Going Long (again) in 2024

Yuck!  I am decidedly NOT happy with my race last night in Lively.  A full minute slower than I planned.  And I can see no real reason for it.  Not a good way to launch into my full marathon training program today.

My kilometer splits were:  4:03  (6:30/mile)     4:14  (6:48/mile)     4:26   (7:07/mile)     4:19 (6:56/mile)  and  4:25 (7:07/mile).  That gave me an average overall of 4:17/km or 6:54/mile  (was aiming for sub 4:10/km or a sub 6:45/mile).  

Like my 10k the week before, this was an evening race, beginning at 7pm.  I do NOT like evening races!  It was hot and sticky all day, and there was a stiff wind which also felt hot.  The temperature was 23 C with a humidex reading of 28 C.  That's 74 F with a humidex of 83 F.  So, similar to my 10k conditions the week before.

I ate a full meal at 3:30 pm, which was fine.  A banana 75 minutes before and a gel 45 minutes before.  I warmed up by running about a mile.  Never having run a 5k event previously, I looked up strategies on the internet and found that running the 1st mile a bit faster than overall goal pace was the way to go.  So, I did that.  However, I ended up slowing down below my goal pace after that, and I just could not push my body to go faster.

The course was uncertified ... and timing was done with a stopwatch.  Pretty low tech and informal.  My GPS watch showed the course to be fairly accurate, and showed me running 37 meters further than 5k, which is normal.  My guess is they used a GPS to mark the course.

Physically, I felt fine.  I think what did me in was the heat/humidity and the hills.  Of those, there were a fair number.  The 1st km was relatively flat, but the second featured two significant climbs and one descent.  The third km had three shorter ascents, and it was here that I really began to feel the heat and the wind.  The fourth km had one long slow ascent and one significant descent.  The final km was relatively flat until the second half, which featured a slight descent for about 200 meters, and then the same ascent over the same distance to the finish line.  I do not like uphill finishes!

The 'official' results are not posted yet, so I do not know where I placed in my division.  There were about 100 runners, give or take, and I came in around 25th, I believe.  Some of those young runners posted good times.

I do know that one woman who ran just in front of me the 1st 4 km came in at around my goal time of 20:40.  She pulled ahead in the final km and I just could not keep up with that pace.  Too bad I didn't have any kick left in me.

Oh, my little sister who did the Mayhem with me 10 days ago also ran this.  It was her first road race, and she did very well - had never run faster than a 33:00 5k, and she came in at 30:00.  I'm proud of her.  Disappointed only in that they did not give out t-shirts or finisher medals.  That would have been nice for her. 

Now, some positive:  this WAS my 1st 5k event, so it's automatically a PR.  Woo Hoo!  And, I KNOW I can beat it.  I don't know when I'll run another 5k - for sure not until after my full marathon in November - but I will beat this time for sure.  I'll just have to run in cooler temperatures.

My takeaway is I'm not trained for hot weather, and I do not run hills enough (downside of living in a flat valley).  Of course, the Hamilton Marathon is not hilly (well, at least it's mostly downhill).  Still, I'm going to run my weekly tempo sessions on a hilly course - I'll just have to drive to get to it.  And I'll keep running events of significance to me in cooler temperatures.  I guess I lucked out in Cleveland, as previous years it was quite hot there.  

I have to keep reminding myself that I am better than this time showed.  I mean, the pace at my Cleveland Half for the 1st 5k was pretty much the same as it was for this race.  I know I can do better.  And that's important for me going into my marathon training, because I need to settle on a goal pace for training.  Initially, I was going to train for a 3:25:00 finish in Hamilton, but after Cleveland decided to bump that up to a 3:20:00 finish goal.  My last 2 events, on paper, would show that the 3:25 goal is more reasonable.  However, given the conditions that I believe were responsible for slowing me down, I've decided to still aim and train for the 3:20:00 finish.  It will give me a little more wiggle room in that event if the conditions are poor.  I'll just have to be extra attentive to my body during training to make sure that I'm not pushing myself too hard by overtraining.

My program calls for all easy runs this week.  My 'easy run' pace is a range between 8:38 and 9:16, depending on how I feel.  So, pretty relaxed.  Today I ran it at an 8:55 pace, which was comfortable, even with the 96% humidity.

The race was just 12 hours ago, of course, but there don't seem to be any lingering effects from that.  Tight in a few places, but not sore.  My allergies have not entirely cleared up yet, and so my lungs are still a bit 'heavy', but much better than a couple of weeks ago.  Overall, I'm starting my training program healthy and with a decent base.  Just 17 1/2 weeks to go!

Six miles at the faster end of my easy range:  8:41/mile.  No issues ... a beautifully cool morning at 12 C/54 F, with the sun rising and very little traffic now that the schools are out for summer.

First off, Happy 4th of July to all American runners.  Enjoy your long weekend.

Today is a nice, cool and foggy morning.  Just 10C or 49F - perfect for running.  I ran at the faster end of my easy range - an 8:41/mile pace.

My back is FINALLY feeling 100%.  So are the hamstrings.  Even my iliopsoas is feeling a lot better - my massage therapist did a new stretch on it on Monday, and it made a huge difference.  So, all seems good 17 weeks out from my marathon!

My GPS battery died during mile 1, so I just ran on feel.  I knew the distance of this route anyway, so no problems with that.  I likely ran it at the mid-range of my easy run pace.  A beautiful morning for running!

This was my first Sunday run - Tuesdays are my new 'days off'.  Since I'm doing speedwork at the track tomorrow, I tried to run at the slower end of my easy pace range.  I still came in more in the mid-range, at a 9:03/mile average.  Maybe when the cumulative fatigue grows later on in my training, I'll find the slower pace easier to achieve.  For now, all is well.

Mondays are now for speedwork at the track.  And this is the 1st time I've been at the track in 5 years, so I'm looking forward to getting back into it.

This is the closest track - about 7 or so km from home, at one of the local high schools.  It was officially measured some years ago, as it became the track for regional events the year that the Laurentian University track was closed for a rebuild.  So I know it's a 400 metre track.  It's just cinder stone and obviously no longer used much.  There are weeds growing up here and there.  Fortunately, the inside lane is clear and in relatively good shape.  So, it will do for my purposes.

The temperature was a pleasant enough 19C or 66F, but with 100% humidity.  So lots of sweat!  There was a slight breeze that helped cool things down a bit.

Today was 12 repeats of 400 m, with 400 m recovery between.  My speed pace is set at 6:40/mile or 1:40/lap.  I was careful to not go out too fast in the beginning and managed to nail every lap - all at my goal pace or just below it.  I felt strong throughout and had no issues at all.  So, I'm pleased with this workout.  All the rest this week are easy runs.  

A nice cool morning for my run.  Just 10C (50F).  Ran at the fastest end of my easy pace (8:48), and I had to keep putting on the brakes to keep it there.

Nice cool morning for running - just 8 C/46 F.  My schedule allows for additional easy miles, so I ran 7 today instead of the scheduled 6.  All is feeling good so far.  Kept a pace of 8:48/mile - towards the faster end of my easy range.

Ran at the fast end of my 'easy range' - 8:47/mile.  Another nice cool morning made for an easy and pleasant run.

Started off slow, but finished strong, for an average pace of 8:48/mile --- at the faster end of my easy run pace range.  Was scheduled to run 8 miles, so overall ran an extra 3 this week.  

I'm finished the 1st 2 "warm up" weeks of my marathon training schedule - just 16 to go!  Next week we'll add in Tempo Runs and a Long Run, on top of the Monday Speed Work.

The Hanson's program does allow for increasing mileage beyond the advanced program, which tops out at 63 miles/week.  They suggest doing this by running easy instead of taking a day off/week.  I'm seriously thinking of doing just that, but will wait until I see how I feel on that day.  When I trained for Detroit, I topped out at 63 miles/week, and I am feeling I should bump it up, just a little, this time around.

Beautiful morning for running.  Mid teens (high 60's) and a cool breeze blowing, and very low humidity.

An easy run of 6 miles.  It was only 17C/62F, but with 100% humidity I was thankful for a bit of a breeze.  It had rained all night, and a storm had just moved through, but by the time I ran the sun was just starting to poke through and it turned out to be an enjoyable run in pleasant enough weather.

My program today called for 8 x 600m at a pace of 2:29/600m (6:40 mile).

My actual splits were:  2:28  2:27  2:26  2:26  2:24  2:25  2:25  and  2:26.

So, I'm very happy with the training session.  I felt strong throughout and had no problems keeping an even pace.  A good confidence booster for sure.

Weather was perfect.  Clear and sunny, with just a slight breeze and a temperature of 13C/56F and humidity in the low 80s.

Given the results, and provided there are no surprises between now and tomorrow, I'm going to run easy on my 'off day' to increase my mileage by about 10% over what the Hanson's advanced program provides.

5 mile recovery run at a super easy pace of 9:08/mile.  Was only going to run 4, but the extra mile allowed me to avoid a busy traffic area, and I felt fine in any event.

6 mile tempo run.  My 1st of my marathon training program - will be a regular Wednesday feature now for me.  I had really hoped to maintain a pace close to my marathon pace - 7:38.  Well, I still need to work on control.  

My splits:  7:38  7:37  7:39  7:31  7:35  and  7:18 for an average of 7:35.

So, I did okay for the 1st three miles, but didn't do too good with my control over the last three.  I'll have to work on that.

Ideal running conditions today - 10C/50F - with little wind.  Would love to have this on race day.

7 easy miles - 9:01 pace.  Beautiful morning - no wind, and only 10C/51F.  Perfect for running.

Another perfect day for running -  just 10C/50F and no wind.  I ran at the fast end of my easy run range - an 8:43/mile.  Will finish up the week tomorrow with a 10 mile 'long' run.

Even though it was only 10 miles, this is considered a long run - the first in my training program.  My long runs are done at an 8:18 pace, so just 40 seconds slower than my race pace.  And my program allows for race pace in the final 3 miles, so I decided to go for it.

So, the 1st 7 miles I was pretty much bang on pace.  Averaged 8:17, with only a few seconds faster or slower each mile ran.  The last 3 miles I ran at  8:36  8:29  and 8:21, so a bit faster than race pace.  It felt great, however, and there were no issues of note.

I ate a gel at the 45 minute mark and gatoraide for liquids.  The temperature was 15C/60F, so pleasant for running.  No wind.

Ran this easy six miles at the slowest end of my easy pace range:  9:15/mile.  A beautiful morning for a run.

Speedwork at the track today, with perfect conditions.  18C/64F with just a gentle breeze.  My program called for 6 repeats of 800m at a pace of 3:20/800m.

My laps were:  3:17  3:15  3:17  3:17  3:17  and 3:19.  So, I nailed it!  Very happy.  I had to push hard, but I did it!

Ran these 5 miles at the slowest end of my easy range:  9:11/mile.

Yesterday had a massage.  I was tight on the right side, and so asked her to focus on that.  Boy, did she!  My hip flexor, IT insertion point, and glutes were all tight - my hip was off quite a bit.  After an hour, I was balanced again.  Will have to focus a lot more on my stretching every day.  I get lazy there sometimes.

A cold front moved in last night, so it was a nice, cool 12C/54F for running my tempo pace this morning.  Goal pace is 7:38, and I really need to work on my control to maintain it, and I was happy with the results today.

My splits were:  7:38  7:36  7:36  7:36  7:41  and  7:29.  So, other than running 9 seconds faster on my final split, I nailed it and I'm happy with that.

I felt strong throughout - I could have continued running.  My only concern was a slight twinge in my right Achilles Tendon.  I think it may be related to my exercises last night.  Ever since my Tendenosis from Detroit, I've been doing 180 heal drops every night.  Once or twice a week, I do single leg heal raises off a step instead.  I did those last night, and I think it was too much before an SOS run.  Will save those for easy days from now on.

The rest of my runs for the week are all easy runs.

Brrr ... cold morning for July.  Almost could have worn gloves.  Just 8C/46F.  Ran in the middle range of my easy paces:  9:06.

Felt a lot warmer this morning than it did yesterday for the run - 12C/53F.  Perfect for running.  I ran at the faster end of my easy pace:  8:40.

Ran about middle pace in my easy range:  9:02.  Legs are a bit tired from yesterday's hike; I bushwacked my way to the top of a tall hill to explore an abandoned fire tower.  It was a tough walk of 2.5 hours return.  But then, that replaced my strength training for the day.

Ran at the slow end of my easy range, for a pace of 9:12.  Tough running today for some reason - 100% humidity doesn't help, I suppose.

Speedwork at the track today - 1000 metres (x5) with 400 m recovery.  Time for each 1000m was to be 4:06.  Cool morning with little wind, so good conditions.  I nailed it and felt strong. 

Ran my splits in the following times:  4:02  4:01  3:56  3:59  and  3:59.

So, I had an excellent workout and felt pumped at the end of it.

You know, under ideal conditions, on a flat surface, and if they let me take 400 m recovery jogs between each kilometer, I could run a 5k in under 20 minutes :)

A 5 mile easy recovery run - 9:10/mile - the slow end of my 'easy range'.

6 mile tempo run.  Still finding it hard to control my pace; need to run a 7:38/mile.  I averaged a 7:33/mile.  Close, but still a little too fast.

My splits were:  7:36  7:40  7:32  7:34  7:32  and 7:29.

Seven easy miles at the faster end of my easy range - 8:48/mile.

Ran today with a partner - I think for the 1st time.  Another local runner who I know and who has just recently got into the sport.  He will join me when he can for my easy runs.