Well I started off the day hoping to get in a tough 9 mile speedwork session in before work. After being up for almost an hour, I still hadn't gone to the bathroom. I didn't want to run without first doing so. Before long, it was too late for that long of a run, so I elected to pick it up after work.
Luckily for me, it was rainy and miserable outside. Because of that, business was slow and I was cut at 2 PM. That was great because it allowed me to do the speedwork in daylight. The session consisted of 5 minutes easy, followed by 3 minutes at 10K pace for the entire 9 miles. It would've been tough looking at my watch in the dark.
When I start my run, around 3:30 PM, the rain had just about stopped. It was still cloudy and cold though. I decided to run with just shorts and a T-shirt anyways. I probably would've worn my compression sleeves if I was doing a slower workout. The attire worked well, although I was a bit chilled by the end of the run.
Things got off a little slow. It seemed like the 5 minutes segments took quite awhile early on. I got up to speed quickly though. I busted out the first 3 minute segment at a 6:43 pace. That is actually pretty close to my 10K pace. Probably a little faster, but not too bad.
I ran the loop from Lloyd Hall and onto West River Drive first. I love these type of runs because I really focus on the next fast segment while I'm in the easy segment. When I'm in the fast segment, I'm so focused and in the zone. The miles just seem to click by and I don't even notice the scenery.
Before I knew it, I was at Falls Bridge. My pace actually dropped below 6:30 for most of the 3 minute segments. I even had two segments at a 6:17 and 6:18 pace. That's probably more of a 5K pace than a 10K pace. I recovered pretty well though. Even my recoveries ended up being pretty fast (typically under a 7:30 pace).
I didn't feel as though I was falling off too much. My times in fact got faster. At one point, I blew by a young lady. I passed some Philadelphia University runners going the opposite direction. They were moving at a nice clip.
I ran the last hard segment right around the mile marker from Lloyd Hall. I decided after that segment to just finish up the final 8:30 easy. I ran a little bit in the parking lot behind the Art Museum to finish the run. It felt good, even though my hamstrings and calves were screaming. They caused me to slow a little during two of the fast segments, but I still really cruised.
This customer in work today scared me. He said that Boston had lowered their qualification standard. I had heard there was talking of it happening, but I hadn't heard of it actually happening. I suspect if they do do it, it'll be for the 2012 race, not next year. While I wish the standard would lower, it would throw a wrench in my plans for this spring marathon. I might be able to run under 3:10, but I definitely am not ready to go under 3 hours yet. I'm relieved that I found out that they haven't changed anything at this point.
My hard run ended around 4:30 PM. That gave me enough time to stupidly run with the run club too. I showered and ate a sandwich. I then headed to City Sports. I decided I would take it easy after just finishing up the hard workout.
That worked well for awhile. Erik and I cruised at the back of the pack on Walnut Street. We let most people ahead of us as we just relaxed and chatted. I just can't stand being behind people though. Therefore, we picked up the pace as we got onto the path. The others were very far ahead. I didn't anticipate catching them, but I did want to make up some ground.
Erik has been running slow with his wife to train for Broad Street. Although the pace was faster than he is used to these days, he didn't seem to be laboring at all. I, on the other hand was breathing pretty hard. Certainly the early run took a lot out of me. I we got near JFK, it became apparent that the lead runners were slowing down. We caught them and cruised on by.
We were told to run to the Art Museum. We weren't sure if that meant the Museum itself or Lloyd Hall. We turned and ran to the Museum. I bolted up the stairs. It took awhile for the others to catch up. I was wondering if we even went to the right location. Eventually, we met up and went for a group picture.
I thought maybe I would take it easy on the way back. That probably would've been the smart thing to do. After a long break at the Museum, my legs actually got very stiff. I hung in the back for a short while. Once I got loosened up though, I got cranked up.
As we passed under the Spring Garden Street Bridge, a girl was hanging with me. I quickly lost her and the rest of the group up the short hill though. One guy did hang with me though. Steve, one of our manager Josh's friends, kept with the nice pace. We started chatting for a bit. He was pushing pretty hard and I didn't know if I could hang on. I knew I had to mentally be strong and keep pushing. It isn't often that I get to run this hard with someone else.
We got to the end of the path and the stairs together. I was surprised to see Erik close behind. He worked hard to catch us. When we got to Walnut Street, I was feeling great and really turned it up another notch. I lost the two of them at a traffic light. I think they cruised home a little more, whereas I had to fly like always. I pushed very hard and was really hurting at the end. I was exhausted and sweating. I wore a jacket, so I sweated a lot. It was a tough workout, much more difficult than I had hoped for. I just can't back down though when I have competition.
The Mizuno rep was supposed to run with us. He got stuck in traffic in Maryland though and never made it. I was really hoping to get my shoes tonight. I guess they'll just get shipped to the store. That was a big reason I came out to run. It was fun anyways though. I didn't struggle with the second run as much as I thought I would.
I did do quite a bit of massaging of my legs with both the foam roller and the Stick. That seems to really be a big help, especially with my hamstrings. They aren't bothering me as much as they once were. My back has been a little sore lately, but I'm still feeling strong. I might have to add crunches back into my routine. I haven't done them in over a month, because my belly button was sore.
Tomorrow is scheduled as an easy 4 miler. I am working late in the afternoon, so I want to get the run done in the AM. I'm thinking I might run it on the Ben Franklin Bridge. That is supposed to be a decent hilly workout. I'll probably give it a try, but also take it easy. Thursday is a tough trail run. I think I'll likely take off Friday, since I am running a 5K on Saturday. It should be a fun and challenging remainder of the week.
Run 1
9 miles - 1:04:22 (7:09 pace)
Run 2
3.85 miles - 32:20 (8:24 pace)
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