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!
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.
ReplyDelete