Denouement

Ran from home, 12.3k at 4:58 ave pace.  Started really slow then picked it up as I woke up.

PM: 40 minutes on the elliptical, core workout, stretching, rolling 

AM: warmed up just 3.75k then did 20 x 2 min on /1 min off fartlek.  Wanted to keep 3:40 pace and ended up at 3:38.2 ave pace for the fast bits.  I wanted to bag the workout after the first one, and again at about rep 11, but got through it and felt strong in the last 5.  A good lesson for the marathon, you might feel better in another 8 miles!

PM: Ran with my kids Mickie and Ben to Kowloon Tsai Park.  I run there often and it takes me 3.2k the way I go, but we went more direct which was more hilly, and 2.3k.   They went the whole way only stopping at two lights.  Then Mickie rested and I put Ben through his first true track workout.  We did a ladder.  I wanted him to do 200m (42s), 400m (90s), 800m (3:00), 400 (90s), 200 (42).  This turned out to be rather too challenging for the uninitiated.  He just got a 2:55 800m, so I was trying for the 400m and 800m to be at goal mile pace, then the 200m at goal 800m pace.  He's just so new to this that he hated the workout and whined about not being a distance runner (like any lazy kid he thinks he's a gifted sprinter).  So here's how it went, with me running along side him or in front of him:

200m (45s, 2:11 rest), 400m (93s, split as follows 43, 50, 2:35 rest), 800m (3:21, something like 96, 105, 3:04 rest), 400m (93s, at least he is consistent!, 2:57 rest), 200m (33s--him showing me who is boss, he even slowed significantly in the last 10m, I was more like 36-37) so he was not happy after this and I think I set unreasonable goals for the workout, but it is hard to know.  I am learning!  It is frustrating because I could be an awesome coach to my kids, but try telling an 11 year old (or a 13 year old) that training for a long race can be "fun".  Only hard core kids would agree.  My kids are soft, like little marshmallows.  I love them for trying to please me :D, 

Jogged back so got 6.6k (4.1 miles) 

In the evening I went to the HKAAA awards banquet and got one of six excellent women athlete awards for 2012.  There was a bigger award ("Best Athlete") and I didn't win that, but the woman who did was an Olympian, so there you go.  

AM: met Michael Lam for an easy run, nice conversation. 4:59 ave pace.  

PM: 50 minutes on the elliptical 

AM: ran 8.58k easy (4:57/k pace)

Midday: core workout

PM (start warm up 6:30), ran 3k warm up with lots of stretching.  Today is the last big workout before Boston.  It was 4 x 5k at goal marathon pace.  So not too aggressive, but long, trying to dial into goal pace.  Curtis joined me which was pretty essential for a workout like this.  His goal marathon pace is 3:45 and mine is 3:50 (well actually more like 3:53 but for the workout, it is much easier to keep round numbers).  So he was able to chat quite a bit, and I was able to eek out half sentences some of the time, so it was much better than being alone.  3:50 pace makes for 19:10 5ks. 5k's were 19:04 (about 3:30 rest), 19:10 (4:46 rest), 19:08 (5:12 rest), 18:53, picked it up a bit the last few k of the last one.  This workout is pretty good at mimicking the fatigue you feel in a marathon.  I turned to Curtis after the last one gave him high five and said, "Time to Taper!" He has a marathon a day before me in Korea.  I am excited and so happy I haven't gotten injured between these two marathons.  Just 664m cool down 

Dressed up to do elliptical but the gym was closed (Good Friday).  So I did amazingly little today.  1.5 hr massage, 7k run with my son and husband and two younger kids biking, so slow. Stretching at night.

Went to a church easter activity with the two youngins, then did my long run, starting just afternoon.  I took my oldest son Ben, rented a bike, and he gave me water support in the tempo bit at the end.  It was raining when we started, and windy most of the way.  The rain ended perhaps at around 10-15k.  I wanted to do the last 10k in marathon pace, but I was soaked and there was stiff headwind, so I decided to wait until the headwind stopped, which I knew would be around 6k to go.  Turns out there was still some headwind at that point but it was swirly wind, so sometimes tail wind, sometimes head wind.  5k in 3:51, the last k in 3:42.  My true marathon goal pace for a high 2:43 is about 3:53.  My real goal in the marathon is to break 2:45.  That would be sweet.