Boston Strong

Ran 10 k course and back ... time to revise time goal!  No way I can hold planned pace, especially on miles 4 & 5 uphill!  About 30 seconds slower per mile is probably realistic, so maybe sub 42 instead of sub 40!

I was not running for time today, but wanted to run planned 6:45s for M 4 & 5, couldn't even come close!  Downhills are too gradual to crank out really fast miles, & uphills are too steep to hang onto sub 7's ... have to re-evaluate my race plan/goal!

Ran course in 44:31(7:02 AP) ... 6:56, 6:44, 6:42, 7:17, 7:34, 7:20, 5:56 pace for last 0.3.

Ran back in 48:50 (7:50 AP) ... 8:30, 7:21, 7:40, 7:56, 8:30, 7:29, 6:30 pace for last 0.2.

Got some exciting news last night though.  I am volunteering for ATC to do an elite athlete pickup at the airport on Saturday.  My assignment is Tracy Lokken, could not have picked a better person.  He will contest for a podium spot in the Masters Division.  He won the 2009 U.S. Masters marathon championship with a 2:22:34.   He also won the cross country Masters championship last year both the 8k and 15k., and 2009 10 k championship with a 32:10.  This April he was top American Master at Boston with a 2:26:00 ... with a calf inflamation from Mile 4 on!

Maybe chatting with him will inspire me to find a sub 40 in me!!

 PM Update:  10k #3, on trail, 88 degrees, 630' vertical, 59:59

Yes, I ran the last 0.2 in a 7:30 pace to keep it under an hour!  All on trail, except one 1/2 mile down hill on pavement in 2:30 ... one of those was enough today ... no way I was doing intervals, brcause by the time I got back to the top on the adjoining trail, I was about to keel over!  Thanks to the Park Ranger who gave me a gatorade, I survived the remaining 2.5 miles back to my car.

Didn't run this morning ... but figured I would post a new pic of my son leading the pack in the trail race Saturday!  He made me really proud with a 3rd overall finish in the 2.8 mile race!  I let him dictate the pace & just coached him a little the first 1.8 miles, then made him chase me the last mile to help him finish strong!  lol   In another year or two, I may be chasing him in the shorter races!!

10PM - Tried to let it cool down, but did not get much reprieve from humidity!  72 deg, 100%

Felt great except side stitch at mile 2.5, probably residual effect of dehydration from yesterday.  Stopped for a minute, took cliffshot & water & backed off pace.  Took about a 10 minute break at halfway point at tennis courts, where got lots more water & took 3 more cliff shots.  Didn't have any problems on run back home.  Never looked at watch during whole run ... this is maybe a first for me!  I tend to get to concerned about pace early in run, and then struggle at end - so my goal tonight was just a consistent effort, nothing too strenuous!  Hills primarily cause fluctuation in pace.

Ate so much this morning, decided I needed to get in a quick speed run to get some calorie burn going on!  1/2 mile warmup, mile in 5:51, 1/2 mile cooldown ... I like shorter runs in this heat!

Morning - I ran to my car & drove to Waffle House & indulged in a double order Hashbrowns all the way (jalepenos, chili, the works!)

Had aspirations of a suicide loop hill workout early this morning, but was too tired & could not muster the strength to battle the humidity.  Probably will hit TM later to try to do a tempo run.

I have decided that my Half in 3 weeks is more important to me than the 10k on the 4th, so I am going to try to keep building mileage until Friday ... a heavier week than I should be doing for a peak performance race on Monday ... but need the mileage to be ready for my half.

 So for Monday, I have thrown my well thought out race plan out the window (thinking it was not realistic anyway).  Instead I am just going to run like hell and hang on for dear life when I hit the uphills in Mile 4 & 5!  Probably not a very smart plan, which could result in collapse or total breakdown, but it will be more fun like that, and there is always a slight chance my adrenalin will hold me together for my original time goal.

I did do a race plan for my half last night ... let's just say is is a little scary ... and could also result in collapse!  lol

Today was the last day of my son's cross country camp, so I awoke early & drove 90 minutes to Rome Georgia to join them for their last run of the week, their long run.  We ran on beautiful trails at Berry College, and they could choose their distance, based on their experience/previous long run distance.  About a week ago we had done a 4 mile trail run, which had been his longest.  Most in the group he was with turned around at 2 miles, but we pushed on up the trail another 1/2 mile, so he would get 5 total.  It was mostly uphill going out & we averaged about a 9:30 pace.  At the turnaround, I gave him some of my gatorade, we recharged for a minute & I asked him to try to keep under an 8:00 pace going back (mostly down, some rolling).  I restarted my watch & off we went, he finished strong, averaging a 7:32 pace for the 2.5 mile return.  He had a great week.  After grabbing a shower there was a cool classroom session where they reviewed video analysis of their form, and then camp concluded with a nice brunch.

My ex asked me to switch weekends, and so he is going to be with me for the Fourth.  I have gotten a hotel on Peachtree Street near my race course for Monday, so I think the plan is for me to take the train to the start, and then I have asked Alex to meet me on the course at about the 5.2 mile mark and jump in & pace me the last mile!  He can run about a 6:00 mile, and it is gradual down hill from that point ... and I will be wiped out from miles 4 & 5 up hill, so this could really help me finish strong.  Whether I am on pace to go sub 40 or sub 42, this will help me finish stronger, and be an experience that will mean far more to me than my finishing time anyway!  Only concern is that he rolls over & goes back to bed, but I will make it clear to him there will be a price to pay if he does not appear on the course & pace me to the finish!  lol

 I will do some 800's at race pace tomorrow, then rest Saturday & Sunday.

PM Update:  For reasons I don't really want to discuss,  I felt the need to go for a run.  Loaded Book of John on Ipod (thx Trap), and listened to 1-12.  8 miles, steady tempo/effort, 8:28 AP.  Splits between 8:18 & 8:38, appropriate to elevation changes ... honestly felt like I could have kept running forever!  84 degrees, but only 60% humidity ... which is really low! 

73deg, 88% hum

Legs were tired this morning, 50 yards in almost threw in the towel, but decided it was best to get some blood moving through legs to help recover.  Couple days of rest will feel good, & hopefully I will be in  a much better race state of mind come Monday, than I am in right now!

Went to Spin class at gym to loosen legs, ran 1 mile on treadmill at 6:30 pace.  Running 6.2 at that pace in the heat is hard to imagine!  We'll see on Monday, I will just go with the flow as long as I can, will be surrounded by lots of fast runners!