One thing I need to do is get more marathon goal pace miles (6:51). I decided to do that today, since Mertz was running his last 20 miler before Boston. He was going to run slightly under that pace for the run. I wasn't sure if I wanted to run that hard or not, so I did text Angie as well, in case I wanted an easier run.
I showed up at Eddyside before 8:30. I saw Mertz coming back as I was driving there. I was going to run his last 10 miles with him and whoever else showed up. I thought about doing more and coming earlier, but I was unsure about the possible rain. I figured 10 miles would be enough.
I wore a short sleeve shirt and shorts. I was the only one there dressed with so little. I was happy with the attire though, since I planned on running hard and the temperature was in the upper 40s. I knew I would be screwed if it rained, but it was clear at the start.
Mertz, Ryan, Phil and I, all started out together heading toward Easton. It was a brisk early pace and I wasn't feeling great. I knew it was going to be a difficult run when I was working hard in the early going and our pace was only a 6:57.
The first mile was under 7 minutes. Phil ran with us for a little bit past that point, but then he dropped back. I stayed behind Mertz and Ryan. They are both faster than me and more comfortable at this pace. It's kind of easy for both of them.
After a 6:54 first mile, things picked up. The second mile was a 6:51. I was battling both my legs and struggling with my breathing. I continued on though. The third mile was a faster 6:46.
I run this route along the canal quite often. I did it twice last week. It has some nice, small hills. They are easy most of the time, but they are definitely a challenge when running hard. I wasn't able to talk much during the run, thanks to the faster pace.
The effort was tough for me. I thought this pace would feel easier. I did run hard on Thursday and fairly hard again on Friday. Perhaps I was worn out. I also didn't eat anything before the run. I forgot to bring a drink too. Normally, I have no problem running 10 miles without a drink during this time of year, but it was hard to do at this fast pace. Mertz wisely had water stashed on the course.
It was good to see some familiar faces out there. Shayne was running with her friend in the other direction and we saw female Gayle and Karl too. Everyone was out on this Sunday morning.
Ryan turned around at mile 4, because he was only running 8 miles. I kept going with Mertz. I was hanging on though. The 4th mile was a 6:43. That last mile before the turnaround, slowed a bit, to a 6:53.
I knew I only could run about 2 more miles at this pace, so I told Mertz that. I then backed off slightly. The good thing I learned recently is that I'm able to recover fairly well if I slow down just a bit for about a mile. I did that and this mile was a still a 6:58.
We saw Shayne and her friend again. I joked to them that I ran 3 miles farther than Mertz and that was the only reason he was ahead of me. Of course they knew that wasn't true. While he did gap me, I was able to speed up a bit and at least keep him in my sights. That helped a lot as I was struggling.
Even the small hills killed me on the way back. It was raining too and coming down pretty good toward the end. I just kept trying to keep pushing. Mile 7 was a 6:52. I got very encouraged when I finished mile 8. I felt like I was falling off, but that was a 6:46 mile. I was doing well.
The uphill heading into downtown Easton slowed me slightly. I focused on getting to mile 9 and then eventually mile 10. Those final two miles were 6:49 and 6:44. It was quite the struggle, but I was glad to get 10 hard miles in and run them fairly consistent. The fastest mile was a 6:43, while the slowest one was a 6:58.
I need more runs like that and even longer ones at that pace. Hopefully, I can just get faster too. I definitely need to start coming to these Sunday morning runs more often. The longer distance is a big plus. There were 7 of us that went out to breakfast too, so that was a nice bonus.
I wanted to get more miles in. I was busy most of the day, so I couldn't get back out there until dark. I figured that I would run a nice recovery run. It would be an easy 5 miler around my neighborhoods.
It got colder at night, plus it was raining. Since I was running easy, I put on a jacket. That was a good choice, as it got quite windy. I also had on long pants. That was a great decision too.
I went down the school and ran a short loop around the lot, before heading to the other neighborhood. I started with the short loop over there too. After doing the loop, I thought about cutting across to the main loop. However, that would've meant a lot of time fighting the wind.
The wind dictated a lot of the run. When it was at my back, it was nice and comfortable. When it was in my face, it was very uncomfortable. I added onto this short loop.
I started to head toward a downhill. Then I got sick of the wind, so I turned around. By the time I made it back to the school, I was around the 5k mark. That meant less than 2 miles to go.
I ran around the school lot twice. That was a mixture of nice and annoying wind. It added almost a mile to the run. It was good to get the distance.
My legs felt great. The recovery idea was certainly working. With just over a mile to go, I headed back to my neighborhood. That meant one, long loop around it. Going into the wind was tough, but I managed.
I finished up shortly after the first loop. It was great to be done with 5 more miles. I thought it was kind of odd that I only recall coming across one car during the entire run. These roads are never busy, but they usually aren't that empty. It was only after 10 PM. The final two miles were both 7:40. That is some consistency.
Tomorrow will be a much needed off day. I'm looking to run hard on Tuesday. On Wednesday, I might run somewhat long in the afternoon. I may meet Kelley on one of those mornings too. I want to put a lot of miles in this week. I'm hoping to get back over 70 again. I need to mix in some trail miles too. That might help save my legs.
AM Run 10 miles - 1:08:16 (6:50 pace)
PM Run 5 miles - 40:07 (8:02 pace)
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