Posts Tagged ‘mp run’

Last week’s race was a very good thing.  Yeah, I didn’t PR but I knew I wasn’t going to and I thought I was going to end up in the 1:36s so I was pleasantly surprised with the outcome.  But most importantly, I appreciated the clarity it gave me for choosing my goal pace for Boston.

It was a bit of an ego bruise this cycle; everything was a little tougher, a little slower, my head and heart weren’t as committed, but with the outcome of Sunday’s Half, I was given solid numbers to target, which was like letting out a big, comfortable sigh.  It was the not knowing exactly what I’d lost that was making me tense.  Having this race result gave me “permission” to target something slower.  Weird but it’s how I look at it.

So with the revised goal pace, I had a really solid MP run on Saturday, 12 w/10mi at 7:45s.   My HR was a steady line which told me I would be good to go at that pace and effort-wise, I felt phenomenal, as if it was simply a peppy long run.  In fact my cooldown mile only slowed by about 5 seconds, I felt that good.

Today was my last 20 and I cannot tell you how glad I am to be done with them.  The idea that I may never do one again tickles me pink.  I honestly don’t remember in the last two marathon cycles being as uncomfortable on my 20s as I was this time.

Maybe it’s because all but one were prefaced with a quality run on Saturday and I made a point to do them all in the trails so I’d get more elevation and fancy footing and it doesn’t help that half of my big toenail is now purple from the 20 two weeks ago and still hurting, so…how about a little whine with that cheese?  Hee

The wrap-up
This week was my peak week with 72.2 miles, just shy of what my average mileage was last cycle.  As for long runs, I ended up with two 18s and four 20s, but nothing longer.  Last cycle I did  two 18s, a 20,  two 22s and a 24, so I’m slightly concerned about “time on my feet” but obviously not enough to have run farther.  Lol, I know I slacked some, no secret there, but truth be told, I think I’ll be fine.  I’m feeling as if I’m just beginning to hit my stride again!  This is a very good thing.

Welcome to the new look of GIM.  I was bored of the old design and figured a nicer, larger blog was in order.  I’ve finally got it set up for nested replies so I don’t have to make one big ole reply to you guys and bold your names, now I (or anyone) can reply to individual posts.

And, because I’ve gone plug-in crazy (WordPress really does rock with all the things you can do with it), I’ve added a checkbox below the comment box so if anyone replies to your comment, you can choose to get an email alerting you to that.  Works really nicely.  If anyone reading here has a WordPress blog and you see something you’d like on yours, just ask me and I’ll tell you what plug-in I use to achieve it.

Now, on to running… Been a nice week on that score.  On Thursday, one mile into my run, I found a crisp $20 bill on the ground.  Felt like I was stealing by taking it but it was me or the next guy, so ME!  :-)  The run itself was pretty good, 3mi tempo (they won’t be as short from here on in) inside a 13 miler, the HR was lower than the previous times so that’s a beautiful thing.

Today I had 9 w/7MP and was fully expecting to be slower than the standard 7:30s I’d consistently done for Philly.  I already have the green light to go slower since breaking 3:20 will take 7:37s, but I was feeling really good, the weather was 42 so all I had on was my UA mock, tights, headband and light gloves.  Something about that outfit makes me feel speedy and sexy (maybe because it’s just one fitted layer between me and winter) so when all was said and done, I averaged 7:29s for the MP miles, 7:43 avg for the total run.

And now for the survey.  I was wondering what level you consider yourself at as a runner and if you’re a forum reader.  So if you wouldn’t mind filling it out, I’d be majorly grateful.  Also, please feel free to expand on it in the comments, too. I’d be interested in what type of info in general you guys seek out (i.e. running magazines (online or paper), books, blogs galore or if you like to just…run!)

Just got back from an ok run, 12.5 w/2X(4MP, 4:30 rec.).  Was ok, nothing amazing to report as far as effort or HR, plus I’m feeling like a teary, cranky mess thanks to Lady Time, so this hasn’t been my finest few days.

I took yesterday off for an unprecedented 2 days in a week, the reason was two-fold: the weather was sucking for the 2nd day in a row (high winds and rain) and I was supposed to do my MP miles in it, which wasn’t worth contemplating but also, my gut tells me that I need rest more than anything at this point – “the hay is in the barn” as they say, so taking that extra day off wasn’t a hard decision.

In other news, unbelievably, the Boston Marathon filled up yesterday…in November!  I am so glad I decided to sign up a couple weeks ago, thanks to my pals on the sub3:20 thread, because otherwise I’d be shit out of luck, which sadly, is the story for some of my dear forum friends.  To think so many people were waiting for Philly and CIM and a few other races about to happen, naturally assuming they’d have time to get their applications in – after all, last year it filled up early but that was in January!  So I’m only hoping that Boston will do as they did last year and reopen for a week so that those qualifying in the next few weeks get a chance to sign up.

OK, I’m done with this post, I need to be in a bad hormonal bitchy mood for awhile.  Talk amongst yourselves.  xoxoxo

Due to the forecast (windy tomorrow) I switched up my week a bit.  Yesterday was an 8 mile progression, which was a pleasure since for months now, short runs have been relegated to recovery, so it was nice to put a little energy into it.  I started with an 8:58 then got down to a couple 7:40s, so average was 8:17.

Today was my final continuous GMP run – 14 miles with 10MP.  Weather report for the day was 56 degrees, cloudy with 10mph wind.  Carried my small handheld and took a gel at mile 7, just to check that I wouldn’t choke at pace.  Avg for the total run 7:51.

I wisely removed the HR data window from my Garmin so I had no idea what was going on till I got home. The run itself was fine, the MP miles weren’t an easy glide, but then they’re not expected to be at this point.  In fact, that was another thing I enjoyed reading in Jaymee Marty’s blog -  down the page you’ll see her observation on GMP runs and how she once had a coach who told her they should feel very easy yet they never were, giving her unnecessary mental baggage she carried with her for a while.

Anyway, it wasn’t easy but it wasn’t super hard either.  The cool part turns out to be the HR data, of all things (this is why I don’t ditch it completely, there’s still useful info to be found).  Yes, I’m still elevated on whole by about 5bpm, but here’s the deal.  I did another MP run back in September, which I’d somehow forgotten about.  It was 14 miles with 8 at GMP.  Both today and September’s run averaged 7:27 for the MP miles. (not by design, btw, I’m still targeting 7:30s)

The run in September averaged 76% HRR for the first mile and finished at 83.4%, so it rose 7.4% during the run.  Today’s run however, averaged 82% in the first mile but finished at 83% – a 1% rise.  And it actually was highest on the 2nd and 3rd mile, so it went down from there.   This is progress.  In full disclosure, I should mention that September’s run was 10 degrees warmer at 66, but I don’t think that speaks for today’s lovely flat profile.

Anyway, glad it’s done.  Aside from some progression runs, the rest of my workouts aren’t too challenging from here on in (can’t say I’m sorry about that, either).  Feels great to be over the workload hump and now into calmer waters, because I really am a lazy ass at heart.

I moved yesterday, so today was my first run from the new pad.  It was a little weird since, except for a couple vacation runs, the old place has always been my starting point.  One thing I love about the new route is that there’s no 2-block hill to cap off my run but what I don’t like is there’s no 2-block hill to cap off my run (I always thought that bit toughened me up some).  Might just detour to take in those blocks sometimes.

The move went really smoothly – the film people left a day early so I was able to cart a bunch of stuff on Wednesday morning, then I spent the rest of the day packing boxes.  All that physical labor and anxiety made me think yesterday morning’s MP run was going to suck.  But it didn’t.

The run was 14 w/8 at MP (shooting for 7:30s).  My MP splits went like this: 7:36, 7:32, 7:24, 7:25, 7:27, 7:28, 7:27, 7:24 for an average of 7:27.  But the best part was my HR, which averaged 81%HRR and didn’t climb like a mo-fo.  Here’s my HR in graphic form so you can see that it was pretty steady. With 11 weeks of training still to go, I am beginning to think my goal could really happen.  (providing no hurricanes, snow storms or mudslides, of course)

As for my running these past weeks, I’ve been going like clockwork to where 70′s ain’t no big deal.  Here’s what August looked like (plus an 8 miler on the 31st).  Note the 71s…it’s ’cause 71 is more than 70. 

Click on it for a larger pic.

This week I’m set for 76 with what Hudson calls a “hard 18″ on Sunday (which also happens to be my birthday…48, woohoo!).  By hard, he says MP+10% which comes out to 8:15/mi.  Shouldn’t be too tough but you never know.

OK, I’m pooped but now that I’m fully in my crappy new apartment (it’s got cute points to it but is basically silly small with a lot of street noise) it’s time to start getting back to the forums and see what everyone’s been up to.  Must do some blog reading, too, there’s much to catch up on.

Have a great Labor Day, you Americanos, and as for you foreigners, may your weekend be a goodie.

Today was the day I’ve been scared of for a while now, my second (and last) MP run on the Pfitz plan: 17 miles w/14MP.  With my 3:40 goal, we’re talking 14 @ 8:23/mi.

If you’re just tuning in, my fear of this run arose from a not-so-great first MP run last month.  Though I completed the run as required, I was disappointed that it felt harder than I think it should have, and although that was likely due to the fact that I got sloshed the night before, I couldn’t help thinking “what if that’s my fitness talking, not the booze?” so today was very important as far as determining if my goal pace is a pipe dream or a viable prospect.

With that in mind, I knew I could complete the workout today no matter what (I’m bulldog determined, if nothing else), but I was truly concerned with how it’d feel – if it was in any way a struggle like the last one, I would have to reassess my goal, no ifs, ands or buts.

So yesterday was full of freakouts while I scanned the weather sites all day.  First it was set to be 21mph winds, then it was 97% humidity with a high dewpoint, both of which would make it uncomfortable and harder.  In the end, both threats were totally unfounded, it was a gorgeous morning today, sunny and 68 at 7am, humidity from 67% to 50% by the end of the run.

Had a pretty good sleep despite the fact that I’ve developed a habit of waking up around 4am for tossing and turning when an important run is scheduled.  I’m used to it now, so no surprise.  Woke up, made myself eat a bit of oatmeal, had the prerequisite coffee for poop-making (works every time), dressed, filled the flask with a couple gels, took the handheld out of the fridge, clipped on my mp3 player, stuck sunglasses on my head and out the door I went.

My plan was to stay on my favorite side of the river today, even though it meant covering the same ground a couple times, it’s more fun due to better people-watching and I wasn’t disappointed, runners were out in droves.  It was a fuel-belt fashion show today with all the marathoners doing their thing.

But I am wasting time getting to the good stuff, huh?  hee hee

I KILLED IT!!!  From the very beginning of the MP miles, I felt so comfortable about it, I was reminded of what it’s like when you’re looking for a new place to live, you look at a few houses and you know they just aren’t right, then you open the door to the one and you just know, this is it.  That’s how I felt at Marathon Pace today.  All the doubts that have been living with me, for oh…since I registered were quieted in an instant.  I just KNEW this is the right pace, the right goal – my Marathon House.

When I got to the 10th MP mile (mile 13 overall), I started to feel a bit tired, but I said to myself, “This is MY house!  I belong here!” and wouldn’t you know, I owned it again, gathering strength as it went.

My MP splits were: 8:23, 8:23, 8:16, 8:17, 8:20, 8:23, 8:23, 8:25, 8:21, 8:25, 8:21, 8:13, 8:12, 8:09.  Avg MP miles 8:19.  And remember folks, Steamtown is a net downhill of 955′, so it’s looking beautiful for Oct. 12.

And with that, I’m high on life right now…seriously.  My body feels great, legs feel fab, the only reminder is my butt’s a bit tired (go figure), but that’s it!  So tonight I’ve got some serious celebration on tap, a delayed birthday dinner with friends, but in my mind, I’ll be celebrating this run and the excitement of an adventure on the brink.