sub-3 or blow-up trying

Four easy miles on the TM + upper body weights.  Completed 300 miles for August- happy with this in that we did so much travelling.  Got my 70 for this week as well.  Decided to take it easy this weekend to be semi-rested for a 20k on Monday.  I don't have big expectations for Monday, yet hope for it to be a springboard for a solid September in preparation for an October marathon.  My legs feel ready for an intense month of training, so staying hopeful for October. 

Ran the New Haven 20k in the unofficial time of 1:24:14 (according to my watch).  They had finishing times at the end, but not chip times, so w/out chip I finished in 1:24:19.  My best time on this course is 15 seconds faster, yet because of the weather and my overall place (jumped 35 spots overall and 7 in my division from my pr time a couple years ago) I feel this is the best I've run this course.  After 2.75 miles of warm-up and stretching, I lined up for the race.  Splits are hard to remember, but this is a fairly close ballpark...

Mile 1:  6:31

Mile 2: 6:37

Mile 3: 6:34

Mile 4: 6:41

Mile 5: 6:44

Mile 6: 6:48

Mile 7: 6:51

Mile 8: 6:51

Mile 9: 6:54

Mile 10: 7:03 (big hill)

Mile 11: 6:45

Mile 12: 6:44

last .4: ??? Ended in 1:24:19 (1:24:14 w/chip)...my garmin said 12.5 miles total.

Went to 5 Guys & Fries for post-race meal- never had a burger so tasty!  Then came home and threw down another 7.75 miles (slow) to get some extra base mileage in towards October's marathon- felt good. 

5 miles on the TM @ the gym + leg work. 

Rainy out, so back to the gym TM...did 3-mile warm-up and then 6 miles @ 6:27 pace. 

5 easy miles on the TM @ gym + 20 min weights. 

Went running on a path/road going along the Housatonic River.  My wife accompanied by bicycle.  Started a little too late so suffered the effects of 80 degree temperatures + high humidity.  Did 2-mile warm-up, 8miles @ 7:20 pace (continuous rolling hills), and then began the death March a mile or two into my way back.  Complete 20 miles total- the last 5-6 were torcherous. 

8 slow miles- 6 of them on trails. 

Was asked to participate in a race put on to raise money for the Fisher House which gives care for injured soldiers.  I'd just done a 20k on Monday and a 20-miler on Friday, so I knew my legs may not be up to race mode.  Decided to run and treat it as a training run, keeping things around a 7min pace.  Little did I know how challenging the course would be- it was only 5 miles, but it was a trail run with many hills and rocky/rooty terrain in several places.  I stayed committed to a 7min pace and ran the course in just under 35 minutes.  This includes missing the last turn and running an extra tenth of a mile- 5 miles total and definitely a good training run. 

4 mile warm-up on TM and then 3-miles @ 6:22 pace...also threw in a leg workout on the weights. 

Got a great mp run in today...did a 4x3x2x1 workout.

- 4 miles @ 7:14 pace and then .25 jog

- 3 miles @ 7:04 pace and then .25 jog (stopped at water spicket)

- 2 miles @ 6:53 pace and then .25 jog

- 1 mile @ 6:42 pace and then jogged the rest of the way home (12 miles total).

Relief in weather- low 70's and low humidity. 

4 slow miles on TM @ the gym + 15 min weights.

Went for a progressive run...1st miles miles (9min,8:37,8:24,8:19,7:56) stopped to stretch and then continued the progressive trend (7:22,7:08,6:59,6:50).  Jogged the rest of the way home slowly for 12 miles total.

5 miles on TM @ gym + leg workout.

7.5 miles w/my wife- 5.5 of them on trails. 

Did a 20-miler alongside the Farmington River- my wife accompanied me with her bike.  Kept pretty much an 8:15-40 pace throughout the entire run.  Consumed two 32-ounce poweraids + 20 ounce bottle of water during the run. 

8 easy miles- 5 w/my wife and 3 on my own.

10 miles- 8 of them through trails @ about 8:40 pace. 

Really busy today, so didn't get to run until evening.  Hit the TM and did a 3-mile progressive warm-up, working down to 5:45 speed.  Stretched and then ran 3 miles in 18min.  Good, quick workout.  May try a longer speed tempo tomorrow. 

7 at the gym TM:  3 mile warm-up and then 3 miles in 18min...quick pause and then 1 more mile @ 6min pace.

7 more miles after dinner outside- 8:30ish pace. 

Ran 8.5 miles while my 9-year-old accompanied me by bike.  3 of them on trails and 1 on the track.  She stopped to run and I paced her to a 7:25 mile- not too shabby! 

Ran 7.4 miles with my wife at 9-9:30 pace. 

Ran the Hogsback Half in Colebrook, CT.  Seemed to be 300-350 runners.  The course runs alongside a river down and back.  The first 2-3 miles have a fairly steep downhill, the middle section is mostly gently rollers, and the last 2-3 was a nasty uphill.  I kept track of my time until about mile 10 and then it was just survival mode.

Mile 1: 6:15 (actually ran quite conservatively)

Mile 2: 6:21 (continued to be careful on the downhill)

Mile 3:  6:36 (seemed a managable pace, rolling, yet more down than up)

Mile 4: 6:45 (rolling)

Mile 5: 6:41 (still rolling)

Mile 6: 6:46 (stopped to drink water and still felt good)

Mile 7: 6:41 (rolling and now beginning to gradually go uphill)

Mile 8: 6:54 (definitely feel a gentle upward)

Mile 9: 6:57 (hanging on well)

Mile 10: 6:59 (might have been my last sub-7)

Mile 11: 7:05 (here comes the big hill!)

Mile 12-13.1??? (It wasn't pretty, but I held position, passed one runner at the 12 mile marker and finished 1 minute in front of him.)

Official time:  1:29:36 (2 full minutes faster than my pr on this course)- 9th overall and 2nd in my age division- I'll take it!

Ran 3-miles and then joined my wife for another 6.2.  Now am celebrating her birthday w/family. 

2-miles on gym TM and then weights another mile on TM (progressively getting faster) and finished with 3-miles in 18min (6min pace).  Feel like I'm really starting to get my legs going.  Very encouraged to have recovered so quickly from Saturday's 1/2 marathon.  Starting diet for October 21st marathon.  Hope to drop 3-4 lbs and break 3:05 for the first time.  Think I'm right on pace. 

Jogged 1/4 mile then moved into a 4 mile tempo (6:57 pace), jogged 1/2 mile and then moved into a 3-mile tempo (6:45 pace) and then jogged the rest of the way home- 9.5 miles total.

3 miles on TM @ gym + weights.

Decided to another run in on basement TM- 3 mile progressive warm-up and then 3 miles in 17:30- did first mile in 5:39, was feeling it so slowed down part way through 2nd mile to 6min pace, but then regained legs and finished 3rd mile at just under 5:45 pace.  Felt strong! 

Basement TM:  1-mile warm-up and then 5 @ 7:24 pace. 

Did a leg workout at the gym + 5 miles on the TM, including 2 x 800 @ 6min pace.

Went down the Farmington River bike path to do my last 20-miler before the October marathon.  My wife accompanied me on a bike with two 32-ounce gatorades.  My goal was to keep a 7:30 pace for 16 miles and then finish off the final four nice and slow.  However, I was pleasantly surprised to get the first 7miles just under 49 minutes, so decided to keep a steady pace until I could no longer break 7:30.   Mile 10 threw me a little because I did it in 7:19, but then my slowest mile between 11-14 was 7:11.  Kept moving along and thought mile 16 might be my last (7:24), but somehow kept a 7:12 pace for miles 17-19.  Finally, shut things down halfway through mile 19 and trotted the last 1/2 mile in.  Overall, did 19.5 mp miles in 1:18:39 (7:07 pace) + 1/2 mile slow jog to hit 20 miles total.  Happy with the run. 

Ran a 2-mile tempo (7:15,7:15), jogged the third mile slowly and then broke into a 3-mile tempo (7:11,7:08,6:36) and then jogged the rest of the way home slowly- 9.5 miles total.