5M Tempo with Billy

Goal:
5 miles tempo with several options depending on how I feel
1) 630 - 640 pace
2) 630 pace for first mile, and then progression down to 610 for last mile
3) 630 pace for first mile and then 610 pace for rest of run

Actual:
11 miles total with 5 mile tempo at 609 average
2.7 mile warmup
5 miles via 625, 616, 613, 600, 553
3.3 mile warmup

What a relief to have a successful workout! The goal here wasn't to hit a specific time, but more to finish feeling good about myself. I'm sure that in a couple of weeks I'll be feeling just like my normal self.  This is the main reason why I love running: it's always a process and it challenges me to keep my chin up even when my body isn't responding positively all the time. I'm on the rebound to feel good again in my workouts and I'm predicting this rebound will coincide with the change in temperature as we adjust to the fall season.

Tempo in CLT

Goal:
2.5m @ 600, 800m jog, 1m @ 540 or faster, 800m jog, 2.5m @ 600

Actual:
3 miles warmup at 530am
2.5 miles via 557, 602, 251 for 14:50 total
800m jog in 3:43
1 mile in 531
800m jog in 412 includes quick water stop
2.5 miles via 551, 552, 251 for 14:34 total
2 miles cool down for 12 total

It definitely doesn't feel like September yet! The humidity this morning in Charlotte was strong and I could tell by the amount of sweat drenched in my shorts after just ten minutes of running.  Further solidifying my belief that Charlotte is quite possibly one of the best cities for "urban running," a group of about 8 people headed over to the Dilworth Speed Loop to knock out a variety of workouts.  For this one, I had the company of David Willis and Billy Shue and we are all in about the same shape, so it worked perfectly.  While it was not as easy as I would have liked for the last 2.5 miles, I felt really great on the fast mile. Slowly getting into half marathon shape again!

MLR with 4M Progression

Goal:
11-13 miles with 4-5 miles at 630m 620, 610, 600 and optional 5th mile at 550 or faster

Actual:
7.4 mile warmup
4 miles in 24:19 via 6:21, 6:13, 5:56, 5:49
2.1 mile cool down for 13.5 miles total

Just seven days until Grandma's and the hard work is done. One final tempo was checked off the list today and so now all I need to do is get to the starting line! This morning, we had a large group from the Dowd for this one and it was nice to just put in some miles without even thinking about it.  Fortunately, the new guy from Illinois showed up and even though I can't remember if his name is Ryan or Brian, he still worked out with me.  I didn't even have to convince him!   There really isn't much else to report except that the quicker miles didn't even feel that hard.  Fitness is moving in the right direction.

One Last Tempo with Laurie and Eric

Goal:
12-14 miles with 7 miles wave tempo starting at 548 (target range 546-555) and alternating with 615-625

Actual:
3.7 mile warmup
7 mile wave tempo in 41:05 @ 540, 608, 543, 604, 535, 615, 540
2.7 mile cool down for 13.4 miles total

My last big workout before Grandma's Half was a success.  After Saturday's bomb of workout, I needed that!  It was quite possibly my last tempo as a permanent resident of Charlotte and with Laurie, so I'm glad I can leave on a positive note.  At 5:50AM, I warmed up with Michelle and Phill before dropping them off and continuing on my way to get Laurie and Eric.  We decided to do two loops of the 2-Mile Dilworth Speed Loop before heading down to the Sugar Creek Greenway for the remaining miles.

Laurie and I started it off a little quick, but the pace felt reasonable so I went with it.  After that one, Eric told us that we "weren't being disciplined," but he was wrong.  Whenever I go out too hard, I calculate what are the odds that I can continue at that pace or faster and if the odds are in my favor, I continue pushing forward.  Today was one of those days where the odds were good and I ignored Eric.  Oddly enough, I felt pretty terrible on mile 5 because I had a weird breathing issue / stomach cramp that was making it very difficult for me to maintain my composure.  I told myself to just ignore it and it would go away.  Sure enough, it did.  It's these sort of tactics I need to employ in the race should something go terribly wrong.

I felt really good about this tempo and it shows that running 5:48 pace or faster for the half in just 10 days is completely within reason.  As Terry told me a couple weeks ago, running sub 5:50s should feel quite manageable in the first hour at Grandma's and the last 15 minutes or so will just have to come from racing tough.  I am ready.

2 x 3.5M with Laurie & Eric

Goal:
2 x 3.5-4M @ 604-610 pace, 1 mile jog rest, next set at 550-600 pace

Actual:
4 mile warmup
2x3.5M with .8M jog rest
604, 602, 612, 258 (21:18 total)
5:49 jog rest
602, 553, 600, 245 (20:40 total)
2.9 miles cool down for ~15 miles total

Taking advantage of the Bank holiday, Laurie, Eric and I headed over to the Sugar Creek Greenway to knock out a tempo.  I was kind of dreading this workout since it’s the first time I’ve done an extended tempo since December’s marathon, but the company helped tremendously.  We traversed down the Greenway, before heading up to the Booty Loop and some hilly side streets for the second set.

On the first set, the three of us were cruising along, chatting like it was no problem.  This set definitely felt easy and I was enjoying the flat terrain and the conversation.  Then, we headed up the booty loop and we were ready to roll before 1 mile hit, so we started a bit early and ran on a hillier route during the middle miles, but with a downhill last 800m.  Our route was completely unplanned, so we basically created a route on the fly that was absolutely perfect!  Laurie naturally led about one step in front of me for the first mile, but then on the slight uphills, I would break even with her as she had just completed a 23-miler on Saturday.  Laurie, Eric and I are great workout buddies as we each challenge each other in different ways.  After the uphill section, we crossed the street and Eric surged ahead to run alongside Laurie.  My legs felt tired then from the hills, but I knew there was a downhill coming soon, which really helped bring our overall pace down.

Overall, I’m really pleased with this workout! I nailed the times that Terry suggested and didn’t work too hard during the first set.

Tempo in the Cold Cold Rain

Goal:
8 miles at MP with the option to run the last 3 miles at the same pace or at 5:50-6:00

Actual:
3.62 miles warmup
8 miles in 49:15 (6:09 pace) with splits of 604, 606, 610, 609, 608, 608, 617, 613
2.3 miles cool down for ~14 miles total

I would have liked to have finished a bit stronger on this workout, but the terrain and the rain didn't make this easy.  In fact, I felt pretty terrible overall throughout the whole workout.  I had been in the car for 6 hours the night before, but that is no excuse.  In Greenville for Thanksgiving, I went towards ECU campus and then headed down the greenway that goes about 5 miles.  I did an out and back 4-mile course, so the last 2 miles were somewhat uphill and on very slippery wooden planks.  I felt the worst on those two final miles, and contemplated stopping about every 800 meter.  However, Garrett was there biking with me in this miserable, cold rainy day, so I felt like I had to at least make his effort worthwhile.

In the end, I don't normally feel fantastic in the last big workout leading up to the marathon, so I'm not really putting any extra thought around it.  In the end, I did hit around goal marathon pace, so that's always a plus. I will note that once I got home from the workout, my left hamstring was ridiculously tight so I rolled it and had Garrettt do some work on it.  I'm hoping it's just from the slippery boards and nothing a deep massage can't fix.

2x5 Miles on Sugar Creek

Goal:
15-ish miles with 2x5 miles @  (1st set) 6:05-6:13 and (2nd set) either same as 1st set or as fast as 5:58-6:03 average

Actual:
2.2 mile warmup in 23 min
2x5 Mile @ 30:32 - 615, 607, 610, 558, 602 (1 mile jog rest @ 7:30) and 29:51 - 601, 558, 602, 602, 548
2.5 mile cool down for 15.7 miles total

I finally turned on the heat in my house last night.  This makes it extremely difficult to get out of bed in the morning, even if I went to sleep at 8:30PM last night.  I woke up at 5:05AM to get in this workout with Laurie and Aaron, starting at the Dilworth Speed Loop and heading down towards the Sugar Creek Greenway.  With 8+ hours of sleep, I was hoping that my legs would feel pretty darn awesome this morning.  While I hit my times prescribed and even closed my last mile as the fastest of the day, the first part of the workout didn't feel easy. 

I was very grateful for the company from Aaron and Laurie.  For the first set, we all talked the whole time and I didn't notice the cold much.  Laurie and I both commented on how relaxed Aaron looked during the hard miles.  He just ran a marathon three weeks ago and has bounced back quickly.  After the first set, both Laurie and I commented that the 6:00s we were running really felt like 5:50.  It could very well have been the combination of the half last week, the cold and the dark that made us feel like poo.  Instead of taking the 800m rest, I grabbed a quick swig of water and then ran a slow mile for the recovery.

We began our assault on the last set with Aaron leading the charge again.  Laurie headed back home after 2 miles, so I was left with Aaron.  The temperatures seemed to drop at least five degrees during the second set and my entire lower half of my face was numb. I felt absolutely ridiculous because I could not enunciate my words, which effectively stopped any and all conversation.  Admittedly, I was pretty happy I didn't have to talk any more because it didn't feel easy.  I stopped looking at my splits during this half because I realized that Aaron was doing most of the work for me, so I could just trust him to help me hit the times.  On the last mile, he made 5-10M gap on me, but I didn't really try to close it because I felt that we were already faster than what I should be at. 

I'm obviously very pleased with hitting my goal time splits, but I can tell that I'm getting to that point in my training cycle where my body is ready for the marathon to come.  This is a great sign, because I think that I am going to peak at exactly the right time.  With a couple weeks of taper and in a competitive setting, I will be primed and ready!

3x3 Miles on the Sugar Creek

Goal:
3x3 mile at 608,613, 600-605, 550-610 with 800m rest @ 3:30-3:40

Actual
2.3 miles warmup
3 miles in 18:32 (615, 608, 609) 800m rest ~3:15 (6:30 pace)
3 miles in 17:45 (5:54, 5:55, 5:55) 800m jog in ~3:30 (7:00 pace)
3 miles in 17:39 (5:52, 5:56, 5:55)
2.7 mile cool down for ~15 miles total

It's mornings like these that I am really proud of what Aaron, Jay and I started with the Charlotte Running Club. Even as everyone's fall marathoning season comes to a close, I somehow am able to find multiple people to work out with me.  I feel like I'm in college when my alarm goes off at 5AM; it's as if I'm going to meet up with my teammates for an early practice.  In so many ways, Paul, Billy and Caleb are my teammates.  After all, I've been running with these guys for years.  All the boys met me at 530AM at my house and we headed to the speed loop to start our first set of fun on the same course that I've been doing for all my long marathon workouts.

First set:
We ran right into the first set and started out at a comfortable 615 pace and then hovered around 610. We were all in our comfort zone and talked the whole time. After we completed the first set, I purposely kept the rest a little brisk because I wanted to "cheat" a little so that I could get a faster overall time for the whole 10 mile distance.

Second set:
Here, I still felt really comfortable even though we went out fast and had to slow it down considerably after 800m. I was slightly worried that I would be hurting on the third set since we were hitting sub-600s instead of 605, but I felt really relaxed and positioned myself right behind Billy and Paul so I didn't have to do that much work. Caleb stayed by my side so we had a nice pack going. Our last mile was perfectly on 558-556 pace the entire split so I liked how we kept that pace even throughout.

Third set:
During our rest, I told Paul and Billy that I wanted to go out around 555 and just see where we ended up but no faster than 550. We went through perfectly for first mile and then settled a little bit on the second mile so I pushed it up a notched so we could still hit sub-600. On the last mile Billy and Paul made a small 5-10m gap on me so I just maintained my pace and got a little faster at the end to close with my fastest set of the day.  This last set didn't feel too taxing physically, but more from a mental perspective to keep my confidence as the boys pulled slightly away.

I am very pleased with this workout because I mostly followed the paces that Terry prescribed.  Even though I was a tad quick on the second set, I was still able to make my third and final set the fastest for the day. At the end of the workout, my left calf and hamstring felt a little tight.  I need to focus on these things over the course of the next couple of weeks as I still have about three solid weeks of training before I begin the taper.

Down Ladder (4-3-2-1)

Goal
4m (@610-615)-3m(@600-605)-2m(@550-555)-1m(@540-545) with 800m rest at 3:30-3:45

Actual:
1.7 mile warmup at 5:20AM
4 miles in 24:42: 6:11, 6:13, 6:08, 6:10 (3:32)
3 miles in 18:01: 6:01, 6:01, 5:59 (3:34)
2 miles in 11:30: 5:45, 5:45
1 mile: 5:41
2.7 mile cool down for 15.9 miles total with jog rest

Eric and I nailed this workout together.  With a 5:05AM wakeup call, we both trudged out of our respective beds to prepare for a monster of a workout during pre-dawn hours.  Fortunately for me, I fell asleep at 9PM so I was fresh off 8+ hours of sleep.  It was going to be a dark one the entire time, so I brought my headlamp (that I hate) and held it in my hand until I met Eric at the Speed Loop for our workout.  I chose a course the went from the 2 mile speed loop and then back down into the Sugar Creek Greenway, mainly because it's flat and fairly well lit.  Because of this, I turned off my head lamp after a while because it really was not necessary.

For the first four miles, both Eric and I could talk and I felt entirely relaxed.  There really wasn't much to report except that both of our Garmins were spitting out different times, so I'm going with my splits.  For the next set of three miles, my legs continued to feel great and the conversation continued without any issues.  We stopped to get some water during the rest after this one mainly because I was feeling a little dehydrated since the workout was so early and I didn't get to drink much water.  For the next 2 miles, I felt really great and took it out entirely too fast in the first 400m (about 5:35 pace) and then immediately put on the brakes to hit a more respectable time.  In hindsight, I think that this quick pace out of the gate affected my ability to run any faster on the final mile, but at least I was very consistent in my pacing after I noticed it.  For the last mile, Eric took off and I knew that my legs weren't going to respond in the way I wanted them too, so I let him maintain about a 15 meter lead on me, while I maintained around 5:40 pace, which was right where Terry wanted me to be. 

All in all, I am exceptionally grateful for Eric's company because he helped make those first seven miles of the workout go by quickly.  Physically and mentally, there was never a point where I thought that I couldn't do the workout.  I felt strong coming into the workout and left feeling confident and prepared.  My training is really coming together right now, and it's getting me very excited for the next couple of weeks.

4 Mile Tempo with Laurie

Goal:
4 mile tempo at 6:10 pace (should not be physically or mentally taxing)

Actual:
3 mile warmup
4 mile tempo in 23:50 (5:57 average) in 5:56, 6:10, 5:47, 5:57
3.1 mile cool down for 10 miles total

A four mile tempo at 6:10 pace was slated as my secondary workout of the week, so I treated it as such mentally.  I didn't really think too much about it except when I texted Laurie the night before to see if she'd be interested in joining me.  Fortunately she was, and we met up the following morning at 5:45AM in Dilworth to start the workout.  To switch things up, we decided against doing two loops of the Dilworth 2 Mile Speed Loop. Instead, we started on East Blvd's nice downhill and turned onto the flat terrain of the Sugar Creek Greenway.  We chatted it up on all the miles except for the fourth one, where the workout finally started to feel a little difficult.  I was supposed to go a little bit slower overall, but the legs felt good so I just followed the signs of my body.  I figured if Laurie and I could still talk that this meant it was a good pace for both of us.

Laurie and I both joked afterwards that we need to approach all workouts like this one--relaxed and not over-thinking it--because we ended up running faster than we expected.  Even though this was only a four mile tempo, I've really struggled with the 4-5 mile tempo ranges in the past because I come in with such high expectation and leave them feeling depleted and defeated.  Sure, the pace wasn't blazing fast, but I came out feeling confident which is the exact outcome I want/need to have.

Pre-Race Workout

Goal:
3xmile @ 5:30 +4x400m

Actual:
3 mile warmup
2xmile in 5:53, 5:53, 2:30 jog rest, 3x400m
3 mile cool down for 9 miles total

It's finally gotten pretty humid down here in North Carolin again and it's definitely taking its toll on workouts!  It definitely has an impact on my workouts and this felt harder than it should have.  I'm not sure if that's because of the humidity or if that's the way a typical pre-race workout feels. Regardless, I was grateful for Caleb's company because Laurie had to bail after the warmup since she had an allergic reaction to a prescription she had taken. Aside from the insane amount of sweat that accumulated on my clothes, nothing else of much significance happened. I'm ready for the half champs!

4 mile Tempo + 400s

Goal:
5 mile tempo in GHMP

Actual:
3.1 mile warmup
4 mile tempo in 23:40 5:55 (5:53, 6:00, 5:56, 5:52) + 400m in 79
3 mile cool down  for 11 miles total

The plan was to do whatever tempo Laurie was doing, but she had a rough night of sleep, so I was left to hopefully run with Jay Barringer.  Well, he didn't show up at the Dilworth Speed Loop at 6AM, so I had to find my own intrinsic motivation to get the work done.  While I am very appreciative of the running club and the plethora of group runs it offers, it has made me somewhat of a baby when it comes to working out on my own.  I guess it kind of makes sense because even in college, I rarely ran alone, and even if I did, my coach was there to support me.

To ensure that I got the work done, I decided to run the 800m speed loop four times.  After my garmin clicked off 2 miles, I headed to the standard 2 mile part and stopped after 4 miles.  Then I decided to do 4x400m to give my legs a little bit of a kick since I have an 8k coming up on Saturday.  While I would have liked to had faster splits for the tempo, I was pleased with how I bounced back after a slower 2nd mile.  The 400s didn't feel spectacular, but the point was not necessarily to go fast, but rather to get the legs going at a speed faster than tempo.

My goal for the half in June is to start out at 5:55 pace and then to gradually drop down to 5:50 so that I can be poised for a PR (faster than 1:17:50).  I think that if I continue to get these tempos done with company, I'll prove to myself that my goal is realistic.

Pre-Race Workout

Goal:
3 mile tempo at 6:00-5:50 + 4x400m

Actual:
3.5 mile warmup
3 mile tempo in 6:10, 5:56, 5:56 + 4x400m with 1:00 rest.
3 mile cool down

4 miles in the pm

This felt harder than it should have, but I've had other workouts where I could barely break 6:00 pace before a race and then really crushed the race, so I walked away feeling pretty good about my effort, and confident about the prospect of a race in DC.  Caleb, Laurie, Eric and I all met up at the Speed Loop way before the sun came up, and started the workout without much thought.  For the first mile, we were all in a comfortable little pack, talking a little too much, and it was eerily similar to my Army Ten Miler pre-race workout last year.  Except, this year we went through the first mile much more slowly and then Caleb and Laurie took off and I tried to hang on desperately, but my leg wouldn't do it.  Then I hovered around the same pace for the last mile, watching Caleb and Laurie run smoothly about 30 meters ahead.  After a half mile jog, we started the 400s and again, my legs felt heavy to lift, but I completed them feeling strong.  On the cool down, I enjoyed the cooler weather and felt really positive about the weekend.

Then, in the afternoon, I felt my hamstring revert back to where it had been a couple weeks ago--exceptionally tight.  When I really thought things were starting to get better in my hammy, a little workout went ahead and threw it all off.  It really all comes down to the fact that I was slack on my glute exercises. Like most runners, I've got a weakness in my left glute, which is causing my hamstring to do a lot more work than necessary, therefore causing my hamstring some wear and tear.  Hopefully it will hold up for Army Ten Miler!

Tempo Success!

Goal:
10 Mile Tempo at 600-605

Actual:
3 miles warmup
8 miles at 6:32 average (fastest split was only 6:20)
2 miles cool down at 7:00 pace

pm:  4.5 miles for 17.5 miles total for day

I could choose to look at this workout as a fail, but I chose to look at it as a success.  I didn't give up and I did what I could with what I've got.  And what I've got is low iron and an annoying hamstring.  Fortunately yesterday, Dr. Greenapple was kind enough to spend over an hour with me, performing ART, cupping, acupuncture and finally kinesio tape.  I know that the treatment will start working it magic in a couple of days, not overnight.  So, regardless, my hamstring was still a little tight and tired from general overuse combined with strength exercises from the night before by the time I met up with Aaron at McMullen.

Aaron's legs were tired from a couple of back-to-back high mileage weeks, so he was okay with whatever I had in the tank.  We ran through the perfectly flat trail at McMullen, not really looking at splits and still keeping up some semblance of a conversation.  I could still talk, but my legs felt like glue.  Sure, it was fabulous and I didn't hit my goal times, but I cranked through.  Right now, finding the motivation to complete a workout is tough since I know the time will be slower, but if I just get in the effort, everything will fall into place in a couple of weeks. I left this workout trusting that I got in a good effort (can 6:20 on low ferritin equate to 5:55 with normal ferritin?  I think so)

After 8 miles of work, we slowed it down a bit to cool down and both of us were equally happy to be done with the up tempo portion. Some days are meant to feel harder than others and today was definitely like that, but I still came out of it feeling really positive about how I approached the workout and how I got in some uptempo work!

7.5 MIle Progression

Goal:
8 miles from 6:20-5:50

Actual:

2 mile warmup
7.5 miles in 45:30 (6;04 pace)
6:13, 6:08, 6:05, 6:04, 6:00, 6:00, 6:05, 3:02
3 mile cool down

Legs got a little tired towards the end, and my hamstring felt really tight so I called it quits a little early. Definitely not what I wanted, but if stopping early means that I didn't pull my hamstring, then I'm going to stop.  I fortunately had the company of Chris, Brad, and Caleb on this one and even though we started at 5:20am, it was totally worth it for getting it done.  The humidity level was rather high, which definitely affected our pace, but I was happy with the effort for the first 6 miles for sure.

I'm probably going to scratch my workout of mile repeats for later this week because I can tell that my hamstring doesn't react well to the speedy stuff whatsoever.  Hopefully that will be what I need to keep my streak of high mileage going strong.

Just Like Clockwork - 5 Mile Tempo

Goal:
5 Mile Tempo at 5:45-5:50

Actual:
2.5 mile warmup
5 mile tempo in 29:36 (5:57, 5:57, 5:57, 5:59, 5:47)
3.5 mile cool down

7 miles in the pm for 18 miles total

Well, ever since I did those 400s on Tuesday, my arch, achilles and hamstring have all been extremely tight.  Nothing crazy, but also something that definitely should not go ignored because I feel like I'm on the precipitous of injury--right at the point where either I could keep doing what I'm doing now, which in terms of prehab is absolutely nothing, or choose to make some changes and actually do my exercises that help prevent aches such as these.  I'm also leading into a nice 100-mile week and I'm sure these are the kinks to be felt.

I think that the travel took its toll on me during this workout, as I felt like it was a chore to run in the high 5:50s.  However, I was able to go pretty quick that last mile, thanks to the push from Stephen Spada.  Hey--at least we were consistent with our first four miles, right?  Now I need to keep up my training regime in the weight room and make sure I keep any injuries from becoming a reality.

Workout Fail

Goal:
8 mile progression from 6:20-5:50

Actual:
3-ish warmup
5 Miles in 31:00 (6:12 average)
4 miles cool down for 12 miles total

Yeah this workout was an epic fail. I know that my latest goal is to not drop out of workouts, but I think this deserves a special exception given the circumstances.  Essentially, I ran within 2 seconds my road PR in a 5k on Saturday night, and then 12 hour later, ran for 1:40 at Salem Lake in the humidity.  Then I floated a river in the sun for three hours.  I think that this alone took a lot more out of my body than I had expected.  In hindsight, I kind of wish I had just not done a workout at all today, but there were so many people running a tempo from the dowd that I couldn't resist.  In the end, I got in 5 miles of a poor tempo at a slower pace than I'm used to, but at least I got in some sort of decent workout in this weather.

5 Mile Tempo

Goal:
5 Mile tempo in 5:50-5:55

Actual:
3.3 mile warmup
5 mile tempo in 6:02 pace (6:18, 6:03, 5:58, 5:56, 5:54)
2 mile cool down for 10+ miles total

45 minutes of dance lesson

Today was muggy.  Real muggy.  Considering the fact that I wanted to drop out of this tempo after two miles, I would say that this was an accomplishment because I ran the entire workout.  Fortunately, the company of Spada, Caleb and Aaron helped tremendously and was 100% of the reason why I did not drop out.  In fact, Spada and Caleb pulled away after 1.5 miles and I just hung onto Aaron as best I could.  The first mile went out to so freaking slow because no one else was willing to help me with the pace and my efforts to push it weren't getting us anywhere any faster.  At one point, while Aaron was talking excitedly, Spada said matter-of-factly: "Aaron.  Is Caitlin talking?  She's working.  She's give you one line responses."  And Aaron shut right up.  Not that I mind listening to Aaron.  In fact, I kind of like his uncanny ability to keep a workout lively.  After that, Aaron just kept me company by being my trusty sidekick.  I thought of how the tables had turned.  Last time I worked out with Aaron, I felt awesome and was the motivation that kept him going until the end.  This time, I was the one hurting massively.  I think that I ran a faster five mile split in the last bit of that 14-mile steady state I did.  Oh well, workouts are all relative.  Today wasn't the greatest, it was muggy, and my legs were tired.  I'm hoping the pep will return for the mile repeats workout I've got set for Friday.

Long Run + 8 Mile Wave Tempo

Goal:
16 Miles + 8-10 Mile Wave

Actual:
4 miles warmup
8 miles wave in 47:44 (5:52, 6:14, 5:50, 6:06, 5:44, 6:01, 5:43, 6:10)
4 miles cool down

Caleb and I continued our tradition of doing long tempos at McMullen together today.  This time he drove us down to the McMullen entrance, where the skies seemed to be holding out just long enough for us to get the majority of our run in without a torrential downpour.  Going into this, my legs felt a little heavy still (potentially from my wimpy hike on Sunday?), but I figured I would still be able to hit my times.  The plan was to start on the easy interval, but Caleb and I took it out a little hard in the first 400m, so we had a change of plans and swapped it for the fast interval.  We ran to the four mile mark and back for the tempo portion, and the rain held off until mile 3.  I am surprised we were able to maintain our paces because the wooden pathways got a little slippery and I could tell that I was running more tentatively and timidly with each step forward. Fortunately, it wasn't too bad and didn't affect my workout.  Upon the turn around, we had turned up the heat on the paces.  Our "easy" pace inched closer and closer to 6:00 and I felt grand...until the last mile.  It wasn't like the wheels came off, but they unraveled a little bit.  My legs just couldn't pick up and move as quickly (and as easily) as they had before.  I could tell that Caleb was holding back and that he could have easily finished in a 6:00 flat mile, but he was a gentleman and stayed back with me as I willed the starting line to magically appear in front of my path.  We finished up the run just as it stopped raining as hard, so for our cool down we didn't have to worry about pouring rain dripping into our eyes again.

Since this is my last big workout before the USA half champs, I am very pleased with this effort.  I believe that I can run 5:50 pace for a half marathon and this workout as cemented that belief for me.  If I can run 5:50 pace for a 10 miler, then I should be able to add on a 5k at the same pace.  The most important piece to the puzzle now is to mentally prepare for my goals.  I haven't been injured (knock on wood) in the last three years, and all of that hard work is going to pay off in Duluth.

14 Mile Steady State Success

Goal:
14 Miles at 6:20-6:40 pace

Actual:
1 mile warmup
14 miles in 1:28:16 (6:18 average) with splits of: 6:35, 6:31, 6:28, 6:26, 6:38, 6:21, 6:35, 6:21, 6:04, 6:15, 6:07, 5:59, 5:58, 5:58
1 mile cool down for ~16 miles total

I know that summer is officially here because I set my alarm for 5:45AM on a Sunday morning, which should be just plain blasphemy.  However, in the summer it's worth it to wake before the sun rises in an effort to escape the North Carolina heat that seems to get worse with each passing year.  This particular morning, I was set to meet Pezz, Aaron and Spada at McMullen for a 14 mile steady state run.  After eating a Fig Bar, I hopped in my car and arrived at McMullen a couple minutes shy of our starting time of 6:30.  Spada was running a little late, so it bought me some time to walk around before starting our warmup. The biggest surprise of the morning was that Pezz was early (who is always late) and that Spada was late (who is always early).

We started off with an easy mile before easing into our uptempo portion of the run.  Pezz and I made a sizable gap on Spada and Aaron within the first mile, and we were right on pace.  It felt effortless at that point while Pezz and I just enjoyed catching up.  By the third mile of the tempo, Aaron caught up to us as we discussed the USA Half Champs course, which we are assuming to be on the same course as the Grandma's Marathon.  Once we reached the end of the greenway, we began the first loop of the hilly circle around the gigantic Church on Rea Road.  I felt really good through this section, despite the hills. After one loop, Pezz headed back towards the main entrance while Aaron and I began the ascent to the Six Flags Church, the worst part of the run.  After we crested the last uphill, I kept the pace going strong and probably picked it up a little here.  Aaron grabbed some water before we made our way back onto the flat greenway portion.  I caught our first 800m split back on course, and we cruised through at 3:00.  Knowing that I had at least another four miles left, we eased it up a bit.  I still felt great at this point.  In fact, I felt like I was getting stronger with each step forward.  I started dropping some sub-6:00 miles and at this point, Aaron apologized for being a bad running buddy.  I assured him that his presence for 90% of my run was a huge life saver, especially through the hilly section.  Soon, he dropped off and I was left for the final 1.5 miles of the tempo on my own.  I closed in sub-6:00 again and felt really smooth.

At the .5 mile marker, I stopped, turned around and jogged back towards Aaron, who had just capped off a solid 20 miler just one week after his half marathon PR.  Internally, I did some math within my head and tried to hold back my excitement.  Almost two years ago, I did this exact same course as part of my simulation run for Twin Cities.  For 15.5 miles, I average 6:11 pace.  Today, for 14 miles, I averaged 6:18 pace in what was supposed to be a much slower run.  The difference today was that everything felt easy and I never once felt like I was really straining too much.  I wasn't breathing hard at any one point except maybe towards the end. I also can't help but think that my 6+ hours of dancing each week is paying off.  I think that my hips and other stabilizer muscles are getting stronger through dancing and that this is helping my running.  I was sick earlier this week, but somehow I still managed to have a fabulous 5 mile wave tempo on Friday followed by this great workout today.  Things are looking really good going into the USA Half Champs and now I have the confidence that I can achieve the goals I've laid out for this race.