27 Days to Go (I will run a sub-3 hour marathon and qualify for Boston!)
Date - Day - Scheduled Workout (Intervals within desired pace)
8/28/17 - T - 2 mile WU + 8x1000 @ CV w/ 60 sec RI @ WU + 4 x 200m @ R w/ 200m RI
*SKIPPED + 2 mile CD (8/8)
8/29/17 - W - 6 miles @ 8:04-9:01 min/mile
8/30/17 - R - 3 miles WU + 10 miles M Tempo + 3 miles CD
**CUT EARLY 3 mile WU + 8 mile M Tempo + 1 mile CD (8/8)
8/31/17 - F -
UNSCHEDULED OFF
9/1/17 - Sat - 6 miles @ 8:04-9:01 min/mile
9/2/17 - Sun - 12 miles @ 7:35 min/mile (12/12)
9/4/17 - M - OFF
Total (training) mileage = 45.6 miles
Number of SOS intervals within pace = 28/28 (100%)
Tuesday
1889 days down and 33 days to go!
2 mile WU + 8 x 1000 @ CV w/ 1 min RI + 2 mile CD
Originally, this workout had a 4 x 200m ending at mile pace. But I decided to cut that out because 1) I was content with how the workout felt and didn't want to push it too far and 2) I still had to get home and leave to go pick up my wife from work.
CV Pace = 6:23 min/mile (4:00 1000m duration)
CV Pace Window = +/-3 seconds (3:57-4:03)
After Sunday's near effortless run, I was interested to see how my body responded. My knee was finally becoming 100% around mid-afternoon today. During the dynamic WU before the run started I could tell I was nice and loose and in good shape. I was excited! T+D of 134 and sunny.
CV Pace = 3:59, 3:58, 3:59, 4:00, 3:59, 3:57, 3:59, 3:58
Solid throughout. The pace felt comfortable and sustainable. Many of the intervals started off too fast and I had to back off. Interval #4 was the biggest culprit of a fast start and that was because I had another challenger today. A different girl on her bike and her mom that was doing a run next to her. The two of them (and her son) were playing at the park (my aid station) on the 4th interval they had started down the path and I gave them a head start. Then it was time for my interval to start and I played Pac-Man. As I zoomed by, the girl said to her mom, "Wow he's fast!" LOL! My competitive spirit got the best of me in this one as I was suppose to be doing a 6:23 and instead was a 5:50s. Not a challenge like some of the other recent "races" as this was more running in the same direction as other people. Fun for everyone none the less.
After the 8x1000m was done, I was happy with the results and felt somewhat fatigued. I decided it wasn't worth the time/risk doing the 4x200m, so I just started the 2 mile CD and moved on. Another successful training run!
Wednesday was an easy day. A T+D of 142, clouds, 9:09 min/mile avg pace and 125 avg HR.
Thursday
1891 days down and 31 to go!
3 mile WU + 10 mile M Tempo + 3 mile CD
I got a random Charley horse in my left calf last night. Was very sore and stiff this morning. I tried icing it and then took a hot shower to try and release it. Decided to give the run a try. I was certainly willing to shut it down at any moment things didn't feel right.
M Tempo = 6:58 min/mile
M Tempo Window = +/- 10 seconds (6:48-7:08)
T+D of 110, cloudy and a slight wind of 10 mph
The WU felt fine. The calf was noticeable but not bothersome. After the 3 miles was done, I decided to go ahead and give the M Tempo a try. Things were going well until I came to the "aid" station at the park. No bottles again... Found them in the trash can. You'd think with them meticulously laid out and a plastic bag, and the fact I've been doing this for years, people would know better. Oh well, at least I found them. Got back started up and things felt good. The uphills and downhills were where the calf became the most noticeable. But the pace felt comfortable and strong. If it weren't for the calf, I would have considered this a pretty easy max tempo run. During the 8th M Tempo mile it was making its presence known. I could feel it getting tight every once in a while and then it felt like on the verge of breaking down. I've had a minor calf strain before and it took about 7-10 days to feel normal again. Since this felt like it could have been bigger if I kept pushing it, I decided to shut it down. Hoping some rest will put it back to normal.
Overall, another perfect tempo run with 8/8 intervals within window, average pace of 6:59, and average HR of 148 (historical is 149-152). This makes it 6 perfect tempos in a row for me which is incredible since having one is a rare event for me. Average pace of those 6 is also a 6:58 min/mile. So right on track. Current projections have the marathon race at 2:59-3:04. Only a few hard runs left until the victory lap!
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The rest of Thursday was rough. Thankfully I have off for the rest of the week because I couldn't move very well without hobbling around. The knot was sizable and an issue. But I kept icing it, heating it, elevating it, massaging it, and compression sleeves on it. By Thursday night, it felt like things were returning to normal. Of course others sharing that there calf strains lasted 1-6 weeks wasn't helping matters. Although I do appreciate the honesty.
Friday I woke up and things felt nearly normal. Not quite 100%, but if I had to run I could of. I committed to myself that I wouldn't run on Friday. No matter how good I felt, I needed to give myself one day. Better to give a day now then push through and make things worse. From memory, this served as the first run I ever skipped because of injury. If there were others it was certainly less than a handful of days. But I felt this was the best long term solution. Have to remember to keep the big picture in mind.
Saturday was a solid run without issues. Another near effortless feeling. I probably could have run yesterday if I had to (as the charley horse calf was feeling much better). But I decided to give it a day off just for the sake of being safe. Things worked out great today and I'll proceed as normal with the training unless something else seems off. 1893 days down and only 29 to go!!!
Sunday was a step back long run day. A simple 12 miles (90 minutes). I was interested to see how things would feel. The run got pushed back into the mid-day because we spent the night visiting with friends until 1am. I wanted to get my 8 hrs of sleep so that meant waking at 9:30am and thus the whole day just kind of got pushed back. Because of the timing, I didn't have the full breakfast and went with the gel 15 min prior to start.
Long Run pace = 7:35 min/mile
Long Run window = +/- 10 seconds (7:25-7:45)
The T+D was 133 with mostly sun and a mild wind.
Long Run pace = 7:38, 7:36, 7:28, 7:35, 7:36, 7:33, 7:33, 7:39, 7:35, 7:40, 7:40
Overall, a solid long run. Again, the pace felt comfortable for the most part. The legs felt good and the effort was normal. I did have a tougher time towards the end, but I think that's because it was noon and I had yet to really eat anything because of the time frame I was working with. So not really concerned too much about this blip on the radar.
Another 100% hit rate week. Phenomenal training cycle thus far and I'm feeling quite confident at the moment. Getting down to the end of the plan now. Just two more training week and then taper time. I'm happy to be having so many effortless runs lately. The key is not pushing the pace on these and just enjoying the feeling. Save it for race day. Only 27 days to go!