Training Run

Distance: 4 miles
Time: 37:23
Pace: 9:20 min/mi

Comments: I've really been undecided about how to wrap up this week. I don't need another long run effort but some distance is required. I also am interested in a bit of pacing with it as well. The first result was deciding to put a run in today but keep it a regular one.

So I did the four mile course near the house with the hills. Things were a touch warmer but a lot more humid, which may be close to what I need to expect on raceday. The real focus here was pacing on the hills which I have woefully neglected thus far.

Training Run

Distance: 6 miles
Time: 56:24
Pace: 9:23 min/mi

Comments: After going back and forth about it in my head, I decided to nix the interval workout and go for six miles at training pace. The cool front left it very nice this morning although I did drag my feet getting out the door. Still, this is the coolest I've done a run in a while.

Like yesterday, I felt really sluggish and slow getting going but, it turned out, I was actually cranking a solid pace. Too fast, really. I spent a lot of the first half of the run applying the brakes. I felt a little better with the pace on the second half but still could have opened it up with ease.

Training Run

Distance: 4 miles
Time: 35:06
Pace: 8:46 min/mi

Comments: The cold front eased through today bringing rain again. I put off the run till the afternoon when the moisture had moved through and temperatures were significantly more reasonable. Bit of wind to contend with though.

So I planned on just doing an easy run for this one, maybe long run pace. I felt really sluggish starting out and it didn't really lift much as I passed the "warm up" period. Which was weird because I was hitting pace run speed.

I'm guessing this is the more temperate weather payoff. That will likely get tested again tomorrow.

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.