Weekly Training - September 28 - October 4

Sunday - Recovery Run.  Humidity is back!  7:40 AM, 75 degrees, 95% humidity, light drizzle.  Nice, easy run, 3.5 miles, 38:53, 11.11 pace.

Saturday - I thought about adding a couple of miles on this week's long run, but instead decided to repeat the 14.2 miler for a third straight week, and get more comfortable with this distance.  Two weeks ago, I struggled to make the 14, and last Saturday I ran it fairly comfortably but REALLY slowly.  My goal today was to run it stronger and cut some time off; target 11-minute/mile pace or less.  Same route, 1 mile from home to the park to home, plus 6 x 2.2-mile laps on the park trails.

I got started a few minutes later than I intended, 7:08 AM, right at sunrise.  It was a nice morning for a good run, 69 degrees, 76% humidity, cloudy with a light breeze.  I felt like I started out about right but  it took some adjustment to find the right pace.  My first pace check was the end of the first lap, and I was about two minutes behind through 2.7 miles.  So I picked up the pace a little; it still felt comfortable, and I kind or settled into a groove.   At the pace check at the end of the next lap at 4.9 miles, I'd made up all but a few seconds of the two minutes.  At the end of the third lap, the halfway point, I was a little ahead of target.  Marathon Mike was just hitting the trail, and he ran with me for the last 3 laps.  Mike's a strong runner, and it always helps to have someone to pace against. Mike seemed to kind of adjust to my stride, and I tried to keep up the tempo and not slow him down.  We talked as we ran; Mike has a lot of good advice for marathon preparation.  The conversation helped the remaining laps pass more easily.  By about mile 13, I started getting a little out of breath, but finished up without too much of a struggle.  I took several short walk breaks, fewer and shorter than last week, a minute or less each, and finished 2:30:44, a 10.62 pace.  This was 18 ½ minutes less than last Saturday's time.  Saturday evening:  biked about 3 miles with my wife, slow and easy: it just felt good to loosen up tight leg muscles a little following the long morning run.

Friday - No run - rest up for Saturday.
Thursday - Easy run, 3.1 miles. 32:55, 10.62 pace.
Wednesday - Tempo run, 3.1 miles, 28:37, 9.23 pace.
Tuesday - Easy run, 3.1 miles. 31:03, 10.02 pace.
Monday - Tempo run, 3.1 miles, 29:15, 9.44 pace.