3/16 to 3/22: Three and Half Hard Efforts

Sunday's half marathon was a great race leading up to Boston. The legs were mildly rested, and without ever feeling comfortable I was able to run a solid race. I have to believe that my training has me well prepared for Boston and that I can run the comparable full marathon (according to various calculations...1:21:04 has a ~2:50 equivalent...yikes). Only one way to find out.

I ended up putting in a pretty solid tempo-ish effort the very next day, banging out 10 miles at a ~7:09/mile pace. I just felt pretty good and let my legs go at whatever pace they wanted. This might have been a little bit aggressive the day after such a hard effort - but even more so because of the workout planned for Tuesday...

On paper, for some reason, I don't think this workout looked that hard. The plan was to run ~6 quicker warm-up miles, then 2/1/2/1/2 with the 2 miles at MP minus ~10 seconds, and a 1 mile "recovery" at MP + ~40 seconds. I started off running home from work, grabbing some things, and heading straight to the track. I tried to keep this pace quicker so that I would start the workout really warmed up and a little fatigued. So by the time I started up, I had run 6.5 at a 7:28/mile pace. I felt fatigued, but probably due to the previous two days. It was moderately nice out, thankfully, so I was able to meet up with Alex (running her own workout) for some quick drills then get right into the workout on the outdoor track at Harvard.

Long story short, I averaged 12:40 for the two mile sections, and 7:07 for the one mile "rest". It got progressively harder to maintain, but I was able to finish strong and after the 2+ mile cool down I ended the day at over 20 miles, with the 16+ workout in the evening.

Data:

16-Mar		New Bedford Half Marathon		0:06:12		14.94		Really tough headwind throughout the race, never felt comfortable, but encouraging to gut it out.
17-Mar		Recovery		0:07:18		10.49		10m at 7:09/mile plus 5 or 6 strides down Poplar.
18-Mar		MLR/Hills/Speed				20.67		AM: 4m to work at 7:42/mile PM: 6.5 at 7:28/mile, then a 2/1/2/1/2 workout on the track. Averaged ~12:40 for the 2 mile segments and 7:07 for the "rest." This was a tough workout, but I basically nailed it on tired legs. A good sign.
19-Mar		Recovery		0:07:43		6.06		Dropped the car off with Eli and ran home.
20-Mar		Intervals				13.47		AM: 4m at 7:39/mile PM: 800/1200/1000/600x4 - quick
21-Mar		Miami				0		Travel Day
22-Mar		Miami		0:09:25		5.07		An easy run with some friends. The slow pace meant I could just spend time in the heat and let my body get warm without taxing the legs.

Thursday Splits:

800-2:40.38

1200-4:00.97

1000-3:22.43

600-1:58.67

600-1:53.61

600-1:55.47

600-1:49.10

Total Miles: 70.70

New Bedford Half Marathon Race Report

My half marathon PR was pretty soft going into this race, and I've been feeling pretty fit - so I knew ahead of time that I was assured of lowering my PR.  After the Jones 10 miler, I was hoping to be able to break 1:20, but I knew that would be difficult.

Race morning started off well. I woke up early and had my normal oatmeal, coffee, and water. And there was no traffic. Though, I ended up taking a detour throughout New Bedford because the google directions sucked, but I had given myself plenty of time - so no worries there. After finding a prime parking spot I was able to get in a meeting with Albert at the secret conference room, and then off to get in a ~2 mile warm up.

My only regret prior to the race was not doing a full set of drills and strides. I probably had enough time, but once I made my way to the starting line the front was already packed. This will be something I need to figure out for April 21st.  My legs always feel sharper after a good warm up, but if I'm forced to stand around/walk for 15 minutes after the warmup that kind of defeats the purpose.

Once the gun went off, I realized I was way too far back in the crowd.  Per usual, there was a shitload of runners who were running 12 minute miles who apparently couldn't see they were in the 6/7 minute section...This was actually really frustrating for the first few miles, because I would've loved to try running with Terry, and trying to compete with him - but I was never able to even see him during the race.

The first mile felt really slow, and my legs felt like lead. I was running briefly with Dima, and I ended up seeing Tom briefly - but he was closer to the curb as I was on the outside. The second, third and fourth miles were even slower, and I was a little bit worried that this would be a real shit race.  The two moderate hills and head winds accounted for some of the slowing, but I really felt out of rhythm.  And the niggling pain I've had in my left calf/achilles the past few days was causing a little bit of worry.

Miles 5 through 8 I was able to quicken the pace, but it felt really forced. At no point did I feel like, "ok, here we go, feeling good, let's hold this and maybe pick it up." Instead I was taking constant inventory of whether or not the pace would result in a crash.

Miles 9-11 were a pretty decent slowdown thanks to what I considered a pretty brutal headwind. I always feel like I'm a freaking sail when it's windy, I don't know what it is, but I certainly struggle. The one good thing I noticed as the race moved into the later stages is that I wasn't being passed, and I was beginning to pick off some runners that were hurting a bit.

The last ~2.1 miles was really tough. The course finishes with a generally uphill-tone. It's about a 275 foot elevation gain over those miles, and aerobically taxing at a challenging time. And if anyone that was racing with me at this point during the race - I apologize. I was huffing and puffing, and I was not being quiet about it. My legs were still so freaking stiff, and my body was just hurting in general.

But as I was dipping my toes into the well of pain, I felt the need to hurt. "Embrace it!," said the inner beast. As I pulled up alongside a runner looking steady at this late stage, he commented about the cruel location of one of the final hills we were about to crest. "Fuck that hill," I responded....it sounds abrupt now, but that's just the way I felt!

Turning towards the finish line, I still had enough to kick out a ~32 second 200 to the finish and pass a few runners...it doesn't mean a whole lot, but kicking to the finish gives me great satisfaction.

Officially 1:21:04. A new PR by 8 minutes and 25 seconds. And I consider it a solid time run in tough conditions. It's not a soft PR, but on a slightly warmer day with the legs not feeling so heavy, I think I can lower it fairly significantly.

Splits:

Split	Time	Distance	Avg Pace
Summary	1:21:07.4	13.14	6:10
1	6:11.4	1.00	6:11
2	6:18.3	1.00	6:18
3	6:18.1	1.00	6:18
4	6:23.1	1.00	6:23
5	6:00.8	1.00	6:01
6	6:01.0	1.00	6:01
7	5:57.9	1.00	5:58
8	5:59.8	1.00	6:00
9	6:13.9	1.00	6:14
10	6:25.2	1.00	6:25
11	6:26.0	1.00	6:26
12	6:11.3	1.00	6:11
13	6:03.7	1.00	6:04
14	:36.9	0.14	4:18

3/9 to 3/15: Mini Taper

Nothing really special this week except only one double, and reducing the number of repeats on the track. I also took my first day off in about a month to try and give my joints a rest. Still, after a second glance I had a solid long run, two track workouts, and a reasonably quick double on Friday.

This was also a big week for working on the kitchen countertops (DIY poured concrete). Didn't have dinner until like 10:30 for most nights this week, and not until midnight on Friday during a massive push to make sure I wasn't doing any heavy lifting the day before the New Bedford Half...I have the feeling that still exhausted me quite a bit for the weekend though.

Here it is:

9-Mar		Long Run		0:07:48		22		A pretty sluggish long run. Continue to feel lots of aches and pains, though nothing major.
10-Mar		Recovery		0:08:00		4.04		Easy recovery.
11-Mar		Mile Repeats				11.25		4m at 7:09/mile followed by strides then 1600x4
12-Mar		Rest				0		First day off in a while.
13-Mar		Intervals				10.67		800x6 - run at ~5:40 pace pretty evenly. Legs still feel pretty stiff and achy.
14-Mar		Moderate/Moderate		0:07:18		9.45		AM: 4.03 at 7:19/mile PM: 5.42 at 7:18/mile
15-Mar		Easy		0:08:00		4.09		Easy jog to marathon sports

Tuesday Splits:

1600-5:50

1600-5:50

1600-5:49

1600-5:37

Thursday Splits:

800-2:51.38

800-2:50.42

800-2:50.84

800-2:51.10

800-2:50.20

800-2:52.87

Total: 61.50

3/2 to 3/8: I am Link...A 100+ Mile Week

I always remember the most important part of The Legend of Zelda was trying to increase the amount of 'Life-Hearts' that Link could have. I would spend so much time trying to use the fire-thing to search for a hidden tunnel, or place a bomb on the rocks. And every once in a while I would get lucky and it would either lead to another level or to that old guy who would say:

Well, what do you think THAT is a metaphor for! It's obviously EPO in that vial. Obviously.

But you don't travel from one corner of the map to the other in search of a quick fix. You want that extra life heart even if it isn't full right away. You bust your ass to get as many hearts as you can, man! C'mon!

Then you work on getting that full life:

Well, I'm in the middle of marathon training, so obviously my energy/life level isn't at full...


But after my first 100+ mile week, I like to think I have some increased capacity.

BOOM:

2-Mar		Long Run		0:07:39		24.01		Never felt great, but I sped up for the final few miles. Mile 24 was in 6:59.
3-Mar		Recovery		0:07:48		8		Kind of a slog.
4-Mar		MLR/Hills/Speed		0:07:31		19.21		AM: 4.07 in 30:34 PM: 6m in 43:09, then 1600x6 averaging 5:46.9
5-Mar		MLR Recovery		0:07:35		11.22		AM: 4.1 in 30:44 PM: 7.12 in 54:27
6-Mar		Intervals				16.05		(800/600)x2,1600x2, 200x2
7-Mar		Recovery		0:07:40		15.18		AM: 5.06 in 39:55 PM: 10.12 in 1:17:36
8-Mar		Fresh Pond x 2				8.05		Freaking hell yeah. Goal achieved.

Tuesday Splits:

1600-5:48.8

1600-5:49.2

1600-5:48.1

1600-5:49.5

1600-5:44.8

1600-5:41.3

Thursday Splits:

800-2:50.1

600-2:03.1

800-2:48.3

600-2:00.4

1600-5:55.7

1600-5:47.5

200-31.9

200-30.4

Total Miles: 101.72

2/23 to 3/1: A good week

Started off the week with a very solid race. Continued the week with a very solid MLR, track workout, and tempo at Fresh Pond.

I had originally hoped to zone in on marathon pace specific workouts right around now, but I think the races on the schedule are just as effective.  And frankly, I don't know what my marathon pace will be yet! Amherst gave me a better idea as to where my fitness is at, so perhaps I'll try a certain number of miles at marathon pace during my long run on the 9th. Whatever. I don't know. I'm in that worn down state of marathon training. My brain doesn't seem to be functioning and I can't seem to string together a coherent thought. So here iz the data!

23-Feb		Amherst 10 Miler		1:01:08		13.47		Very solid race. 1:01:08. 5 mile and 10k PRs in the process as well.
24-Feb		Recovery		0:08:00		5.13		Just an easy run home. Elected not to go further. Achilles area still pinchy. And left ankle feels loose.
25-Feb		MLR/Hills/Speed		0:07:10		14.69		AM: 3.17 to work after dropping the car off. PM: 11+ averaging about 7:07. Didn't realize how quick I was moving.
26-Feb		MLR Recovery		0:07:25		8.07		AM: 4.01 in 29:46 PM: 4.06 in 29:54
27-Feb		Intervals				17.76		AM: 4.06 in 29:44 to work PM: 1000x4/1200x2/200x3
28-Feb		Recovery		0:07:31		5.21		Easy run back from the Back Bay.
1-Mar		Fresh Pond x 2		0:06:10		5.68		Solid tempo around Fresh Pond.

Thursday Splits:

1000-3:29.5

1000-3:20.0

1000-3:32.6

1000-3:23.0

1200-4:17.6

1200-4:14.2

200-36.2

200-33.1

200-33.5

Total Miles: 70.01