Recovery Run

Distance: 4 miles
Time: 38:37
Pace: 9:39 min/mi

Comments: Lotta weirdness this morning so I didn't get out at the usual time. Instead it was a late morning run which meant heat, humidity and hills. None of which was particularly pleasant but probably good to endure in case things turn out like that on raceday.

My legs felt remarkably fresh for having run 20 miles on Sunday. There was some stiffness but nothing that really affected my ability to get this one done. In fact, I probably turned this effort in a little on the fast side.

Marathon Training Summary: Week 13

Distance: 43:43
Time: 7:03:48
Pace: 9:45 min/mi

Comments: That's it for peak week. At the end of it, peak week turned out slightly shorter than week before last. But when you compare 20 mile long runs, I had a far better performance this week. Not just faster but much more in control the whole way. That's partly due to more agreeable temperatures but it's also a bit of training.

Now beginith the taper. Next week will be a lot like the week before last. Biggest difference is a longer pace run on Saturday before a more reasonable long run next Sunday. I might add an extra off day depending on how I feel.

Injury update: My right knee, quad and IT band have been achy this week. Nothing major but sore and unhappy. If it keeps up into next week I'll start regular icing.

Long Run

Distance: 20.04 miles
Time: 3:17:25
Pace: 9:51 min/mi

Comments: After a not insignificant amount of anxiety regarding this run, I was astonished how well it actually went. With the flooding this weekend, I wasn't sure if parts of the course would be underwater but it turned out OK. A bit of debris to dodge but nothing major.

The big upside was a break in the temperatures. This run was a good ten degrees cooler than my last one at this distance. Still humid as the bejesus but that wasn't as oppressive with the break in the heat.

I did the first ten miles an hour and 45 minutes then cranked out the second fifteen minutes faster. According to the Garmin, I set a half marathon PR, meaning I did 13.1 miles somewhere in there faster than both my races this spring.

If nothing else, this was a big confidence builder. I feel pretty good about my chances of finishing the race next month. Still not taking bets on getting under four hours, though.

Training Run

Distance: 4 miles
Time: 35:30
Pace: 8:52 min/mi

Comments: The plan was to hit the Skyline Trail for six miles at pace. Torrential rains made that impossible as the river was flooded levee to levee. It also nixed a morning effort. But I wanted to have something done before kickoff this afternoon.

I got out just after noon and put in a four mile training run. Went a reasonably fast pace but the real kicker was hills. There was just over 200 feet of climb that took 15% of the effort. Not particularly pleasant but probably not a bad idea to get used to as the marathon course has a few.

Training Run

Distance: 4 miles
Time: 36:56
Pace: 9:13 min/mi

Comments: Rains are moving in and their special little present is the most godawful humidity in a very humid day. Due to various circumstances I didn't get out super early so I gave myself an extra degree or two of hell. Fun times.

This was a slog from start to finish. No style points whatsoever. That said, I was pretty damn consistent in terms of my pacing, particularly on the second half of the effort. I probably should have done this a little slower but I really wanted the thing to just be over with.

Interval Run

Distance: 5.36 miles
Time: 55:05
Pace: n/a

Comments: Since I nixed the fourth mile last week I decided to just stick to that regimen this week and next. So this worked out to six half-mile intervals with two minute rests in between plus the requisite .75 mile warmup and cool down.

The heat and humidity are still holding strong and making my running life miserable. There is supposed to be a change in the next few days but that means a good possibility of rain runs. For now, another sweaty mess of an effort.

1	0.5	3:57
2	0.5	3:24
3	0.5	3:34
4	0.5	3:26
5	0.5	3:28
6	0.5	3:33

Bottom line, I'm not doing these any faster. I'm trying to improve on cadence and mental focus but the fatigue of all the recent miles and the weather are making it unrealistic.

Training Run

Distance: 6 miles
Time: 55:56
Pace: 9:19 min/mi

Comments: This went a lot smoother than than yesterday's recovery run but the heat and, especially, the humidity really took their toll. I felt pretty strong the whole way but my splits were pretty much all over the place. Not pretty.

The real goal was a solid effort after the struggle yesterday and this certainly fit that bill. I'll attempt the interval workout tomorrow but the weatherman says the conditions will still suck for that. North Texas has no respect for my Peak Week.

Recovery Run

Distance: 4 miles
Time: 42:57
Pace: 10:43 min/mi

Comments: Typically I have to concentrate in order to keep my speed down on recovery runs. That wasn't a problem today. I really had a tough time trying to keep anything under 11 min/mi the whole way. Not an issue I've dealt with since early in the year.

I've noticed recovery runs are more of a struggle now they follow my only off day each week. But this was noticeably worse. Some of this is attributable to the big miles in recent weeks and as well as a bit of slippage in terms of moderation this weekend. But I've fueled well and gotten decent amounts of sleep. We'll see if it persists.

Marathon Training Summary: Week 12

Distance: 35.31 miles
Time: 5:37:23
Pace: 9:33 min/mi

Comments: A little bit of a pull-back week from the previous seven days. This made even more sense after the extra work and fatigue due to the move. This week had a ton of scheduling issues that complicated running efforts but now everything is done and I hope to be able to focus on my performance in each workout much better.

I had a rough time the first runs of the week due to the lingering soreness from the 20 miler and the formidable humidity that has arrived in the area. The soreness has pretty much disappeared but the humidity shows no sign of relenting any time soon.

Next up is Peak Week with a lot of miles topped with the second 20 miler. I'm reserving the right to ease up on some of the mid-week workouts if the distance starts to make itself felt but I'd like to get everything I planned if at all possible.

Injury update: Regular aches and soreness but no major issues.

Long Run

Distance: 12 miles
Time: 1:58:17
Pace: 9:51 min/mi

Comments: A shorter long run nestled between a pair of twenty milers. With the relatively manageable 12 miles on tap, a big goal for me was to address the pacing. I wanted to accomplish two things; negative splits and increasing pace each mile of the second half.

It was a little later start today so I got the big dose of humid at the start and a heaping helping of sun for the bulk of the rest of the effort. That said, the conditions had much less of an effect on my performance than I expected it would.

I pretty much nailed my goals on the dot. I increased my pace each two miles of the second half of the run and accomplished it almost entirely by focusing on cadence. This is the kind of control I was hoping to develop over the course of the training.