sub-3 or blow-up trying

Ran on the TM at the gym- 2 mile warm-up and then 8 miles @ a 6:18 pace.  Feel pretty good for having gone 22 on Sat.  Weight is down to 176 lbs- would love to be 172 by race time. 

Ran the "Pie Hill" course.  Did the first 10.25 mile @ 7:32 pace and then costed in the last 3.35 @ about a 9min pace- 13.6 miles total. 

7 miles @ 8:20 pace on the TM.

First of all, pleased to have pr'd on a very challenging course.  My time was 4 minutes faster than last year's for this particular race.  The first half was downhill and, 4.5 of the miles being run on trail surfaces.  The second half was almost entirely uphill- all trail into the final 1/2 mile.  I felt good actually picking off runners over the final 3 miles- this is rare for me- I usually start fast and get passed at the end.  Here's a more detailed report...

Mile 1:  6:29 (partly flat w/slight downhill)

Mile 2:  6:32 (mostly downhill- being careful not to go too fast)

Mile 3:  6:35 (flat, w/slight downhill portion- now I'm running trails)

Mile 4:  6:43 (slight drop, stopped to drink water, very comfortable pace)

Mile 5:  6:37 (mostly flat, very comfortable pace)

Mile 6:  6:51 (flat, stopped for water, lost a little focus, so stepped it up a tad)

Mile 7:  6:33 (Partial drop, and then the beginning of an ascent)

Mile 8:  6:42 (Slight uphill, definitely working a little harder)

Mile 9:  6:58 (Gradual incline...passed by 2 runners)

Mile 10: 7:03 (Continued incline...now I begin to pass runners)

Mile 11:  7:07 (Getting steep, keep picking off runners, including one of the guys who had passed me)

Mile 12:  7:17 (Steep incline, passed a couple guys, stayed focussed)

Mile 13:  6:58 (Steep incline for 1/2 mile, back on road and continued incline for 1/4 mile, and then a steep decline for 1/4 mile before turning corner for the finish)

Last .1:  41 seconds (6:05 pace- sprinted uphill for the final stretch...felt great!)

Ended up 13th out of 295 runners and 3rd in my age group.  Very satisfied with my run and hope to carry it over to the marathon in 2 weeks. 

Ran 7.8 miles with my wife who went on to run a total of 14 miles.  She's getting ready for a 1/2 marathon and looking good. 

Crazy ice and wind out today.  Went to gym, did 2 mile warm-up on the TM, and then ran a 10k on the TM in 37:48 (6:06 pace).  Feeling great for having run 1/2 marathon on Sat. 

6.5 miles on the TM @ 9min pace.

7 miles @ a nice easy pace (8:40ish). 

Jogged 1/4 mile warm-up and then ran the first 6 miles of the Litchfield Road Race in 38:05 (6:21 pace).  Finished up with a 3/4 mile "cooldown"- 7 miles total. 

Ran 8.2 miles w/my wife at just under a 10min pace- 50% trails.  Gorgious day!

9.5 miles at just under a 9min pace.

Alright, trying to stay calm in the midst of tapering.  Ran 1-mile warm-up on the gym's TM and then did 5-miles (TM) in 29:40- 5:56 pace.  Yes, it's easier for me on a TM, yet that's still booking for me.  Shut things down even though I still had energy in the tank.  I'm at 175 lbs which is the lowest I've been since 10th grade. 

30 minutes of weights + 8 miles @ 8:40ish pace.

Went to the track in hopes of running 3 mp miles as a final "dress rehearsal" for this weekend.  Ran 1st mile slow and then tried to pick it up to mp.  It was very windy, the type that was blowing down garbage cans and even a bench sitting next to the track.  I checked my watch at the end of lap 4 and saw 6:55- way too much work for that kind of pace.  Decided to shut it down and come back later in the day when it was less windy.  Stopped by Dunkin Donuts for a juice/bagel and then was suddenly struck with the thought- "I haven't come this far to whimp out on the final workout", so headed straight back to the track with a new sense of purpose and drive.

Immediately started into a 3-mile mp run (actually was really more of a half marathon pace).  Decided to pick things up with the wind at my back and then stay steady against the wind.  Mile 1- 6:38 (that's more like it), Mile 2- 6:35 (feeling in a bit more of a groove), Mile 3- 6:23 (actually the same pace as the first 2, but picked up the speed on lap 4).  Finished things off with a 2-mile "cooldown" and much better peace of mind- 7 miles total.  Tomorrow I'll run 4 with my wife and then take Fri/Sat off completely. 

I'm a little nervous- 3 of my children were puking last night.  Why?  Why always on the week of a marathon?  Plenty of nutrients and fluids for the rest of the week and pray that I stay healthy. 

Ran 4 miles on the TM @ 8:30 pace, throwing in 6 x100 @ 6min pace.  Last run before Philly- tons of energy!

Goals for "Philly"...

1) pr- break 3:09:09

2) break 3:06- 3 min pr would be satisfying

3) Keep a 7-min pace- 3:03:00- this might be do-able.  The furthest I've taken a 7-min pace is 16 miles- we'll see how far this will last this weekend.

The plan...

Start off at a 6:50 pace and keep it as long as it remains comfortable (never want to fully rule out a sub-3).  If effort becomes too difficult, shift to a 7-minute pace and hold on for dear life (at least 16 miles).  If "wheels" fall off, then gut out a pr- anywhere between 3:05 and 3:09.  I feel prepared and healthy, the weather reports look good, so I'm going to be on the aggressive side.  My heart of heart guess?  3:07ish, yet I wouldn't be overly surprised with a sub-3:05-  we'll see!

Beautiful day for a marathon!  Low 40's, very light wind, and no lingering aches/pains.  For the most part I ran a solid race, keeping up with the 3hr pace group for 16 miles before shifting to 7min pace and then still felt decent until mile 24.  Cramping began to take place with my left hamstring, yet I was able to battle through the final 3 miles (7:49,8:12,8:25) enough to still pr by over 2 minutes (literally galluped mile 26...this does wonders for crowd response!).  I'll give a full race report later in the day...

Wide awake at 4:30 am and got up at 5:20.  Walked with Ed and Jodi (my wife) about a mile to the starting gate.  Each of us talked through our goals- Ed wanted a 3:10-15, Jodi (half) would be satisfied with a 2:10, and I wanted a pr (sub-3:09), yet felt it was attainable enough to aggressively see what I could do (willing to semi-"crash and burn" to test my system).  Although things seemed well organized, we cut it close with pit stop, baggage check, and trying to figure out how to get in the proper corral.  Made it w/7 minutes to spare!  Opening ceremonies included a "rah-rah" moment from Bart Yasso and we were off!

Mile 1:  6:30 (I'd almost forgotten the magic of a taper- too fast, but felt great!)

Mile 2:  6:35 (light rolling hills- very small)

Mile 3:  6:33 (slight downhill...feeling quite comfortable)

Mile 4:  6:43 (slight uphill)

Mile 5:  6:45 (slight up...still feeling great)

Mile 6:  6:54 (1/3 mile stronger hill...people were slowing down...maybe 1/2 marathoners?  seemed like I was passing quite a few on this stretch)

Mile 7:  6:42 (nice downhill, followed by light rollers...oh yeah took my first gu/chocolate)

Mile 8:  6:54 (slight uphill and pleasantly surprised I was still doing sub-7's)

Mile 9:  6:41 (slight downhill...really feeling good- new it may not last much longer)

Mile 10:  7:00 (All uphill...nothing steep, but took note of my first 7-minute mile)

Mile 11:  6:42 (light rollers...wow, I'm still feeling fine!)

Mile 12:  6:50 (slight uphill section...took a 2nd gu)

Mile 13:  6:51 (pretty flat)

*Half marathon point:  1:29:06ish?  That would be an almost effortless pr for me for 1/2.

Mile 14:  6:38 (flat...where did this come from?  Knew I couldn't keep the pace up much longer, yet felt no danger of a "crash and burn")

Mile 15:  6:53 (slight down...I knew this would probably be my last sub-7)

Mile 16:  7:01 (happy with the time, considering I literally stopped to drink 2 gatorades...a little annoyed by a fellow who decided to forearm me in the back, but hey, I stopped, so I'll take it without issue)

Mile 17:  7:00 (got passed by the sub-3hr group and kept them in close view for about a mile)

Mile 18:  7:13 (steep uphill/all relative, but steep for this race...lost hope of keeping the sub-3 folks in range...3rd gu)

Mile 19:  7:14 (flat...hoped I could keep this pace to the finish...thought it was possible)

Mile 20:  7:19 (flat...ok focus on form)

Mile 21:  7:26 (flat..now my new goal is keeping everything at 7:30 pace)

Mile 22:  7:36 (flat...so much for my last goal...ok focus on 7:30 pace)

Mile 23:  7:37 (slight down...could of sworn I was going faster!)

Mile 24:  7:49 (steady uphill...a bit discouraging...felt like a lot of effort w/legs for little return...my systems fine, but my legs are dying...tried to put mind over manner and pick up the pace, since I really had no fear of a "crash", just knew my legs would hurt a bit- determined at the mile marker to kick it into a new gear and just gut it out...maybe a 3:05 or 6 in the cards?)

Mile 25:  8:12 (still a slight uphill, but maybe 7:30ish left...all lost with a bit of a twinge in the left hamstring...battling to keep form and not pull something...no longer focussed on time, just wanting to finish without an injury)

Mile 26:  8:25 (slight up, almost flat- feeling a little silly.  There's definitely something with the left hamstring- maybe a cramp?  Found relief by literally galluping.  Maybe not as bad watching as I felt it looked...well, maybe just as silly looking as I felt, but then noticed more people calling out my name than before- bib's had first names printed on them.  Upon positive crowd response I may have begun to exaggerate the gallup a bit, but felt a rush with about a 1/2 mile left in the race.  Began galluping past a 1/2 dozen or so people.

Last portion:  Don't know exactly the time.  However, the clock was pretty close to a 3:07 and I promised my daughters who had predicted my time that I would break all of their predictions (their lowest being a 3:07).  As I barrelled in towards the finish line, I unashamingly limped passed a woman, probably in her 40's, who looked much more in control of things than me, but my pride was still on the line.  My garmin had me finishing 26.4 mile in 3:06:54...the official time was a 3:06:59 (that last second is worth an entire minute for me in so many different ways!)

Overall, I was satisfied with the course, my effort, and even the time (yes, a pr!).  Ed finished in 3:15 (6th in his age division) and my wife ran an impressive 19 minute pr for a half (2:01).  For the first time in about  2 years I feel as though I'm in position to have a "break out" race/marathon.  I now have 3 years worth of base training (starting 3 years ago today- did a 3 day training program for a local "Turkey Trot"- finished 10k in just over 50 minutes).  This past Fall was the strongest I've felt and finally feel as though 70/weeks are managable (vs. always sore and on the verge of injury/breakdown).  This blog has been very helpful for my training- insight, encouragement, and inspiritation- even from those who may not even realize I exist (great to read the training of those who are stronger or more experienced runners than myself as well as observe the progress of so many of you at many different levels).  Thanks to those who've already commented and I look forward to be part of this community going into the 2011 season! 

Lifted weights for 30min and did 2 miles @ 10min pace on the TM.

Ran 4.75 miles with my wife @ 10min pace.

Brought my family to watch my wife run in the Goshen Turkey Trot.  Later I ran 11 on my own- 10 @ a 7:59 pace.  Feeling good.  Happy Thanksgiving!

Did 20-minutes weights at the gym + 6 miles on the TM...after a 1-mile warm-up did 18 x 1min @ 6min/pace (1-minute jog @ 8:50 pace between sets).  Very comfortable feel as I continue to ease back after last weekend's marathon. 

Jogged 2 miles down to the track and then did 4x400 (83,82,83,82). Jogged another mile on the track and then ran 2 miles home- 7 miles total.  This was my first "speed" workout (faster than 10k pace) in a long time.  I hope to ease into it more gradually (no achilles pain!) and be able to run quarters in the low 70's by Spring.  We'll take things a week at a time.  There was a day when I could break 60 quite easily (h.s. football), so I'm hoping there's still something there to tap into. 

15 minutes of weights followed by a TM workout...

- 2-mile warm-up

- 2 miles @ 6min pace

- .25 mile jog

- 2 miles@ 6min pace

- 1.75 mile "cooldown"

8 miles total.

Raining out, so ran on TM:  2 mile warm-up, 4-mile tempo (6:39,6:39,6:35,6:31), and then 2-mile cooldown- 8 total.