Back on pace

 Easy run today...  5.33 miles in 45 minutes (8:26 pace).  The weather is finally cool but now I'm running around tired all the time from the mileage.  Just need to make it about 9 more days to the taper!

Not to tired to prevent me from knocking out 60 more pushups and 60 more pullups (3 sets of 20)...  Yep, I can just go ahead and do 20 pullups whenever I want at this point.  I'm not going to say that it's easy, but it's not that hard either.  At this point, I feel like pullups are this secret talent that I'll never get to use.  Maybe one day I'll get lucky and find myself hanging on the edge of a cliff and will have to pull myself up to save myself.

Anyway, with the 60 more pullups I'm officially back on pace for the year (on pace for 10013.7 to be exact)... for now anyway.

Tired legs, don't care

 Still recovering from my 20 miler I reckon...  but I haven't really pushed myself very far into fatigue this marathon training cycle and I'm quickly running out of time.  Sooooo... 12 miles more miles today.

I got out the door at 5:50 and then ran the pace I needed to get back in time for work, running a course that had previously only been used for weekend long runs.  

The first 20 minutes were in the dark and although there wasn't a lot of traffic I spent the time zig-zagging back and forth across the road to avoid the cars I did encounter.  First mile was 7:23 and felt okay... then 7:11, 7:13, 7:16, 7:19, 7:23...  I felt okay through mile 3 but then started struggling as the pace started to drop.  I just wasn't feeling great... nothing specific, just fatigue I think.

About 6.5 miles in I started to feel a bit better and a very steep downhill section at the end of mile 7 helped my average pace, dropping it from 7:18 to 7:16 with a 7:07 mile.  Things slipped again mile 8 as I ran a 7:22.

Now I had 4 miles left and I could at least see the light at the end of the tunnel.  7:09, 7:08, 7:09, 6:58 for the last 4 miles.  Finished strong with an effort to maintain form.  Legs are fatigued but it's not like I'm falling asleep at my desk.  

Final Stats:
12.04 miles
1:26:59
7:13 pace

That's 12 miles under my planned marathon pace on tired legs...  not the same confidence boost as running 10 at 6:33 pace a week ago but I'm probably still recovering from that 10.

I knocked out 2 sets of 50 pushups and 2 sets of 20 pulls ups between my run and work as well so I moved the bar a bit there.  

Kind of having trouble envisioning my next few weeks of training but I'm sure it will work itself out.

Another 20 in the bank

 2nd 20 mile run of this training block.  I was extremely pleased with my first 20 mile run 2 weeks ago but I'm elated with this one.

I hit the Rock Island trail at about 8am on Sunday and the weather was fairly comfortable in the low 60s.  After running my 10 mile PR on Thursday I didn't have high asperations for pace and planned to just cruise at a comfortable effort.

I hit the first mile in 7:58 and thought 8 minute pace would be just fine.  After loosening up in that first mile I naturally sped up and hit a metronomic 7:43, 7:45, 7:44, 7:43 for the next 4 miles.  I dropped my Gatorade bottle off at the picnic table at the 4.5 mark after taking a few swigs and then continued on. 

For the next segment between the picnic table and Wyoming I focused on cruising and running extra easy.  Pace slowed slightly but not much... 7:48, 7:50, 7:51.   About 8 miles in I hit my flow and things started picking up.  I ran through the town of Wyoming at a 7:38 pace before reengaging with the trail for about 1 more mile at 7:43 pace. 

After the turn around point it always start to feel easier, just from the fact of knowing that every step is in the direction of my final destination.  I ran a 7:37 11th mile back through Wyoming before stopping briefly for water break at the bathrooms at the Wyoming trail head... then I hoofed it back onto the trail.  

4.25 miles to my Gatorade and I started to push the pace.  7:31 and then 7:17 for miles 12 and 13.  I thought Woah, that was pretty easy for 7:17 and that's near my planned marathon pace.  Might as well run a few more marathon pace miles at least until I get to my Gatorade.  7:14, 7:08 for mile 14 and 15.  Halfway through mile 16 I got to the picnic table and right where my Gatorade had been about an hour and a half before sat a slovenly looking man writing in a notebook.  I asked him "you didn't happen to see a Gatorade bottle there did you?"... He claimed ignorance.  I looked in the trash and there it was.  Weird, I probably saw like 2 other people on the trail during the entire run... must have been one of them who threw it away.  

Now I was thirsty and tired and craving sugar.  My only respite was back at the Dollar General where I parked my car.  Decided to run the last 4.5 miles on pure hate.

7:11 for mile 16, 7:17 for mile 17...  Just wanted to power through to mile 18 and then I could let off?  7:01 for mile 18.   I was tired but tried to hold my form... 7:04 for mile 19.  One more mile left and I was counting off by .05 increments... 6:52 last mile.

Total Stats:

20.01 miles
2:30:09
7:30 avg pace

7:47 pace for the first 10 miles

7:14 pace for the last 10 miles

7:05 pace for the last 5 miles

Came out of this workout with great confidence... Heart rate was in the 140s until mile 15 and 150 exactly for mile 15 and 16.  Finally hit in the 160s for the last 2 mile, averaging 163 for the last mile and peaking at 171 as I sprinted to the finish...  So despite a really solid pace (for the distance), I wasn't even close to taking it to the well.

On the other hand after an off day on Monday I ran 7.44 miles at 8:27 pace on Tuesday and 8.06 miles today at 7:58 pace.  HR was fine but my legs still felt fairly zapped.  Not sure if running the whole way with basically no fuel made an impact?  32 days til the marathon... one more 20 miler in my plans and then recovery.

2021 Goals Update

Its been quite a while since an update.  Truth be told, I didn't want to admit how bad I'd fallen off my pull-ups.  It's getting better after some catch up so here we go.

1. 10,000 pushups:  7370 on pace for 10717.  I never do pushups anymore.  Finally did 50 this morning.  They were harder than they should have been (actually they were exactly how they should have been since I don't do pushups any more).  This goal is probably too easy which is why I keep procrastinating.  I really need to work these back in and just get them done.

2. 7500 10,000 pulls ups: 6841 on pace for 9948.  Behind pace now but considering I was down to 9700 pace last week not too bad.  Feel like I'm drowning on these a bit... keep bobbing under water and then barely making it back up for air.  Just need to hang on for less than 4 more months.

3. 26 Hours on the Bike:   18:56 for the year... Still haven't biked since May.  Still plan to bike in October after the marathon.

4. 2021 miles: 1765 miles puts me on pace for 2566.  Will probably lose pace a bit when I taper and recover but I should hit 2021.  Kind of shooting for 2500 miles.  We'll see though.  I'm not as worried about the marathon as I used to be but still need to take recovery serious... definitely more important to recover long term than chase arbitrary mileage numbers... anyway, if I hit 2000+ miles for the second year in a row I'll be pleased.

  

Brimming with excitement

 Damn... I needed that.  Woke up on time, got myself into the right place in a decent amount of time for once (wake up, get dressed, coffee, bathroom, stretch, etc)..  It finally cooled off and it's looking like September is going to be a good month.  54 degrees and low humidity as I headed out the door this morning at about 6am.  I just plain felt good and was ready for a good solid effort.   Plan was 10 solid miles... Didn't have an exact time goal up figured sub-7 minute pace would be reasonable and even would have been okay at 7:15 pace.  

I started my first mile pretty fast.  I could tell my legs were turning over well and I knew I was probably sub-7 but I was feeling good and it was the first mile so I figured I'd start out strong and then could settle in.  I made a point not to just run by what felt right and not check my watch until the mile split.  I was pleased but not completely surprised when I hit that first mile in 6:33.  

I continued strong into the 2nd mile.  Down a hill smooth then up the next hill not quite as smooth and split a 6:36.  Still cruising and my mind started to wander a bit... this used to happen to me all the time on runs in my younger years but just recently started happening for me again.  I hit mile 3 at 6:51.  

When I saw the 6:51 I figured I must be slowing down.  Wondered if I would continue to slow down and bounce around the 7 min mile pace.  I refocused a bit for mile 4 but still tried not to push too hard.  Hit mile 4 at 6:39.  

I thought, 6:39 is probably a bit fast but maybe I'll bank some time early and cruise in to a good overall pace even if I slow down for the 2nd half of the run.  Kept cruising into mile 5 and wound up zoning out some more and missed seeing the mile split (6:43).  Still relaxed for mile 6 and hit another 6:43.

Now 4 miles left and I was on the back stretch of my typical 7 mile run.  It's a 1 mile straight away on pretty much completely flat ground.  The first (and really only) mile without any significant hills.  At the end of mile 6 my HR was averaging 157 and I didn't feel like I was aerobically over-exerting at all.  But as I came to the end of mile 7 my legs started feeling some discomfort and fatigue.  I was able to utilize a mind trick I had stumbled upon during my summer track workouts... it's hard to explain exactly but if I focus too much on the leg pain I start to tighten up but if I refocus and mute the signals from the legs I can almost ignore them and then they loosen up and I run more smoothly.  In this case, I focused on what it would take to keep the legs relaxed and wound up picking up the cadence as a result going from about 180 spm early in the run up to about 187 spm.  With the upped cadence I wound up hitting a 6:38, my fastest mile since mile 2.  

Now I had 3 miles left.  I was thinking, I needed to keep cruising for that 8th mile and if I felt good I'd start picking it up the last 2 miles.  My HR was still right under 160 for mile 7.  HR stayed under 160 for mile 8 but running with the upped cadence I wound up running a 6:29.  

I was almost euphoric after that 8th mile.  Sub 6:30 pace for my 8th mile and it felt easy! Now with 2 miles left I started to push it just a bit.  The first half of mile 9 is uphill but the 2nd half is downhill.  Still wasn't pushing too hard and split a 6:17.  

I'm still feeling good but now I'm ready to actually push it.  I finally take my HR over 160.  Still staying relaxed but I'm not comfortable anymore and I'm glad there's only a mile left.  My 9.5 miles I'm hurting, counting down to the finish in .01 increments.  It's all downhill the last .5 miles though so I'm moving fast.  I'm going hard as I turn the corner towards my house and for some reason my watch measured the course a bit shorter than normal today so I still have .05 left.  Now I'm sprinting, giving it my all and waiting for my watch to vibrate to let me know I hit 10 miles (6:01 split).  It finally vibrates and I cruise to a stop.

Final Stats:
10.01 miles
1:05:37
6:33 avg. pace

10 mile PR by 2:24, 15K PR by 2:19, and my 2nd fastest 10K on Strava.  19:27 for my last 5K.

Wrapped it up with a 1+ mile cooldown at ~8 min pace.

I think I'll have tired legs tomorrow but as of now, I still feel good.  High energy, no stomach issues, legs moving fine. 

Probably a bit more intense of a workout than I should be doing right now but after mile after mile of long slow distance, sometimes I just need to get out and use that fitness a bit!

Quick Check in

 Been too busy to post but wanted to at least check in.

Ended august with 229.35 miles and ran 64.58 miles last week which is .08 off my all time high.  

Ran 15.5 miles on Sunday at 7:53 pace through heat and then rain.

Took a much needed day off from running on Monday but instead woke up early drove 6 hours worked 6 hours then drove 6 hours home for the 2nd time in 3 weeks.   The travel is exhausting and resulted in me pacing around a rest area at 10:30 at night to get my steps in.

Yesterday (Tuesday) I ran 5 miles at 8:26 pace and felt like crap.

Today (Wednesday) I started off my run feeling like crap but eventually found a rhythm during the 5th mile and wound up doing 10.38 miles at 7:48 pace.  

The weather finally broke and it was in the lower 60s today but still humid.  Tomorrow is supposed to bein the 50s and I hope to really break one off for the first time in a while.

It starting to get light later in the morning as the days get shorter and it's about to start cramping my style.  I don't like running around town when it's dark but I'm going to have to figure something out at least through September because I don't have enough time to get in 10+ miles during the week unless I start at 6am or earlier.

I've been trying to keep up with my pull ups but the longer runs have really been squeezing me on time. I'm just trying to not fall to far off on pace and figure I will have to catch up once my marathon training is over.

Hopefully I'll post again tomorrow, brimming with excitement and confidence after a solid fast/long effort. 

Feeling Full of Fitness

 I've been putting in some pretty decent mileage over the past 2 weeks.  6 of my 11 runs have bene 10 miles over and I hit my first 20 miler.  In some ways I've been feeling pretty tired, but strangely my legs have felt really good.  Nary a niggle.  It's been another hot week with lows in the 70s but the heat has barely effected me.   

Wednesday I went out for a 10 miler.  Had some GI issues. Changed plans and started to head home.  Didn't make it and found myself in a corn field at the 6.5 mile mark.  Suddenly felt much better (must have been something in the corn) and wound up running 10 miles after all at a relatively easy 8:08 pace.

Thursday I started off feeling tired and ran a 8:20 first mile.  But then started to feel better and better and soon had a progression run going...  8:05, 7:50, 7:44, 7:25, 7:04, 6:36.  Legs felt great, never felt like I was straining, never even really was breathing hard.  Wound up with 7 miles at a 7:34 average pace.

Today was my day off so I only did 5.49 miles.  Started off slow and finished with an average 8:18 pace.

Restless legs and reasonable recovery

 For the first time in a long while I woke up in the middle of the night with a case of the jimmy legs.  I was tightening up everywhere and couldn't get comfortable.  Must be remanence of the 20 miler.  I woke up feeling okay though.  

The weather has taken a turn for the worse and the lows are in the 70s again.  Given my current situation I didn't have great expectations for todays run.  An easy 7 seemed like a reasonable assumption.

I drug ass getting out the door, but once I started running I actually felt pretty good.  After an 7:58 first mile I dropped the pace to 7:26 and 7:22 for the next 2 miles but then slowed back down to 7:35 and 7:40 for mile 4 and 5.  HR was at 147 for all 4 miles so effort was even.  I was surprised at how fast 2 and 3 was and also a bit surprised at how much I slowed down for 4 and 5.  

At mile 6 I intentionally picked up the pace and hit a 7:23.  By now my average pace was at 7:33 so I decided to keep pushing to get the average pace for the entirety of the run down to sub 7:30.   Mile 7 is downhill which helps and I ran 6:58.  At this point I was down to 7:29 pace and I figured I'd go ahead and get another mile to make it a full hour of running.  I was no longer running downhill but it never seems like it matters when I'm milling around the neighborhood tacking on extra mileage.  6:54 for the last mile and then kept going a wee bit farther to make it an hour.

Final Stats:

8.15 miles
1:00:15
7:24 pace 

In some ways 7:24 pace isn't all that fast but I still feel there were a lot of positives to be gained: it was still faster than I've been running for the most part. I was able to push it a bit without working too hard.  I was able to perform on tired legs.  The heat really didn't bother me that much.  This was probably at least approaching my planned marathon effort.

About 4 more weeks of training until taper time.  Man, that's gonna come fast!