Sunday 6/16/13
Father’s Day. Today is the end of week 1. Total of 24.62 miles for the week. Sundays are for “LSD” (long slow distance) running. My goal on Sundays is to run as consistently as possible within the pace range of 9:39 per mile and 10:39 per mile. Mentally, I shoot for about 10:00 per mile. Today’s average pace was 9:59. Sunday runs involve water and GU breaks, so some of the splits are longer. I ran fairly steady today. Didn’t push too hard, and didn’t get too tired. The challenge on LSD day is mental – fighting the thought about how much farther marathon distance is from today’s mileage, and fighting the urge to run faster. Speed is not the point of the long run days. Speed work is done during the week. LSD days are about endurance. Covering the miles with good form.
Today was a success. This week was a success. I celebrate that and thank God for the opportunity to make it so. 17 weeks from today, I’ll be right in the middle of the Chicago Marathon. One step at a time. This week, I can say I hit all my marks. I worked at it. And I did it.
Saturday 6/15/13
This morning was a 5 mile run at race pace. Race pace for me, for now, is 9:09 per mile. I brought in a 9:04 per mile with the following splits: 9:23, 9:06, 8:48, 9:27, 8:34. Mile 4 (9:27) started with a walk break, simulating race conditions. I walked somewhere between 45 seconds and a minute, I think. So the running part of that mile was paced correctly.
I woke up at 4;45 to a thunderstorm that I don’t remember being in the forecast. It wasn’t very big, but it was concentrated right where I live. I made some coffee and relaxed for a while. I started my run around 6 AM. The air was really wet, but slightly cooler than normal for this time of year.
I also went to boot camp about an hour after the run. Where we did some more running. Pretty tough workout today. Tomorrow will be the long slow distance (10 miles at 10:00 per mile or so). I’m planning to do this run at White Rock so I can be around people. I’ve had enough alone time this week!
Friday 6/14/13
REST DAY. No exercise and no running. It is funny how rest day plays with your mind – how you can end up thinking, “I’m not doing enough. I shouldn’t be resting.” But that is ridiculous. Sometimes, you gotta just power through rest like you do a workout. In the evening, I played piano in my friend Marcy’s wedding in Fort Worth. Marla went with me.
Thursday 6/13/13
Today’s running task was a 30 minute tempo run. According to Hal Higdon, the tempo run is divided into thirds: 10 minutes slow, 10 minutes increasing pace to fastest pace peaking for the 2 to 3 minutes leading up to 20 minute mark, and then 10 minutes cool down. I did this as prescribed,and it went well. Fastest pace achieved was 6:17. For my 10 minutes of increasing speed, I just monitored my watch and every minute or so I pushed a little harder. At 17 minutes I tried to just go all out. We ran a total of about 1.3 miles in boot camp this morning.
It is hot. It felt like a workout today. Sweat was dripping rapidly. That felt sort of good, actually.
Tomorrow is a complete rest day. Today marks 7 days running in a row. I will enjoy a little rest tomorrow, and I don’t have to get up at 4:15!
Wednesday 6/12/13
Back from Chicago. This morning, I went to boot camp and then came home and did an “easy 3.” I did include the hill on Valley Ridge over I-35. Kept a nice, comfortable pace. No problems. When I finished, my right ankle felt a little weird. But nothing of major concern.
Tuesday 6/11/13
Today was the first set of hill repeats. I was in Chicago on business. I asked my friends Tommy and Andy where they would run hill repeats in Chicago, and they said a friend of theirs did his in a parking garage. Good idea…
But what kept coming into my mind was Roosevelt, the hill that comes right at the end of the Chicago Marathon. That is what I decided to do. I did it. It was a strange feeling to have fresh legs to be able to sprint up that hill a few times. It made me excited for October to get here. I felt lucky to be able to run on that street today.
Monday 6/10/13
Today was “Easy 3 mile run.” I was in Racine, WI on business. Yesterday, I did a 9-mile run from my hotel to Lake Michigan and back. I mentally scoped out the out and back for this run at that time.
It went well. By “easy,” I meant my goal was not to push too hard. Hal says to be able to converse during an easy run. I knew that I wanted to keep it in the low 9’s. I was very pleased with my splits: 9:33, 9:19, 8:40.
Not much to report. It was routine. But a good start to lots of miles of training. I just added up the training miles leading up to Chicago: 597. Down now to 594.
greggorunner 