Tuning Up

Yesterday's disappointing run was apparently short lived. Today, I ran possibly my best run yet. I did a 6 mile out and back along Kelly Drive and really pushed myself.

I did some really slow jogging for a few minutes, before taking off on the timed 6 mile run. I felt strong and fast early on. I tried to cruise along and settle into a slightly difficult pace. I was thrilled when I hit the mile marker at 7:22. I thought that was about as fast as I could run.

I continued to stay smooth and fast. My breathing was a little hard, but I felt I had more left. I was amazed again when I hit the 2 mile mark under 15 miles. I knew the pace would wear me out, so I back off a bit in the 3rd and 4th miles. I ran them pretty well too though.

I hit a head wind between 1.5 miles and 2.5 miles. That was kind of tough and slowed me down. I kept solid form though and battled on. The weather was tricky because it felt really cold. I was debating whether or not to wear a long sleeve shirt or not. Once I saw a girl in short sleeves and shorts, I decided that was the way to go. It worked perfectly for this fast run with a temperature in the low 50s.

I wore some new gloves too. They are medium weight gloves and I really like them. I thought I might get too sweaty in those temperatures, but that didn't happen until the end. I might wear them during the marathon. We shall see.

Once I hit the final 2.5 miles, I took it up a notch. I kept focusing on the short term. I ran so hard that I started developing some slight side stitches. My breathing was hard too. I kept pushing and mentally talked to myself to keep going.

My legs didn't respond quite as well as I had hoped at the end. They didn't die, but there was no extra juice either. I probably should've went out just slightly slower. That could've made me a lot faster in the end. That said, I did run a faster second half, so it's still positive. I blew by a bunch of people. I struggled through the last half mile, but didn't slow much.

It felt so good to run this fast. The plan coming into the run was to go very hard. I definitely did that. There sure wasn't much left in the tank after that one. I hope I can push that hard through the final 6 miles of the marathon. That would be huge.

One thing I do need to do is get up earlier to adjust to the marathon starting time of 7 AM. I just have trouble getting out of bed early in the morning during this cold time of year. I ran late in the afternoon today. I'll try to get up at 7 AM tomorrow to run my easy 3 miler. We'll see how that works out.

I'm very happy about today though. I figured that this would be about my race pace for a 10k, not just a training run. I could probably go under 7 minutes easily for a 10k race right now. I'm definitely making progress. I really can't wait to add speedwork too.

6 miles - 43:29 (7:15 pace)

Terrible Tuesdays

It seems like I begin every week with a terrible run. This Tuesday outing was my worst to date though. Other than runs where I was bothered by injury, it was my worst run of the entire training period. It was only a 4 miler and I felt like I could barely complete it.

I did my Saturday run through a hilly 12 miles near my parents house. Perhaps that was the problem. Oddly though, I wasn't sore at all. Usually that's my problem on a Tuesday. My legs just felt dead today, they had no snap to them. I really thought that during the taper period, they'd become rejuvenated. So far, that hasn't happened.

I ran the Schuykill Banks route and added in another mile along Kelly Drive. The small hills really seemed to slow me on the banks. I actually ran fairly hard and crisp for about 10 minutes in the middle of the run, but then my legs were gone again.

I passed a few people, but only because they were very slow. A little while before the turnaround, I saw two big girls that I figured I could catch later on. I worked hard to get to them. As I was cruising towards them, they started to walk. That took all the fun out of it.

My IT band started bothering me on the uphill portion of the walk home. That's odd because that hasn't been a problem for months. I'm guessing the hills on Saturday's run attributed to that. Hopefully it doesn't continue.

I'm still amazed at how people dress. It was warm and nearly 60 today. Yet I saw plenty of people with jackets, long pants and long sleeve shirts on. I've been very happy with my choice of running attire thus far. Hopefully there isn't a significant temperature drop on race day.

I did ride my bike on Sunday morning. It was very warm and uneventful. It really does suck trying to ride on the path with all the walkers and runners (now that the road is open again on weekends).

They put the banners up for the Philadelphia Marathon. That was kind of cool to see and a reminder of how close we are. I'm going to snap some pictures of them tomorrow. Speaking of tomorrow, I'm going to really push hard and see how fast I can go on tomorrow's 6 mile route. Hopefully my legs will respond better than today.

4 miles - 31:58 (8:00 pace)

Done With Double Digits

Today was my final double digit mileage run until the marathon. The next longest one will be 8 miles, next weekend. I actually ran at 7:30 at night in 45 degree weather.

I'm back at my parent house and planned on running to my high school and back in the morning. It was freezing cold then (28 degrees), so I decided it would be better to run at night. I ran all throughout the neighborhoods in the township.

It was really nice running in the calm and quiet. It was a little chilly, but not too bad. I ran with a long sleeve shirt and shorts, but it was tough weather to gauge. It was sort of in between short and long sleeve shirt weather. I'm actually glad I ran in a long sleeve shirt though.

Because I was running at night, I had to stay alert. It wasn't too bad though. I probably only saw 10-15 cars in the entire time that I was running. The hardest part was actually avoiding all the roadside leaf piles. I managed to navigate around them successfully.

I ran nice and relaxed the whole time. I just enjoyed myself. I ran at a decent pace, but didn't push too much. I didn't even check my watch until 55 minutes into the run (when I ate a gel). I just focused on the next part of my route.

There were a lot of hills and I was actually surprised that they didn't bother me more. My foot felt sore early and my legs followed at the end of the run. Overall, the legs weren't too bad though. The run wasn't as hard as I thought it was.

Tomorrow will be an hour bike ride back in Philadelphia. It'll be another easy and relaxing week coming up. I will push hard again on Wednesday. The marathon is only two weeks away. It's really hard to believe.

12 miles - 1:43:05 (8:35 pace)

Horrible Weather

I came back to my parents house for the weekend. Since I decided on a cheesesteak for lunch, I didn't run until after 4 PM. Right before I started to run, it began to rain.

I ran my typical favorite route through the neighborhood across from my old elementary school. It's an easy 4 miles with a few hills. I haven't run it in awhile, but didn't anticipate a problem. The roads in that neighborhood were recently paved, so that was nice.

I wasn't sure what to wear. Even though the rain stopped when I started, it was still cloudy, windy and cold. I elected to throw on a sweatshirt over the Lancaster Half Marathon shirt.

It was rough early on as I faced a lot of wind. After running hard on Wednesday, I settled into a nice, comfortable pace. The weather was really the only factor in the run. Up until about the halfway point, it was very windy.

After changing directions, the wind disappeared. I noticed that the sky was getting very dark and not just because it was getting late. It didn't look good, but I figured it would be over 15 minutes until the weather actually approached.

I started to get hot so I tied my sweatshirt to my waste. After about 2 minutes, it began to pour. I put the sweatshirt back on. The rain was brutal. It was a very cold November rain. It was blowing sideways too, because of the wind. It was almost unbearable.

The most surprise came though when I saw lightning and heard thunder. Since when does this happen at this time of year? Luckily, it only occurred once as I was finishing up.

The final mile was a little cool, but pretty comfortable. I hit one short turn against a strong head wind though. I couldn't have run much longer in those conditions. I finished up at a nice pace and then walked. I couldn't wait to get indoors.

I'll be running 12 miles here on Saturday. I think I'll run up to my old high school and back. That's actually only about 10 miles though, so I'll have add on a little more. I'm really enjoying this taper period. My legs are starting to recover and things should get even better.

My friend already asked where her couch to 5K plan is. I have to get on that I guess, although I don't think she'll start running until after the winter. Maybe she'll surprise me. I really look forward to trying to work with her. It should be a nice challenge and also fun.

4 miles - 34:10 (8:33 pace)

Flying

I was a bit worried about my sore left foot yesterday. It felt great today though and I had no problems. I went out and ran a very fast mid week 8 mile run. I did the loop, starting on West River Drive.

As usual, I took it slow early on and got into a groove. Yesterday, there was a lot of wind. Today, was very nice. It was nearly perfect. It was a little cool and some slight wind, but overall very comfortable.

My quads were still very sore. My calves were pretty sore, but the rest of my body felt pretty good. It's odd how I was sore at the slow pace, but once I picked it up, I felt good.

I started to pick up the pace as I got to the Montgomery Drive. I focused on running at a nice pace until the Strawberry Mansion Bridge. That continued to Falls Bridge as well. On the way back, I continued to push hard and focus on running until specific points.

I though at some point, I'd slip up and start to wear down. It never happened though, as I got closer and closer to Lloyd Hall. Some leaves were a little slippery, but other than that, there were few issues. I was flying. I kept talking to myself to keep myself mentally strong and that was a big help.

This run was very rewarding and I haven't felt better in a long time. Hopefully, my sore legs will improve as I continue to taper. I want them to start feeling very sharp. I feel excellent mentally right now and want the same to happen physically too.

After the hard run today, tomorrow will be an easy 4 miler. I'd like to run it in the morning this time, but we'll see how I feel then. I'd imagine that I'd be quite sore.

8 miles - 1:01:21 (7:40 pace)

Not Fully Recovered

Well not surprisingly, I was very still very sore during today's easy 5 mile run. I did the same short mile out and back along Kelly Drive, followed by the Schuykill Banks loop. The temperature was nice, but the wind was brutal.

The windy conditions along the river is my biggest concern as the marathon approaches. It was brutal today on the way out a long Kelly Drive. Not the way to start. Luckily, there was no wind on the way back and it wasn't nearly as bad on the Schuykill Banks loop either.

I started off slow and my legs were quite sore. That was expected after the 20 mile run on Saturday. My first run every week is usually difficult. Once I get through it, things typically get easier. It shouldn't be as tough anymore, since I'm now in the taper period.

After the slow start, I got into a nice rhythm and cruised along at a fine pace. I didn't push hard enough to where my breathing was affected, but I was moving quite well.

My biggest concern isn't my sore legs though. It's my left foot. It has been bothering me for weeks and is now quite sore after today's run. I iced it, but it didn't get any better. I'm hoping the reduced miles will help it heal better. I'll have to monitor it though.

I ran in the afternoon today and I really hate doing that. It's hard to get out the door then. I like to run first thing and get it out of the way. I've been having trouble falling asleep lately though, especially with all the Phillies playoff games. I need to get back to a nice sleep schedule soon. That'll keep me well rested for the marathon.

Tomorrow is a scheduled 8 mile run. I'll probably the loop. I'd like to run in the morning, but it depends if I can get up and also how my body feels.

I am looking forward to using some of my extra time now to put together a couch to 5K training plan for my friend. I'll help her become and runner and also run with her. I'm glad someone is finally willing to take my instructions. It'll be a fun little project.

5 miles - 40:16 (8:03 pace)

Too Windy to Ride

Today, I wrote on my bike for almost 45 minutes. I didn't get a chance to ride on Sunday because of the Eagles game, so I switched it up until today. I rode along West River Drive to the Strawberry Mansion Bridge and back.

It was 51 degrees and windy. I really don't know how people can cycle in the winter. It's not even that cold yet, but today was brutal. My ears and face were very uncomfortable.

I actually overdressed on the rest of my clothes. I wore a long sleeve shirt under my jacket and a pair of long pants too. I was sweating a lot by the end of the ride.

I was actually impressed that I even rode for as long as I did. I didn't pedal hard at all. I just cruised along. Cycling has been a good recovery, but I'm glad it's over. I don't know if it was the ice bath or what, but I recovered much better from the 20 mile run than I anticipated.

I am now in the taper phase of my training. It'll feel great to cut back before the marathon. I still have some relatively long runs. Tomorrow, will be a 5 miler. The mid week run is still 8 miles and this weekend's long run is 12 miles. I'm going to work on fine tuning my speed and keeping my workouts crisp.