Palm Springs Marathon Simulation

Target: 14-15 miles @marathon pace (~6:52)
Actual: 1 mile w/u (8:29), 7:02, 6:59, 6:35, 6:40, 6:49, 6:30, 6:26, 6:45, 6:36, 6:45, 6:29, 6:24, 6:25, 3:08 (1/2 mile), ~5 min. c/d
Total: 15.36 miles, 13.86 @6:38 pace
Jordan's recap

Jordan and I got out the door early for my marathon simulation run. He already had a ~10.5 mile route mapped out, so we decided to run this loop back to the condo and then finish with a 4 mile loop he constructed earlier in the week. After talking with Jeff, Jordan agreed to only tell me the first few splits and then to make me go on feel after that. Because the first two miles were continuously uphill, I started a touch off the pace. While this wasn't a problem, it did result in me feeling a bit anxious about being behind pace the whole time. I was pretty surprised when Jordan told me my splits after the workout, which is always a nice feeling.

As you can see from the above splits, unbeknownst to me I dropped the pace significantly after the first two miles. Mile five was a definite uphill (6:49), followed by another mile substantially downhill (6:30). Once we finished the first loop I was in desperate need of a bathroom, but for some reason the condo was locked so I had to scurry over to the coffee shop across the street instead. Jordan met me there and we got rolling as soon as possible. My next mile was a bit slower (6:45) as I took an entire Clif Shot and drank some water, but we picked things back up as soon as I finished fueling. We closed strongly and then jogged a quick cool down before heading back to the condo to get ready for brunch.

Overall, I have to give props to Jordan for doing a fantastic job all around with this workout. He remembered the twists and turns of the loop perfectly, gave me encouragement when I needed it and held my water and gels for the entire second loop. Improbably, we didn't get stopped once at any street intersections, which helped keep the rhythm intact. I'm quite pleased with what this workout indicates about my fitness, and I can't wait to see what Jilane and I can do in T minus three weeks.