Who Am I?

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I'm a 45 year old runner living in the Sacramento area and have been running for just over 8 years (only ran before then when the military ordered me to). I worked my ass off trying to qualify for the 2012 US Olympic Marathon Trials and finally achieved this goal at the Chicago Marathon on 10-10-10. This blog began with a focus on the training and adventures that led to my 2:45 marathon and will continue to chronicle my efforts leading up to the big race in January 2012 and beyond. Cover photo by Ian Shive.

Monday, March 11, 2013

Recap for week of March 4th

March 4-10
80 miles
4 dog jogs
19 mile long run



Nothing much to report this week except that I had a great workout Wednesday and a not so great one yesterday. I did 6 x 1 mile repeats on Wednesday and decided during my warm up I wanted to try these out on the track. My warm up ended up being quite long as a result. When I finally got there, the two-lane track was occupied by a lot of kids--like 100 of them running in many directions. I decided to run my repeats along the road next to the track and see whether the crowd thinned out after a few. It did and I was able to finish the last 4 on the track. I like the track for both being able to get in a groove and get regular feedback on pace. My splits averaged just under 6:00 pace (see chart). That was about 7-8 seconds per mile faster than the last time I did those in late January.

Yesterday's long run was a struggle the entire way. These types of runs are inevitable. I was experiencing some belly issues, actually had been all week and had hoped it would be gone by then. The big challenge for me when I'm going into a workout feeling crappy is to get over feeling sorry for myself and get out the door anyway. I did that and I also did the workout within the long run. I wasn't sure what time I'd see when I looked down at my watch at the first 1/2 mile, but I wasn't surprised when it indicated 6:26 pace. That felt about right as my marathon effort that day and that's where I stayed for 6 miles.

I got my Emerald Nuts Across the Bay 12k race bib in the mail last week and decided I shouldn't waste it. As you'll recall I substituted the NorCal 10 miler last weekend for this race, but I've decided to run the 12k at marathon effort/pace within a 20 mile long run. I had 4 x 2 miles @ GMP on my schedule that day anyway, so why not? Coach Hadley agreed it would be fine and a good opportunity to practice taking fluids at that pace. It's a brutal course, but a lot of fun.  

This week my mileage jumps to 90 and I get lots of practice at goal marathon pace!

Run Away Fast!
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1 comment:

  1. If it's possible to have fun on a brutal course, I'm sure you'll find a way to do it! At least having company will make the workout easier. Nice going with the mile repeats - improvement is good feedback for the coach.

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