Long Run

Distance: 12 miles
Time: 1:58:21
Pace: 9:52 min/mi

Comments: I spent a good portion of the week trying not to obsess over the amount I had riding on this run. I've been shooting for a number of unspoken goals recently and this was where I had to make them happen.

I got started a little later than I like and paid for that with a much more crowded course. Mostly it was runners and the usual asshole cyclists, neither of which impeded my efforts. I got a powerbar down pre-run as well which seemed to help my energy levels.

The first part of the run was the usual slog. I just focused on each section as it arrived. I was still on track at the halfway point so that's where I really started focusing on keeping the pace up. I tried to keep increasing the effort slightly for each of the last four miles with some success. I finished feeling worn out but not completely fried like in the past.

So I hit all three run goals; 12 miles, negative splits and sub-two hours. I hit my training goal of a pace run and long run back-to-back. And I hit my monthly goal of 100 miles for the first time. All-in-all not a bad effort.

Pace Run

Distance: 4 miles
Time: 33:24
Pace: 8:20 min/mi

Comments: Yesterday was a good rest day. I was a little tired but not exhausted and worn down. I got my steps goal without adding to the fatigue significantly. Slept hard.

Today I wanted to get a trial run of the race next week. Not as fast (hopefully) but pushing the effort consistently the whole way without going overboard. I'm not exactly sure what my actual race pace is yet, but this will suffice for now.

Looking at the heart rate I seem to have hit my goal. Most of it was in Zone 4 and only 1% creeped into Zone 5. My splits, after the first 'warm up' mile, were all within three seconds of 8:16 pace so the consistency was strong as well.

Training Run

Distance: 4 miles
Time: 37:26
Pace: 9:21 min/mi

Comments: Really working hard to make my personal goal for the month. I've got to make every run for these last few days count. This one went pretty much perfect.

I slept very hard but woke up before the alarm. I got out to run pretty quickly but decided to skip the burpees to get the running started. The warm-up portion was unpleasant; I felt like I was running in water. After that it went very smoothly.

I felt pretty dialed in to the pace for most of the run. Even though I was checking the Garmin, I felt comfortable just holding steady with the rhythm. The last mile and a half was very comfortable for me.

Recovery Run

Distance: 4 miles
Time: 39:08
Pace: 9:46 min/mi

Comments: My intention was to do this recovery run yesterday and see how it might work immediately after a long run. I felt really exhausted when I woke up and had other issues (see below). As a result I opted for a rest day and, in retrospect, that was probably the correct course of action.

So today was a recovery run. Just tried to keep it in the 10 min/mi range. As expected, I felt sluggish getting started and had to battle a lack of pep the whole way. But I really didn't have soreness and the strength in my legs was more than enough to get me through the effort.

Long Run

Distance: 12 miles
Time: 2:08:39
Pace: 10:43 min/mi

Comments: The plan was to do the long run yesterday; stacking it on top of a pace run Friday. Instead it turned out I was so tired I slept for 12 straight hours and it was way too warm to get the run in when I got up. So I took the rest and pushed the long run back to today.

The goal was 12 miles at any pace. And I started overslow to make sure I didn't get myself into trouble early. With the distance, the heat and the humidity, this turned out to be the right move.

So I didn't set any land speed records today but I did get the distance and, more importantly, I didn't feel like I was killing myself doing it. The back half of the effort was challenging but not like the run a few weeks ago when I went out way too fast on the first few miles. And, afterward, I didn't feel completely burnt out like on that occasion either.