M'kay

LM warmup (10 reps), 10 miles in 1:10:27, 7:02/mi, HR 160, w/ 2 mile warmup, 2 x Strides/Drills, 6 miles @ MP accelerating to HMP with miles in 6:55 (up), 6:55 (up), 7:04 (up), 6:17 (down), 6:19 (down), 6:09 (down), average 6:36.5/mi, 2 mile cooldown.  1.5 mile walk w/ dogs, PU/Crunches/Leg Abduction ladder (7/7/4) & stretching.

Still a bit creeky today,  but the real problem was that I decided to outsmart myself.  Months ago, I'd determine that I was lactose intolerant to a degree.  Disliking the taste of chocolate soy milk, I've been using normal chocolate milk as a post-run drink without problems.  So I decided that maybe I was mistaken.  Nope.  4 trips to the potty this morning after a bowl of cereal proved that.  Regardless, after a quick trip after the warmup, I managed to get in some good MP/HMP effort miles and wasn't too completely spent by the end.  My hips are definitely tight though.......entering the cooldown miles, I thought my right hip was going to seize.  Left shin still painful to start, but nothing to get too excited about.  Even though the day of rest yesterday wasn't, I think it did the trick.

LM warmup (10 reps), 14 miles in 1:45:11, 7:30/mi, HR 148, PU/Crunches/Leg Abduction ladder (7/7/4), & stretching.

Breezy and some intermittent light rain, but warm (55F).  Lots of popping and creaking still, but once I got warmed up things felt pretty good.  Evidently, because the average pace was decent.

LM warmup (10 reps), 10 miles in 1:14:16, 7:25/mi, HR 146, 15 x 12 sec Hill Sprints, 1.5 mile walk w/ dogs & stretching.

Bing!  That's the sound of my fitness suddenly jumping up a notch or two.  Seems like the past few days have been really good running days, and looking back, my easy pace has snuck down from the upper to the mid 7s, while my HR average has moved from the low 150s to the upper-mid 140s.  Nice. 

This happens to me occasionally, and it's always tough to figure out why it happened.  Looking back, I see my weekly mileage jumped a few weeks ago, which jives with the tiredness I've had lately (and some irritability unfortunately).  Perhaps taking Sunday as a rest day gave my body the chance it needed to absorb it all, since that seems to be the day the switch got flipped.  Or, all that is coincidental, and it just is what it is...

LM warmup (10 reps), 14.02 miles in 1:42:30, 7:18/mi, HR 154, w/ 3 mile warmup, 4 x 10 minutes @ HM pace (target 6:19/mi, with repeat pace at 6:15/mi, 6:15/mi, 6:18/mi, 6:17/mi) w/ 4 minutes rest, 3 mile cooldown.  PU/SU/LegAbduction ladder (7/7/4) & stretching.

A tiring but satisfying workout.  Great weather....partly sunny and ~ 52F.  Schedule called for 4x10 minutes @ HM pace, which is currently around 6:25/mi, but with a GMP of 6:40, decided to see if I could hit an equivalent GHMP of 6:19/mi.  All repeats were out and back segments, so no overall elevation gain or loss, but some rolling that made it challenging to keep a steady effort.  The last repeat was tough...wasn't sure I was going to sneak under 6:19, but the home stretch on that one was downhill a bit, so that helped.  Now to rest since Sat's long run is labeled as a "Long Hard Run".  Ugh.

LM warmup (10 reps), 7 miles in 53:29, 7:38/mi, HR 152, 2 mile walk w/ dogs.

Nice and easy run.  HR was up a bit, probably because sleep was poor last night.  Wish my left shin and foot would completely heal already. 

LM warmup (10 reps), 20 miles in 2:21:20, 7:04/mi, HR 159, w/ 1 mile easy, 18 miles @ MP + 20 sec (goal 7:00/mi, actual 6:58/mi), 1 mile easy.  PU/SU/LegAbduction ladder (7/7/4), & stretching.

Going into this working, I had some concern that 18 miles @ a 7:00/mi pace on my normal course was going to be too much to handle.  Almost talked myself into adjusting it into a 1 mile on @ MP, 1 mile off at 7:20/mi workout, but decided to stick with the plan.  Felt pretty good when I got up this morning though, and the sun was shining, temps @ 50F, so I was feeling okay about it today.  As it turns out, I had 39 seconds on my goal pace by the time I hit the 19 mile mark, most of which I gained in the first half.  It got tough in the second half, but not exhausting and I actually felt pretty decent at the end.  Did have a brief pit-stop at mile 6, but the gastro-distress waited until about 10 minutes after the run was finished.  2 GUs at 9.5 and 15.5 miles with water every 3-4 after 10 miles.  

So now the taper begins.  Actually, the only real taper I plan on doing for this first week is going to be driven by the fact that I'm out of town, which always causes me to pull back a bit.  Hopefully, I can keep the mileage up in the 70s, but we shall see.  Now on to enjoy the rest of this late-spring-like day. 

2 mile walk w/ dogs.  Another note to self.  Last 2 runs, I've tried to improve my uphill and downhill running form.  Quicker stride, more upright, eliminate forward lean at the waist.  I could definitely tell today it helped quite a bit.  Legs much less "pounded" than they normally are after 20 miles on this course, and the effort going both uphill and downhill was much less than I'd anticipated.  Just goes to show you how important it is.  I caught myself trying to lean forward at the waist going uphill, especially when I got tired, but it really helps if you stay upright and lean at the ankles.  Tough to know when you're leaning at the ankles though. 

LM warmup (10 reps), 10 miles in 1:17:33, 7:45/mi, HR 137, & stretching.

Short sleep & long travel so run wasn't the greatest.  Legs and feet were complaining loudly the whole time.  Skipped the hill sprints because:  a - no hills around, and b - legs and feet complaining too loudly to handle running up the hotel stairs. 

LM warmup (10 reps), 12 miles in 1:28:10, 7:21/mi, HR 147 w/ 8 x 2 min @ HM-10K pace, & stretching.

Fartleks were supposed to be at HM pace but I kept running them faster.....some were probably even closer to 5K pace, completely unintentional.  

LM warmup (10 reps), 14 miles in 1:41:19, 7:14/mi, HR 151, w/ last 7 miles moderate all between 6:42 & 6:52, PU/SU/Leg Abduction ladder (7/7/4), & stretching.

Flat course after work again, the last 7 in the dark.  Some gastro-distress in the last half, probably because I had some milk earlier in the day (doh!).  Glad to get this one over and done, but pleased that the MP-ish miles felt moderate given the mileage on this week of work travel. 

LM warmup (10 reps), 10 miles in 1:12:53, 7:17/mi, HR 156 w/ last 5 miles moderate in 6:48, 6:43, 6:42, 6:48, 6:36, & stretching.

Legs pretty dead to for first few miles.  Warm and humid (mid 60s) didn't help matters.  But once I got going on the moderate miles, I got it done.  Not so sure about tomorrow's run....may need to take a day off.

Decided to take today off.  Sleep debt starting to catch up with me on the road.  Plus, I'm on schedule to hit 80+ miles this week with a run today, which is the opposite of a taper.  Finally, legs are tired.

LM warmup (10 reps), 6 miles in 47:02, 7:50/mi, HR 145, & stretching.

Not a spectacular run.  Then again, after sitting in airports, cars, and airplanes for most of the day, what did I expect?  I didn't expect the hilly nature of my home course to feel so....hilly.   

LM warmup (10 reps), 20 miles in 2:31:19, 7:34/mi, HR 155, 1.5 mile walk w/ dogs, PU/SU/Leg Abduction ladder (7/7/4), & stretching.

First 7 miles were rough, just laboring and wasn't feeling it.  On the way up the steeper hills, started feeling better and moving out a bit more.  Right arch started rubbing on the shoe again and could tell a big blister was starting to form but managed to subtly modify stride to keep it at bay.  Started tiring on the way back down but throwing in some faster fartlek segments seemed to help.  Took in no carbs and only a couple of drinks of water the entire run, and finished strong but glad to be done.  Also managed to avoid the worst of the weather today...just some wind gusts and alternating warm and cold to deal with. 

LM warmup (10 reps), 6 miles in 45:48, 7:38/mi, HR 144, w/ 15 x 12 sec Hill Sprints, 2 mile walk w/ dogs, & stretching.

Lots of joint popping during the lunge warmup.  Still dragging on the runs and the left arch pain was more substantial today.  Could tell I missed a week's worth of hill sprints, but actually felt better afterwards.  

LM warmup (10 reps), 11 miles in 1:21:37, 7:25/mi, HR 158, w/ 8 x 2 minute Fartleks @ 10K-HM pace & 2 sets of Strides/Drills. 1.5 mile walk w/ dogs, PU/Crunches/Leg Abduction ladder (7/7/4) & stretching.

Legs still feeling pretty beat up, and the left shin and arch still painful.  The fartleks went well, although I ran the first 4 uphill ones way too hard and then was stuck running the final 4 flat/downhill ones way too hard as well, so the legs were pretty dead by the end.  Come to think of it, the legs were probably feeling the effects of shoveling and moving gravel yesterday, so perhaps not as bad as all that.

LM warmup (10 reps), 12 miles in 1:27:49, 7:19/mi, HR 160, w/ last 6 miles moderate in 7:29 (up), 6:52 (rolling), 6:24 (down), 6:25 (down), 6:24 (down), and 6:21 (down).  1 miles walk w/ dogs, PU/SU/Leg Abduction ladder (7/7/4) & stretching.

Left shin and arch feeling better after icing and stretching yesterday, so more today.  Not very sound sleep last night, so I was tired for this run.  Big difference between this week's moderate miles on hilly terrain versus last week's moderate miles on flat terrain.  Last week miles average 6:40-6:50/mi with HRs in the 160-162 range, where this week's moderate miles were 40 sec/mi slower on the uphill, the the slow end on the rolling, and only about 15 sec/mi faster on the downhill with HRs in the 165-172 range.  Yikes.   At least I got the miles in during the somewhat windy but dry weather before the really windy weather with the rains came.

Am I crazy for having this foolish notion in the back of my admittedly tiny brain that it might be a good idea to try the Mt. Si Ultra 50 miler 2 weeks after the YRCMarathon?

LM warmup (10 reps), 8 miles in 1:01:51, 7:44/mi, HR 151, w/ 15 x 12 sec Hill Sprints, 1.5 mile walk w/ dogs & stretching.

Back into the 50s and sunny today.  The weather has been so nice this winter I fear our summer will compensate and get very hot.  But while its here, I'll enjoy it.  Wasn't really feeling it today, but the hill sprints went pretty well.  Tomorrow's a tough run, then short on Friday followed by a 20K race on Saturday.  All while tapering for next weekend.  Uh-huh. 

My descent into madness is complete.  I am now registered to run 50 miles on April 11th. 

LM warmup (10 reps), 12.65 miles in 1:29:20, 7:03/mi, HR 157, w/ 2 mile warmup, 2 x 4 miles at MP w/ 5 minute rest, 2 mile cooldown.  MP segments were in 6:22 (down), 6:54 (up), 6:42 (up), 6:45 (up) for the 1st set and 6:36 (down), 6:29 (down), 6:27 (down), 6:45 (down) for the 2nd set, overall average 6:37.5/mi, goal 6:40/mi.  1 mile cooldown walk w/ dogs, PU/SU/Leg Abduction ladder (7/7/4), & stretching.

Another fantastic weather day, aside from some winds.  Feeling pretty tired before the run, so I was getting to the "dread the workout" point this morning.  As I get closer to big races, I always seem to question fitness, ability, etc.  Anyway, hit my times, got it done, and moving on.  I did have to deal with a technology glitch.....somehow my Garmin workout missed the "repeat 4 times" part of the MP segments, but I got it all sorted out with only a brief pause in the action on the 1st segment.  Tomorrow's an easy day, then a final tune-up race on Saturday.  Started questioning the wisdom of running a 20K one week before a marathon, but hey, I'm an experiment of one, right? 

LM warmup (10 reps), 6 miles in 46:19, 7:43/mi, HR 148, 2.5 mile walk w/ dogs & stretching.

Easy day....I needed it.  Short enough to rest, long enough to work out some kinks in the legs.  Another beautiful day outside.  Wondering how tomorrow's 20K will go. 

LM warmup (10 reps), 2 mile pre-race warmup w/ 0.5 @ ~ race pace (6:15/mi), 14:53, 7:26, HR 155.  20K race in 1:18:08, 6:18/mi, HR 167.  Stretching.

Wow, am I exhausted.  Automatic PR since this is my first 20K, but this race just became my fastest distance adjusted race, so a great day.  Woke up feeling tired and pretty crappy again, so normal for race morning.  Warmup was okay, but the legs really felt tired although the race pace stretch actually went pretty well.  Decided to overreach a bit and see if 6:15s were possible, but I was going to be happy with 6:19s since that equates to my goal MP of 6:40 for next weekend.  In that vein and because I was neck-and-neck with another runner for 2nd place in my AG in the series, I went out pretty hard and although the first mile felt pretty good, that feeling fled quickly.  I was really feeling the effort in my legs.  Same course as the 15K a month ago, just extended by 5K over a section that was pretty flat, so I knew where most of the hills were this time around.  Lots of negative mental baggage to deal with, ranging from being too tired to not being in 6:15 (or even 6:20s) shape (for frame of reference, my 15K last month was a 6:17/mi average.  

By the halfway mark, I was hurting but suddenly found myself in 4th place since the 20 milers kept going.  Wasn't sure where my AG competition was, which helped spur me to continue to push while just wanting to walk for a bit.  Did get a bit of a boost from the runners on their outbound leg, some of which were actually able to speak and gave words of encouragement....many thanks to them and sorry I couldn't return the favor, just didn't have the breath.  Legs like melting jello by the 8 mile mark.  Respiration rate at max by 10.  Lower back (kidneys?) started aching around 10.5.  Don't quite know how I really managed the last few miles....I'd swear I was slowing badly and was just giving it everything I had to keep going, but my garmin splits show my last 3 miles were actually a bit fast adjusted for the terrain.  Actually, it looks like my worst mile was the mile just before the turnaround.  Anyway, hit the track for the last 300 meters and had zero kick, just surviving at this point.  Still having trouble believing I ran a 1:18:08.....but I can really feel it and will likely be hurting tomorrow too.  Glad I'm tapering this week!  

LM warmup (10 reps), 8 miles in 1:03:02, 7:52/mi, HR 142, w/ 10 x 12 sec Hill Sprints, 2.5 mile walk w/ dogs & stretching.

Wiped out from yesterday's race.  Left shin took some pounding yesterday.  Considered bagging today's run, but figured an easy jaunt would help recovery more than sitting around all day.  First few miles were very easy, which got things loosened up a bit so the pace started inching up in the last 5 towards normal easy pace.  Decided to try the hill sprints....first 2 were completely uninspired but then the legs perked up and the remainder were okay.  Legs were definitely tired by #10, so glad to have a reduced set on the schedule for today.  More recovery to follow this week. 

LM warmup (10 reps), 9.28 miles in 1:07:18, 7:15/mi, HR 160, w/ 2 mile warmup, 2 x Strides/Drills, 4 x 2K @ MP/MP-15sec/mi w/ 60 sec rest in 8:20 (6:43/mi - up), 8:22 (6:45/mi - up), 7:42 (6:12/mi - down), 7:47 (6:17/mi - down), 2 mile cooldown.  PU/SU/Leg Abduction ladder (7/7/4) & stretching.

Partly cloudy w/ some sprinkles in the upper 40s.  Left shin hurt thru the warmup and into the first repeat before it finally warmed up and receded.  Ran the repeats closer to the MP-15sec/mi effort simply because everything faster and harder will make actual MP feel easier come Saturday.  Legs still tired from the 20K Saturday, but this is the last of any fast stuff save 1 MP mile on Thursday.  Taper really hits starting tomorrow with runs of 6, 6, 5, and 4 between now and the race.  Hopefully, my shin will take that time to mend a bit, otherwise the beginning miles could really hurt. 

LM warmup (10), 6 miles in 45:14, 7:32/mi, HR 152, 2 mile walk w/ dogs, & stretching.

Just a nice easy run today to stay loose.  Legs still feel tired.  Left shin pain lower on the scale but present throughout the run.  More icing afterwards.   

LM warmup (10 reps), 6 miles in 45:27, 7:34/mi, HR 158, w/ 8 x 12 sec Hill Sprints.  1.5 mile walk w/ dogs, PU/SU/Leg Abduction ladder (5/5/3) & stretching.

Warm today (66F).  Tons of work frustration vented during the run....could've gone another 40 or so to get rid of all of it.  Legs still feeling a bit tired, but the felt much better after a few hill sprints, which were all strong and got stronger towards the end.  Left shin not too bad, but icing continues. 

LM warmup (10 reps), 5 miles in 35:58, 7:11, HR 160, w/ middle 2 miles @ MP in 6:21 (down), 6:46 (up), 6:33/mi avg.  1.5 mile walk w/ dogs & stretching.

Cooler, cloudy and a bit of rain today.  MP miles okay.  Left shin still painful to start out so I guess I'll resign myself to dealing with it on Saturday.  Woke up with my head draining something fierce and some throat irritation and coughing today.....probably because yesterday hit record highs and the pollens were unleashed.  But if those are my only problems for Saturday, everything will be fine.  

Reviewed the notes from my last marathon.  Good thing too, because I've evidently forgotten a few things.  First off, no more negative thoughts.  Gone, banished, goodbye.  Secondly, refer to #1.  

Okay, finally outloud.  My goals for Saturday are:

1. Break 3 hrs (again).
2. PR.
3. Break 2:55
4. Outperform predicted 2:53:54 based on best tune-up race this cycle (last weekend's 20K)

LM warmup (10 reps), 4 miles in 29:20, 7:20/mi, HR 155, & stretching.

Ready to go.  Aside for some remaining left shin pain, which seems to move day to day up-and-down the shin, today I *felt* ready.  Yeah, wish my HR was lower at today's pace but that could be the adrenaline.  Legs wanted to go.  Excited, scared, anxious, all the things I get the day before a marathon.  Headed out this evening to stay in Ellensburg for tomorrow's race.

Race day weather.....starts in the low 30s, finished in the low 50s, mostly cloudy, NNW wind at 5-6 MPH changing to SSE 7-8 MPH.  Actually, the wind shift is supposed to occur at 11am and I'm planing on finishing just before that, so maybe the tailwind will help push me along.  Only concern is the strong and gusty winds happening today....supposed to be gone by tomorrow, but.....oh well, whatever happens happens and it'll be a challenge regardless of the weather. Can't wait.  Seriously, I'm not sure I can.

Spent the pre-race night at a hotel in Ellensburg and of course the sleep was fitful.  While I spent 7 hours lying in bed, I was up every hour or so adjusting the temp, using the restroom, etc.  But since I've focused on sleep this week, it probably didn't affect me too much.  Ate some oatmeal at 5, got some coffee from a strategically located (and opened) Starbucks, picked up my race packet at 6:30, used the bathroom a few more times, and was lined up for the 8am start.  Unlike last time I ran this race in 2007, I toed "the line" hoping to finish somewhere in the top 10 and to run this race without crashing and burning like I'd done on my first.  The weather was perfect.....low 30s to start, mid 50s at the finish, no real wind to speak of.  Did a light jog from the bathroom area to the start (maybe 1/3 mile) but that was about it for a warmup.

At the gun we were off....I ran the first half mile or so in 2nd place, which means I went out too hard, but quickly reined it in and got passed by a few and settled into 11th place.   While my first 5 miles were in the 6:39-6:43 range, I felt tight and a bit labored, so I knew it wasn't going to be one of those races where everything came easy but rather a battle at the end.  Ran for a mile or so with the eventual female winner before tackling the first small hill at the mile 5 mark and getting down to business headed down the canyon.

My first checkpoint in the race was at mile 9 which I'd hoped to hit in 1 hour.   According to garmin, I was a smidgen ahead, but the course mile markers had me 40 seconds behind at this point.  The cant to the roads on the curves in the canyon were pretty wicked and really affected my ability to hit pace.....on the stretches when the road was flat, I was a good 4-5 seconds/mile better and more relaxed, but on the curves where the cant was bad, the effort increased and my pace slowed.  But I tried to keep running the tangents as best as I could, since I remembered from my first trip down this course that not running them well adds some serious distance (and time).  Hit the 13 mile marker 58 seconds off a 6:40 pace and the halfway point in 1:28:40-ish, so I was still a bit behind.

This was about the time the outside of my left foot started hurting.  In previous half-marathon races where I'd worn the previous incarnation of the NB 905 shoe, I'd developed this same pain in the later miles, but hadn't experienced it for a couple of years now, nor in the training runs.  Well, whether the cant to the roads or the pace or the distance, the pain started returning.  In some ways, it was good because it gave me something to focus on aside from the miles ahead, but I dealt with it the remainder of the race.  Fortunately, it got to a pretty painful but consistent level and stopped growing worse, so it didn't turn into much of a factor.  

The first major hill during the 15th mile was painful but doable.  I'd just gotten done conversing with another runner who was shooting for his first sub-3 and advised to save some for the 2nd longer hill later in the race and not to expend too much on the first.  My uphill mile was 7:15 and the backside downhill was 6:07, so I think I did pretty well.  I could've run the downhill faster, but knew I needed to save the legs for the next hill that shows up near the 23 mile mark.  

Somewhere between 1-2 minutes off the 6:40 pace at the 18 mile mark, and by that time just trying to stay focused and to keep the physical and mental demons at bay.  By 20, the mental urge to walk for a few seconds, to give up trying for a 2:54 and just "settle" for a 3:xx something was growing.  Only the experience of having gone thru that before helped keep those thoughts at bay, and I spent some energy forcing myself to have positive thoughts.  Mostly I was trying to dole out the little energy reserves I had to keep the pace near the target range.  Then came the last hill, a monster.

Actually, at first sight, I thought, oh, not as bad as I recall.  It isn't all that steep, only a 2-3% grade the whole way, but it's a long long way.  Stretching for close to 1.5 miles total, I not only slowed below a 7/min mile pace, I hit a 8:04/mi according to garmin, and that felt generous.  The energy completely left my legs and just picking them up felt nigh impossible.  I was reduced to focusing on each individual step, not daring to think any further into the future.  Getting passed by a master who just seemed to float up the hill didn't help much, but I did manage some words of encouragement to someone who'd obviously saved a bit more energy than I had.  Oh, how I hate that hill, especially with a pseudo-summit partway thru (or did I hallucinate that) that makes you believe you've hit the top when you really still have a ways to go.

But the great thing about that hill.....it's almost all downhill to the finish.  The downhill coming off of the crest was pretty significant and I tried to take advantage as best I could, but now suddenly the hamstrings and glutes started protesting.  A couple of spasms later and now I was simply trying to go as fast as I could without locking up and falling on my face.   A 6:22 downhill mile was a blessing and I feel fortunate to have gotten that much speed out of it.

The last few miles were just plain hard.  I was locked onto the runner in front of me, trying to reel him in since a few miles ago he seemed way out of reach.  Plus, I knew I had a couple on my heels but I didn't dare look behind.  Managed to pick off a couple in the end and moved into 7th place overall.  I'm not sure how (although I know there was a bit of downhill but also a lot of flat), but my last mile was a 6:14.  With .2 to go, I was giving everything for a 6:23/mi pace just wanting to be done.  Another hands on the knees, are you okay, just let me stand here finish, glad to be done.

Garmin gave me credit for a 2:56:43 over 26.37 miles for a 6:42/mi pace, despite running the tangents nearly as perfectly as they could be run (scaling rock walls to cut corners not considered).  So even though I didn't hold a 6:40 average, with the course, the cant, and the hills, I'm damn happy to have run as well as I did.  4th in my AG, 7th overall, a second sub-3 performance, a PR, and probably most importantly, a return to marathoning after an injury induced hiatus last year.  Now to get ready for the 50 miles in 2 weeks!

GUs at 6, 14, & 21. 

LM warmup (10 reps), 8 miles in 1:02:00, 7:45/mi, HR 150.

Rainy.  Just went out for an easy run as long as I felt like (aside from not wanting to be out in the rain....that doesn't count as a good reason to quit).  Legs feeling pretty decent, lacking a little pep but otherwise okay from Sat. 

LM warmup (10 reps), 6.5 miles in 51:31, 7:55/mi, HR 149, core workout, & stretching.

Felt completely wiped out today.  Another rainy run, but worse was that I felt completely zapped.  Legs were lead, everything hard, so I wrapped things up early. 

LM warmup (10 reps), 8 miles in 1:00:53, 7:36/mi, HR 152, w/ 10 x 12 sec Hill Sprints, & stretching.

Rain and hail today....fun.  Feeling better after yesterday's crash, but can tell the legs still tire after a few miles.  Hill sprints woke them up....first couple were pretty rough but they got better for the middle ones, then the last few the legs were just plain tired again.  Going to see if I can handle a semi-hard workout tomorrow.