Wednesday has become my regular mile repeat day. I'm running such a fine line for hitting my goal of 7 minute pace for these. Last week, everything went perfect and I came through the 5 repeats with flying colors. This week, not so much.
I was ready to get out the door at 9:30 in the morning and then I realized that my watch wouldn't have enough power to make it through the run. I could deal with not using it for an easy run, but I must have it for repeats. I had to wait about another hour and a half before it was charged. I won't lie, I did enjoy the extra rest.
Even before I got out the front door, I just wasn't looking forward to this day. I had no energy. Usually I am pumped to run fast. Today, I felt like I could run long, but wasn't sure what running hard would do. I went out for the run anyway. It is always worth giving it a shot.
I stepped out the door and could already tell that it was a bit hotter than I would like. Nothing too warm, but a few degrees and some higher humidity could make a world of difference. Last week, conditions were perfect. Today, it was supposed to rain. I was hoping for that. Instead, it was sunny.
I went to the Saucon Rail Trail. The biggest problem is trying to decide where to run. I was torn between there or the D&L Trail at Cementon. If there weren't such busy road crossings, I might hit up the Nor-Bath Trail more often. I probably should anyway.
I typically can tell very early on whether it will be a successful day or not. Today, I wasn't so sure. I didn't feel great when I started off, but I wasn't terrible either. I knew if I did hit my goal, it would take some work.
The plan was for 6 mile repeats. The first one is usually the toughest. This time it was no different. I had to work much harder than I wanted to just to get under a 7 minute mile. Maybe I should just run on feel and not worry about my time. I think this mile had some slight uphill and that made it tough.
The second mile was even more difficult. I came through the half mile around a 7 minute pace and I had to push and push. I picked it up enough at the end to go under a 7 minute pace again. I even cruised in the final tenth of the mile. This was just way too much work too early though. I was breathing very heavily after this one.
I tried recovering in between the second and third mile, but my legs just weren't strong. I started off the third mile, but was well off the pace. I looked up ahead and could see that the path went uphill. Even if it was slight, there was no way I was going to go under 7 minutes without killing myself.
I turned around before I was a quarter mile into this repeat. Going downhill was a relief, but I just didn't have it. I decided it was best to shut it down and live to fight another day. If I was even close to goal pace at this point, it might've been worth pushing. Maybe I rely on my watch too much, but I feel it is best to not overdo it. I'm already happy with where I'm at now and feel like I could race well if my race was this weekend.
Even though I backed off, I still was used to the fast pace, so my times were pretty solid for the rest of the run. My final 3 miles were under 8 minutes each. I was around 3.5 miles out when I turned around, so I still had that far to go back. At least I knew I'd be getting in some good distance, even if I didn't succeed in hitting my goal.
Coming back in, I didn't feel great. I just kept going and going. My new plan was to get 7 miles in. Now, all I could do was enjoy the scenery. There were some good looking women running, so that was nice. One of them had on a Quadzilla shirt. I wanted to make a comment, but she was busy chatting with her running friend.
As I neared the end of the run, I could tell that if I stopped at 7 miles I would have to walk about half a mile. I decided I would keep going and get 8 miles in. I usually head south from the Water Street Park, but there is almost a half mile of trail to the north. It isn't fun though because it hits a dead end. I kept going on there and passed some mentally challenged people that were walking and having a picnic in the park. I figured my day was a struggle, but I didn't feel so bad knowing that a lot of their lives are a struggle.
As I said earlier, I have such a fine line between succeeding and failing on these long repeats. I need most things to go well. I think the biggest factor to my failure was going too hard on Monday. I need to figure out how to be easier on my legs if I am going to run hard on Monday and Wednesday. Ideally, I would run my second speed session on Thursdays. That doesn't work though since I lead the LVRR Group Run. Last week was my best workout to date and that was without running on Monday.
The weather wasn't great today and the trail didn't help either. It is relatively flat, but there is definitely some uphill on the way out. That makes it tough to get started and leaves little room for error when trying to hit goals. I also ate an English Muffin before the run. I'm not sure if that had any impact. It isn't much, but I usually don't eat anything.
The big thing I need to work on is being mentally strong before key runs. Today, I just didn't feel like getting out of bed and really pushing myself. My legs didn't have it, but even if they did, I defeated myself before I even took a step. I do feel like I know my body well, so I don't regret shutting it down today. That said, sometimes you can push through days like this and surprise yourself. I have quite a few weeks left before my race. I'll just have to nail those workouts.
Tomorrow will be the LVRR Group Run. I want to get at least two extra miles in before the run too. I may run up the other big hill to add some distance too. That is if I am feeling good. Hopefully I'll be well rested for tomorrow's run.
8 miles - 1:01:44 (7:43 pace)
running hard monday.
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