10 Mile Wave

Goal:
10 miles at 6:30/no faster than 6:00

Actual:
2 mile warmup
6:23
5:55
6:22
6:00
6:24
6:00
6:25
6:02
6:25
6:00
2.3 mile cool down for 14.3 miles total (6:12 average)

What a confidence booster this was!  Without the luxury of Laurie's company as she is prepping for Chicago this weekend, I hit snooze on my alarm and opted for a pm run.  I knew that I could at least have Garrett's company on the bike if I went in the evening, so it worked out quite well for me.  We headed out the door around 5PM and the weather was a perfect temperature, but with about 15 mph winds.  I was more worried about the potential traffic around the Dilworth Speed Loop than the wind.

On my warmup, I twisted my ankle really bad on a pine cone hidden under a leaf, but fortunately it turned out to be something that I could literally just walk (and then jog) out.  After checking out the speed loop, I saw that a portion of the road was under construction, so I made a quick u-turn to head away from the loop and towards the greenway.  I completed the first 2 miles with a downhill advantage and then ran back and forth on portions on the greenway that are on the road.  I felt okay through the first intervals, but really began to feel good towards the middle. I was focusing on my form and making it feel as easy as possible during the 6:30 segments.  Towards the last three miles, I really had to fight hard to keep up a solid pace for the fast portions, which really just reminded how mentally zoned in I truly have to be in order to run a great marathon.  The whole time, Garrett really just rode next to me, silently providing me enough motivation to not quit after eight miles.

This was truly my first marathon workout in this training cycle, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.  Historically, I struggle on longer workouts when I don't have a running buddy with me, so I exhibited a mental tenacity that I don't normally possess.  I hope to keep putting in workouts like this over the next six weeks before I begin the official taper period.

Wave Tempo

Goal:
10 Mile Wave in 5:55/6:25

Actual:
2.3 mile warmup
10 Mile Wave in 5:55/6:45
2 mile cool down for 14.3 miles total
2:58/3:00 (5:58)
3:23/3:20 (6:43)
2:56/2:57 (5:53)
3:30/3:30 (7:00)
3:03/2:59 (6:02)
3:20/3:16 (6:36)
2:55/2:59 (5:54)
3:24/3:20 (6:44)
2:56/3:00 (5:56)
3:40/3:20 (7:00)

Aaron had a similar workout to what Mark had on my schedule, so I decided to go down to his neck of the woods and run with him at McMullen in the morning.  While my confidence is still coming back, I really practiced going into this workout with some positive energy and trust that I could accomplish a solid effort of work for 10 miles.  Fortunately, my mental planning paid off because I was able to hit a pretty decent wave workout. Contrast this to two weeks ago, when I set out to do a 10 mile tempo and really just ended up running a 5 mile tempo at slower than my goal marathon pace.  Figures how a 20 degree drop in temperature and 14 days of iron supplementation can really come through.  While I do feel like my iron is probably coming back to a fairly normal level, I still don't know for sure and my times still aren't reflecting that I'm 100% better.  Typically for this type of workout, my "slower" portion would be between 6:20-6:30 and I was a bit off of that today.  However, I am excited by my faster splits because this was the first time that I've run 6:00 pace and had it feel easy.  In fact, for the very first interval, I thought that maybe we were too slow, but we came through right on pace for 6:00.  Despite the small improvement, it's enough to keep me smiling.  Looking forward to my next workout 3x2 mile later this week.

5 Mile Wave

Goal:
5 Mile Wave at 3:00-3:05/2:45-2:50

Actual:
2-ish warmup
3:03/2:53
3:02/2:54
2:58/2:51
2:59/2:55
2:59/2:53
2 mile cool down

14.5 miles for the day

I've been spending so much time watching the Olympics that I haven't been going to bed at a reasonable hour, so needless to say that when my alarm went off, I wasn't having any of it.  So, I just did a short double and then texted Matt to see if he wanted to workout in the evening.  Matt is almost always guaranteed to be willing to workout in the evening.  I wasn't feeling too hot, so when we went to the Dilworth Speed Loop, I just figured that I would go on feel and try to not focus on the time.

We started out and Matt would be a little ahead of me on the fast, and then I would get a little ahead of him on the easy part.  Essentially, I should have slowed down more on the easy portions of this workout, but I felt good so I just kept going.  Matt dropped off after 4 miles, so I was left solo for the final mile.  In the end, I didn't hit the goal times for the fast portion, but I also went too fast for the easy portion.

5 Mile Wave

Goal:
5 mile wave at 3:05/2:50

Actual:

3 mile warmup
5 mile Wave at an estimated 3:10/3:00
1.5 mile cool down for 9.5 miles total
4.5 miles in the PM

Since I spent 9 hours in the car and returned home from Indiana last night at 10PM, this workout was doomed before I even laced up my shoes.  It's difficult to stay hydrated while in the car for that long and it probably prevented healthy blood flow from my legs.  I didn't feel bad on my warmup, but once I started the workout, it was really difficult to hit my target paces even though my breathing was fine.  My legs just didn't have that extra gear.  It was definitely hot and humid, and I think that some days it affects me more than other days.  Today was not particularly a great one, but even after my Garmin died, I maintained a hard/medium effort for the whole five miles.  My cool down was ridiculously slow, but it was all that my legs could muster.  Looking forward to a better workout on Friday.

5 Mile Wave Success...Finally

Goal:
5 Mile wave with alternating 800s at 2:50-2:55 and 3:00-3:05

Actual:
2.25 mile warmup
5 Mile Wave in 28:56 (5:47 average) splits below
2:49/3:00 (5:49)

2:49/3:00 (5:49)
2:46/2:59 (5:45)
2:47/2:59 (5:46)
2:46/2:58 (5:44)
3.25 miles cool down

Yet another successful workout in the last seven days. I can't complain, especially because there were a lot of circumstances leading up to this workout that would warrant complaints...Such as being sick with some sort of hacking cough and disgusting mucus that wouldn't leave my throat no matter how hard I coughed.  Such as moving my entire life two miles away into a new house.  Such as trying to work with the hacking cough.  Such as trying to run with the hacking cough.  And the list goes on.  Pushing all of those thoughts aside, I decided I would have a good workout today because my legs should have been well rested since I took a down week earlier.

Fortunately, I received a surprise text from Mike Beigay inquiring about workout plans for the morning last night.  The next morning, I ran to the Dowd to meet Mike and we made our way down South Blvd toward the speed loop to meet Spada.  After a couple of fist pumps, we hid our shirts in a tree, and jogged our way through the start line to begin with the "hard" section first. For our route, we did two rounds of the 800m loop and then did two rounds of the two mile loop.   I took us out kind of hard, but felt good.  I eased the pace back to 5:40 so that I would have enough room left in the tank for the final intervals.  Mike Beigay was intregal to keeping the pace for the first two hard 800s, and after that he fell back slightly as I continued to press. Spada still hung on, casually pacing behind me, his presence alone helping propel me forward.  After the third hard one, I dropped him slightly on the uphill on Lennox, but then eased up a tad on the "easier" portion so he could join me again.  By the fourth hard 800m, I was feeling great again and felt like pushing it even more.  I think Spada fell back on this one again and I wouldn't see him again until the finish.  And when I say "fell back" it really means he stayed at the pace we were aiming for.  I was just a touch faster on the intervals.  With just 800m to go, I was finally beginning to feel the fatigue settle into my legs and I used the slight downhill to my advantage to make it my fastest split of the day.  I finished in a time of 28:56, which is by far the fastest 5 mile tempo I've had since college I think. 

Things are finally starting to come together for me and this is a huge confidence booster for going into the half marathon champs in just three weeks.  I'm ready for a big PR in this distance and can't wait to toe the line with Meagan, Pezz and Alana.

5 Wave Tempo Attempt

Goal:
5 Mile Tempo alternating 245-250 adnd 300-305 every 800 meters

actual:


3 miles warmup to 3 mile marker at mcalpine

5 miles tempo from Miles 3-4 and then back to old bell in the dark with the wet soil and only one head lamp
250 (fast)
309 (slow)
251 fast
258 slow
253 fast
307 slow
258 supposed to be fast
310 slow
258 supposed to be fast
250 supposed to be slow for 29:53 total

2 miles cool down for 10 miles total

So yeah,  this work out is really hard.  Or maybe it's just that mentally I didn't want to put into work into this today.  It's been a killer of a week, but after this workout I decided on my drive home that I needed to let go of the noise that is stressing me out.  This little mental exercise worked well because I went into work with a better attitude and with the belief that everything was going to be alright and get completed.  I wish I had taken the time to calm my mind BEFORE the workout, but that's what learning is all about.  In these next couple of months leading up to the Trials, I really need to focus on what's best for me and, as my college coach always said, "get a little bit more selfish."  I don't mean this in a bad way, but it's really just another way of saying, stick to your own schedule and regime as to what works best for YOU. So - if I ditch you on a run to sleep in, it's probably because I'm recognizing my body needs that extra amount of sleep and I'm hoping it will mean I run one minute faster at the Trials.  Kidding, but you see where I'm going. 

So, back to this workout.  We ran the entire tempo in the dark, with the exception of the last mile.  The ground was soggy and soft, not conducive to running fast times.  It was hot and muggy, but fortunately there was a break in the rain system that has been plagueing NC with its presence.  It was difficult for me to hit the target times as I felt like I was aimlessly pounding my feet down onto invisible pavement and soft mud.   After 3 miles, Spada and Billy took off and I was left to think about how miserable I felt and how I would never again do this workout at McAlpine. I know that I would have gone faster if I hadn't gotten pissed that I had chosen McAlpine after a rainy night.  I need to focus on being mentally present during these work outs and to push through whatever physical pain I've dreamed up. 

Looking forward to a weekend of relaxation and then a 16 mile steady state on Sunday morning.