Of Mice and Marathons

14 miles with Brandon and Patrick. Patrick went back around 12, while Brandon and I finished about 1.5-2 of the chark (chips/bark). Super fun run. Nice to run in a small group. Conversations ranged from the serious end of things to bathroom humor. Pace was not slow but it wasn't killer. Too fast for adequate recovery I'm guessing, but I am excusing it for wearing my compression socks, which I never use other than for recovery and that I am able to run with better form in a group. I pushed the pace a bit at mile 11 because I thought we were closer. 6:34 on that one. 7:18 overall.

AM: Spring Vale Cemetery - 7 miles, averaged 8:47. Warmer weather coming in. Here's hoping it's dry, which I think it should be. Lots of easy running for at least the next 3-4 days anyway, probably nothing until Friday just to be smart.

PM: Municipal Golf course (or the area formerly known as) - 7 miles, averaged 8:17. A bit longer than planned, but it was hot, dry, and breezy. Checked out stretch of trail that I usually use for mile repeats, and it is back in good shape. The golf course is mowed, and I think Brandon said they are making it into a disc golf course. I ran on some of the old paved trails, extended what was supposed to be 5-6. I had never been on the course, but I guess since it wasn't private I could have before the town abandoned it. Should be a fine addition to my cemetery runs.

AM: North side - 7 miles, averaged 8:21. Did a couple strides and one school-to-school at just over 5:00 pace.

PM: Spring Vale Cemetery - 6 miles, averaged 8:26. Saw a fresh grave. Got spooked even though I am not highly superstitious. Never seen one. Gave me the willies though. Did some warm weather strides on the way home.

Today I enabled weight tracking, following what Riley did a few months ago. Bam once joked that I looked like "a rotund Riley Cook" in one of my race photos to which I of course replied "Do you mean to say I look fat in my new singlet?" Nothing crazy here, just a public accountability. Last March I was running 163-166, but after I got back from Vegas I never really got it back. Most of my late spring racing was 168-170ish. Not a heavyweight by any means (I'm a hair under 6'), but a lot of weight for 80+ miles a week and a pretty decent diet. I think at 158-162 in peak shape I could get much faster. Again, nothing crazy here. Oh, and through a conversation with Megan and some calculations I did, I can't get down to less than 155 anyway or she wont date me :)

AM: 18th street to Fink Cemetery and back - 10 miles, averaged 7:51

Hurray for the ability to post via iPhone! I need access to FRB ALL THE TIME.

PM: North side - 4.1 miles, averaged 7:55. Did some strides.

This morning marked the start of my highest mileage year so far by besting 2012, my first full year on the blog and 2nd year of running. My goal for this year was/is to hit 3000. I should be there by the first two weeks of October.

AM: Spring Vale Cemetery - 6.25 miles, averaged 8:20. Did some strides, including one school-to-school at 4:50 pace. I was beathing hard at only the hafway point, which I can usually do these at this pace and have my breathing be "comfortably high." I started almost from a dead stop, which contributed to the effort I think. And the air feels like the ocean is near (obviously, it isn't).

PM: North side - 4.75 miles, averaged 7:37 w/ one school-to-school @ 4:41 pace. Had a little boost from my iPod. I think I will start the interval farther back a few times a week, adding just 50-75 meters every few weeks to see how long I can stretch sub-5 pace without dying.

Need to do some sort of workout in the morning. I've vascillated among about 10 different ones. I need something in the 14+ total range (that's easy enough), I'm trying to improve my LT but also my aerobic strength. But then I think I should be working on my 5k pace, but I have a hard 4 mile effort on Labor Day, so I don't want to get terribly beat up.

7-8 miles @ MP, 10 x 1000 w/ 90 seconds rest @ LT+, a Bam Buster wave run 2(6 x 1k) alternating HMP and MP (my final marathon workout last spring), 4 x 1.5 miles @ LT, 10-12 miles followed by 4 miles with what I can muster.  

AM: Aerobic Builder. Total of 14 miles, averaged 7:10. 7-mile tempo @ 6:28 pace. I wanted something that told me "Jason, it's okay to run high mileage at your level if you don't injure yourself every 3 weeks and it is paying off even if you don't see it." This is faster than anything I ran last spring for my marathon buildup I am pretty sure. I know it is 12 seconds per mile faster than the 6er I did 2 weeks ago and I felt stronger and more relaxed. 6:35, 6:33, 6:29, 6:30, 6:28, 6:23, 6:18. I should have held 6:35 pace and I could have stretched this to 9 or 10, but in time. In time. These are to help my strength for my halfs. As for the next marathon, Boston 2014 will be much faster :)

PM: North side - 4.15 miles, averaged 7:53. Hot.

Signed up for some races, one that was tentative, one that I was planning on, and one I just found out about: the SIA Track Attack 10k, which is run on the Subaru test track (there's a plant even though no one in the town drives anything other than American, bumperless cars or could afford much else). Should be either fun or insanely dull. Either way, it's a workout with a race context.

Spring Vale Cemetery - 10 miles, averaged 8:00

A personal best for weekly mileage . . . by 250+ meters, but still. Longest run was 14 miles. Previous best had a 21.25 miler at the end. Minor cut back next week, light week for race week, then more of the same. Nothing magical, nothing crazy.