Pool Running is Fun

AM: 12 miles + stretch, foam rolling

PM: 5 miles + standard core routine

amazing, cool, weather. I did not even have to go shirtless.

AM: 4321 Long run with rain

PM: 1 hr. pool run

Off and on rain with Philippe. Rain wasn't really an issue until the last mile pickup when we became drenched and water logged. Had to slow myself down as I ended up running pretty fast as it was nice and cool. Splits:

8:33,7:52,7:37,(5:37,5:38,5:28,5:29),8:00,(5:31.5:29,5:28),8:00,(5:25,5:24),7:54,(5:24),8:16

AM: 12 miles easy

Legs are tired after yesterday but no overly so. 

AM: 12 miles + standard core routine, foam rolling

PM: 4 miles with 4x30sec strides

Pretty good weather. Went out to Great Falls for this morning's run. 

AM: 3 WU 5x1200m 2.7 CD

PM: 5 miles + standard core routine, foam rolling

Felt easy. Getting into some really good shape off of this marathon training. 
3:46,3:43,3:39,3:38,3:36. George mentioned I probably ran a little too hard. I think he was right but it felt easy at the time

AM: 10 miles

PM: 5 miles + alt. core routine, foam rolling

AM: 12 miles

PM: 5 miles + light core, foam rolling

AM: 3 WU 8K tempo 2.7 CD

PM: 5 miles

Progression format, 1600m splits: 5:32,5:24,5:16,5:16,5:11. Felt sluggish but still ran well. Must be all the mileage.

AM: 12 miles + standard core routine

PM: off

AM: 21 progression with a mile cool down. Last 7 in 5:39,5:39,5:38,5:31,5:30,5:29,5:24

PM: 1 hr. pool run

Amazing weather. A little chilly at the start. I forced myself to stomach two gels this time. Ran with Philippe most of the way before pulling away at the end. It felt rather easy as in I probably could have gone a long time at 5:35, no problem, which is a great sign for Chicago in 4 weeks.

Well that's a wrap on hard Chicago training. ran 112 miles this week and I'm feeling great and ready to run my best.

AM: 10 miles easy + stretch, foam rolling

PM: 5 miles + standard core routine

Nice and cool out. Allergies still there but manageable. Legs are tired. 

AM: 10 miles + stretch, foam rolling

PM: 5 miles + drills and strides + alt. core routine

Weather not looking too good for this weekend's race. Pushing 70 and very humid. Every year the weather really sucks at this half marathon and every year I keep signing up thinking it will be different.

AM: 3 WU 6x800m 2.5 CD

PM: 5 miles + standard core routine

Race week workout: a light set up 800s in the rain. Nothing too crazy.2:32,2:30,2:29,2:27,2:27,2:26

AM: 6 miles

PM: 5 miles + standard core routine

Disgusting and humid again. 70 degrees with a 69 dew point...DC turns into a greenhouse just when race day comes around...I'll do my best but if I do my best in a dry 55 degrees vs. a 67-70 high humidity day, my time will be significantly faster on the cooler day. It just sucks because we've been spoiled with relatively cool and dry air most of this month and whatever adaptations to the DC humidity we had have probably left by now. 

completely off to rest

4 miles + a few drills and strides and light core

very hot and humid

I went in this race with high hopes (as usual). Afterall, it’s always best to be confident, right? My training was going great and everything felt very easy. I felt like I could run 5:30-5:40 pace forever the last few long runs and the mileage never made me too tired. Then the weather changed. It was in the 50s- low 60s and dry for most of the big workouts during the last few months. But it was 68 with 100% humidity for this morning’s race. I should have been smart and dropped down to the 5 miler or ran the half much more conservatively.

Sadly, in my excitement to race I ran with the lead pack for the first 6 miles—which felt so easy it was a joke to go low 5:20s. Then out of nowhere my legs started to get heavy. I wasn’t breathing hard or anything but my legs just weren’t moving fast enough to keep up with the pack. Then we started going uphill and my pace slowed even further. I tried to surge several times but my legs were all but shot 7-8 miles in and then it just got worse. I was not even suffering that much but rather my legs simply refused to move. It’s happened in nearly all of my races lately.

My guess is my legs are tired from a full marathon buildup without the taper. I took a day off and an easy day and it was obviously not enough to allow me to recover. I’ve come to this conclusion due to the fact that it felt so easy for 6 miles and that if I had tapered or had been doing short long runs, I’d have been able to hang on to the pack longer as my legs would have been fresher.

It’s really disheartening to suffer through yet another awful race. It’s safe to say that I will NEVER run this race again. I always say I’ll never run it again but this time I mean it. The weather is always terrible and you can’t get any worse this time of year than 68-70 with a 68-70 dew point.

update: after a few days I think a combination of things happened but mostly my legs just were not recovered enough going in to truly run my best and the heat just made it worse. I need to make sure I rest up for Chicago.

Results

Me breaking off the pack to get a bottle of water from my teammate. I felt like a million bucks here and it was at mile 5 or so. All of a sudden after mile 6 or so my legs felt very heavy and they refused to move. Guess all that mile caught up with me. Humid as f$ck too.

AM: off/rest

PM: 8 miles + standard core routine

Well, my run felt fine. Legs are a little tired. I just can't let my shitty prep races get to me as I begin my taper and mental preparations for Chicago.

AM: 10 miles + stretch, foam rolling

PM: 5 miles. humid

Hilly and slower this morning. Take a look at the forcast below. My question is "where did fall go!?" Well, it's got to cool off when October comes, right?

AM: 10 miles + stretch, foam rolling. Very humid

PM: 5 miles + standard core routine

Hot and humid

AM: 8 miles + stretch

PM: 5 miles with 6x20 sec strides

humid again. Supposed to be over 90 a few days next week. the average high this time of year is 76. Glad I'm tapering.

AM: 2.8 WU 3200, 1600 2.7 CD    10:36, 5:10

PM: 5 miles + alternate core routine

Nice and easy this morning. It's almost hay in the barn season as I have two weeks until the marathon. Sunday I have 16 progression and that's really it for anything too hard.

AM: 10 miles

Getting warm. slept in

AM: 16 progression with a mile cool down

PM: 1 hr. pool run

was getting really hot at the end of the run and was a little dehydrated. Still ran the last five: 5:40,5:36,5:30,5:31,5:32

AM: 6 miles + stretch, foam rolling

PM: 5 miles + standard core routine

Hot and humid again, about 90. Getting sick of July in late September.

AM: 2.5 WU 2x1600m,3x800m 0.5 CD

PM: 5 miles + standard core routine

had to skip cool down to catch the shuttle out to Ashburn. Good workout, not crushing anything as the hay is in the barn for Chicago. 5:10,5:02,2:27,2:26,2:23

AM: off

PM: 8.5 miles + standard core routine

Very hot tonight. It was 91 degrees at 5:30 pm. completely nuts as the average high this time of year is 76. 

AM: 7 miles 

PM: off. ran out of time. might as well take this one off

humid as balls this morning, 72 degrees a 6:30. Weather looking worse and worse for Chicago, sadly. Months of training could be a complete waste if its well over 60 degrees marathon morning.

AM: 4.5 WU 5K tempo 2.7 CD + standard core routine

PM: off

Feeling good during taper. Cooler weather. 5:20,5:16,5:14

AM: 10 miles easy around Duke University. hilly trail

PM: off