would be an understatement. I had to keep tucking my peacock feathers back into my shorts on my cool down.

Spoke too soon on the sockless factor maybe.

PM: Off. Grading marathon. Good thing it's fall break.

PM 1: Valley Green + Forbidden Drive (NW) out and back - 8 miles, averaged 8:05

PM 2: Neighborhood - 4 miles, averaged 8:07. It was very dark. I fell. Might have to get a headlamp (won't save me from falling but it's not safe to run when you can't see your footing)

AM: Forbidden Drive + Neighborhood - 5 miles, averaged 7:36

I'm hoping this extra weight is from extended "weekend weight" from fall break.

PM: Chestnut Hill College Hill (reverse) - 7.25 miles, average 7:30

Muddy on Forbidden Drive. Good prep for this weekend, as there is ~2.5 miles of dirt that will likely be a bit soggy.

AM: CH College Hill Loop - 8.25 miles, averaged 7:32. Did just a few short strides.

PM: Wyndmoor - 4 miles, averaged 7:45

Thinking I might need to get a headlamp if I am going to continue to double throughout the winter (I can't recall what I generally do). Running through the dark twice this week was fun but dangerous. Any suggestions for something inexpensive but not a piece of crap?

Neighborhood loop - 6 miles, averaged 7:50. Did some strides.

67 degrees and windy. Not bad, fall, not bad at all.

My plan to go out to win the half this weekend has been foiled by an (at least) 72:30 half marathoner disguising himself as a sub-1:20 hopeful (I did some research on the super secret resource called the internet). I am guessing he can run sub-1:20 with a stress fracture. Full concentration now on a PR (which was one of the goals anyway) and coming in under the course record of 1:17:30 (under 1:17:25 for a PR), regardless of what he runs. Hoping the warmer weather, sun, and wind dries any muddy spot up over the next two days.

Weight is being stupid again.

Neighborhood loop - 4.25 miles, averaged 8:07. Did a few strides.

My body thinks it's tapering for the marathon, but it's just a cutback week and a tuneup half. Weight has jumped significantly (stress eating it would seem) and my legs feel like junk. Hoping to run well tomorrow and that the wind is at my back. Whatever direction I am running.

Should have taken a day off given that I'm 3 weeks or so on, but of course I'm too stupid and too pround to run fewer than 70 miles in a buildup (which is pretty typical for the week before a tuneup half 4 weeks out).

There. I feel better.

AM: Oktoberfest 13.1. I'll write a bit more later. Disappointed but mostly because I broke my rule of only running certified half marathons. This one had had ~3 miles of cross country style mud running and bacially single track with mud and rocks. At one of the bridges there was a cement barrier, which I thought I had to jump over, but there was a small path around it. Didn't have enough time to warm up properly, got ticked at my time and my foolishness for picking such a course, didn't cool down (scheduled for 20 total on the morning). Course measured 12.8, but we were under tree cover the whole way.

I went to have a German brunch with Megan instead of cooling down (I'll pay for that). Had two beers. I'll type some bullet points later. Ultimately, I ran as hard as I could and the course was quite challenging (steep rollers, rocks, uneven ground, mud and puddles, etc). I just don't like to see those kinds of times for where my fitness is, even when I know the course was as the brochure said "3-5 minutes slower than what you usually run." The winner ran 1:11:30. I am guessing he is at least a 1:08 half marathoner. Likely a minute or two faster.

I'll just add splits and leave the above.

Splits: 5:57, 6:04, 6:15, 6:06, 6:12, 6:11, 6:28, 6:21, 6:28, 6:18, 6:40, 6:34, 5:53

7-9 were on single track. The slower splits at the end were on the step rollers (6-8+ % at times). Did okay on the grass finish running the last ~.20 between 4:35-5:00 pace. My 3rd 4th place finish in a half in the last 12 months (groan!). Should have kicked sooner because I reeled 3rd back in and fought off the guy who passed me at mile 11. I think 3rd got me by a second or two.

PM: OFF

Day off. Minor soreness in my upper hamstrings (both sides), the fact and placement of which is atypical but so was yesterday's race and lack of cooldown or shakeout.

27 days on and I should have taken a day sometime last week. I will learn next time. I did learn something from the last two years though: nothing fast until at least the weekend after a tuneup half this late in a marathon buildup. I tried a midweek MP tempo last spring and the one before that and they weren't pleasant. They also extended my recovery no doubt. Last big workout on Sunday. Likely a 10 moderate + 10 @ goal pace with a few cool down miles.

AM: Forbidden Drive (NW) - 10 miles, no watch. Felt decent.

PM: Forbidden Drive + Germantown Ave - 6 miles, averaged 8:15

AM: Springside Neighborhood + Germantown Ave - 6.5 miles, averaged 7:59

Didn't get out earlier for a morning 10 and Megan and I are playing swap the keys because someone (he shall remain nameless) lost his keys last Sunday after the race. Legs still plenty tired. Got in 500 feet of climb on this run. Not bad for a little loop.

PM: College Hill Loop - 7.5 miles, averaged 8:14

AM: Forbidden Drive (SE) - 10.25 miles, averaged 7:55. Did some strides.

PM: Rex + Forbidden Drive + Germantown Ave - 6.25 miles, averaged 8:03

Forbidden Drive (NW) - 10 miles, no watch. Did some strides.

Foliage is peaking. Cooler today. 50, but it felt cooler. Feeling fortunate to have a decent area to run after several years of running in a less than friendly running area. Lots of dirt miles this summer and fall.