Of Mice and Marathons

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.