Big Weekend Workout(s)

Saturday, May 3rd
9am: Target: 8-10 mile progression from 7:00-6:20
Actual: 9.75 miles w/8 steady @6:26 avg. (7:12, 6:26, 6:29, 6:26, 6:29, 6:23, 6:28, 6:19, 6:27, .75 @7:15 pace)
4pm: Target: 10 miles @MP (6:05-6:10)
Actual: 2.25 mile w/u
10 miles @61:00/6:06 avg. (6:14, 6:06, 6:08, 6:06, 6:04, 6:07, 6:00, 6:06, 6:03, 6:03)
.5 mile c/d
Total: 12.75
Daily total: 22.5

Sunday, May 4th
2.25 mile w/u
Run for HAWC "5 Miler" in 29:40 (actually 4.82): 5:55, 6:06, 6:10, 6:20, 5:08 @6:15 pace 
1st place female; $150
3 mile c/d
Total: 10 miles

Weekly total: 95

Whew! Just writing down all the above details took a considerable amount of energy. The fact that all three of these workouts took place within a 24-hour period means I definitely earned the 2+ hour nap with my kitty this afternoon! I'm glad to have this monster block behind me and even more pleased with the outcome.

If you've been following my blog for a while (and if you haven't, what else could you possibly have been doing with your spare time??), you know that usually once a training block I embark on a "double workout day." In the past, this has typically consisted of something shorter and faster in the morning, like a 10k tempo, followed by a longer effort at marathon pace in the evening. The focus is always on the second session, with the objective being to simulate the fatigue of the marathon and practice running fast on already heavy legs. Before Philly, I crushed both sessions and achieved arguably the greatest distinction of my running career, dropping a half-injured, totally unfit Jordan twice in one day. Prior to CIM, I had to get creative due to weather and ended up pounding out a 10k tempo on the indoor track at Harvard (that's a cool 50 laps) and then struggling mightily during a solo point-to-point tempo in hurricane force winds later that afternoon.

This time around, Coach Jordan was either feeling unusually beneficent or seriously doubting my fitness, because he scheduled my morning workout as a fairly relaxed uptempo run rather than something faster than marathon race pace. We set out together on our familiar "double bridge loop," a loop in the true sense of the word that runs from Salem to Beverly and back again without ever doubling over itself. This route is not particularly fast, with plenty of zigs and zags and several rolling sections, but that was sort of the point. Jordan wanted this to feel as much like a "normal" run as possible, allowing my legs to settle into pace naturally. Fortunately I had no problem doing so, and save for a few tricky sections--a gusty incline up the Beverly Bridge in mile 7, and Jordan sprinting to (unsuccessfully) chase down a curmudgeonly driver who honked at us in mile 2--this felt like a jog. The pace fluctuated naturally with the terrain and wind direction, and I never felt like I was pressing or strained. With my legs only moderately fatigued, I was confident round two would be a breeze.

After what seemed like only a few short hours of lounging around trolling the interwebs, Sarah arrived at our door ready for the marathon paced tempo. Have I mentioned how glad I am that she decided to stick things out after a disappointing Boston and run Vermont with me?? With our queenmaker at the helm, we set off on a course that would take us from Salem into Marblehead and back with a short addition at the end. There was only one problem: I was dying. From the outset. My legs felt heavy, my breathing was short and erratic, and I was by no means comfortable at the pace I was supposed to be able to maintain for almost three hours. In hindsight, I think this was because we were charging straight into a 15-mph headwind down an unusually busy street (damn you nice weather for bringing the Salem tourists out in droves). If nothing else, I can find solace in the fact that there's no possible way the marathon will be this much of a cluster--weaving in and out of cars and pedestrians, creatively crossing busy intersections, ignoring various and sundry catcalls (and the creepy guy who drove sloooowly alongside us for almost a quarter mile blasting terrible '90s music like some sort of unrequited soundtrack). This run was neither easy nor particularly fun for me, but all that matters is we got it done on the faster end of our desired pace range and still had enough energy to walk over to our favorite neighborhood pub for a celebratory drink afterward.

Needless to say, I woke up on Sunday morning without the desire to move, much less run, much less run quickly. However, it had been brought to my attention earlier in the week that a race was taking place in Salem that started and finished less than half a mile from our house and offered a tempting $150 prize purse. How could we not jog over and give it a shot?? But after shuffling through two creaky warmup miles at a blistering 8:15 pace, I was less than optimistic. If attaining the victory meant running a single step under six minute pace, I was screwed. Fortunately, all our hopes and dreams came true. No one showed up and the course was short! In fact, my new friend Mariah, whom I met through Larissa last weekend, decisively took second--and she was only running the race as part of her long run. As expected, my legs were utterly and completely trashed and I artfully executed a textbook positive split. (A stiff headwind for the entire second half didn't exactly help.) If yesterday's afternoon effort was meant to feel like the second half of a marathon, this morning definitely felt like the last five miles.

Not a bad way to start the morning: JoKin and I both bringing home the W (and the Benjamins)

But overall, I'm pleased. And tired. Very, very tired. The upcoming week will be a delicate balance of recovering from this weekend's shenanigans and still stringing together one more big chunk of high mileage and respectable workouts before starting the gradual taper process. It all hinges on a very unscientific combination of compression socks, pizza, Nuun, kale smoothies and wine.

T-minus three weeks! 

better than water

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If It Looks Like Marathon Training...

3/3-3/9:
98 miles
4 doubles
3 workouts
20.5 mile-long run

2/24-3/2
82 miles
4 doubles
2 workouts
19-mile long run

If last week represented my first tentative steps onto the big-girl diving board, then this week was the headfirst plunge into the mileage abyss. Not only did I complete three workouts (well, one of those was a mini-workout--more on that in a minute) and a 20+ mile long run, but I actually felt strong and healthy and pretty darn good the entire week.

The week started out strong (and chilly) bright and early on Tuesday morning with another near-single digit road workout with Larissa. I was a bit apprehensive about this, both due to the temperature and the fact that I'd completed my longest run in months less than 48 hours prior, but we somehow managed to stay warm and positive enough to take care of business. (At least until my body temperature plummeted on the aptly named cooldown, rendering my extremities totally numb and my fingers incapable of even grasping and inserting my housekey into the door without Larissa's assistance.)

Workout #1: 2x1.5 mile progression w/2 min. jog, each 800m @3:10, 3:00, 2:50; 4x600m @5:20 pace (2:00) w/2 min. jog = 9 miles total

My next (mini-)workout took place during Thursday's lunch hour with my boss and two coworkers. They're all training for a late spring marathon and had 6x800m on tap at 5k pace. The problem is, they're fairly new runners and rarely race 5k's, so the pace was approximated to be 6:30 although I suspected they could go faster. Sure enough:

Workout #2: 6x800m w/3 mins. jog in 3:10, 3:10, 3:07, 3:07, 3:00, 2:59 = 7 miles total

From my perspective, it felt great to open up the legs a little bit without being too taxing, and I loved helping my comrades achieve the feeling of triumph that comes with exceeding your expectations and physical limitations. (Seriously, when's the last time you thought, "Well golly, I just couldn't seem to run slow enough during that workout!" Yeah, me neither. But I'm happy that such a euphoria apparently exists for others.)

But without a doubt, and like a true American weekend warrior, my two biggest days of the week took place on Saturday and Sunday. I'd planned well in advance for a long run on Sunday with Sarah Cummings, who was making a quick trip to Boston, and then I somehow found myself getting roped into (read: eagerly volunteering for) Sarah Bard's lengthy Saturday workout as well. On an unseasonably warm morning (or perhaps only unseasonable relative to the rest of the week/month/year), Sarah and I joined Kevin and another BAA male escort whose name escapes me for some 4-3-2-1 mile action on the Charles.

Workout #3: 4 mile (6:03, 6:02, 6:05, 6:08), 3:30 jog, 3 mile (6:00, 6:07, 5:57), 2:30 jog, 2 mile (5:50, 5:45), 1:30 jog, 1 mile (5:43) = 16 miles total

Takeaways from this workout were:

1. Sarah is really fit.
2. There may be hope for me yet.
3. I love seeing happy, active people enjoying the river on a Saturday morning--except when they're in my way.
4. 50 degrees is, indeed, warm enough to comfortably slam a post-run Frappuccino.

Though I questioned my weary body's ability to move, I somehow managed to remain bipedal and reasonably functional for an "easy" 20-miler (2:30 and 20.66 miles to be exact, not that I am enslaved to my new Garmin or anything) with the Sarahs and a few different male BAA escorts on Sunday. During that time we saw over half the Boston course and a 60-year-old man running shirtless wearing khaki pants and oven mitts, so I can't help but consider it a win.

Will I be able to walk tomorrow? Debatable. Am I officially training for some sort of spring marathon? It sure looks that way... 

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Meanwhile, In 2014

Jan 13-19
80 miles
14-mile long run
9-mile hilly uptempo at 6:28 pace
3 runs in Pittsburgh
1 treadmill run

Jan 6-12
65 miles
15-mile long run with the BAA
6 treadmill runs
3 canceled flights

Dec 29-Jan5
70 miles
13-mile long run with Hilary
4-mile race in 23:18
3xmile, 2x800 cutdown at Harvard indoor with Melissa and Sarah B
4 treadmill runs

So, you may have noticed I did not pen an effusive "2013 Year in Review." Or, maybe you didn't. Either way, I haven't written one, largely because there's not much to review in terms of running accomplishments. Honestly, in thinking back to my mindset a year ago, I may have been a bit...overzealous with my aspirations. After all, I was coming off a year of PR's in every distance from 10 miles up to the marathon, and I naively assumed that this trajectory of success would continue to skyrocket on a perfectly linear path right on through the next 12 months.

But, to sum up 2013 in a nutshell: it didn't happen. And that's okay.

Looking ahead, I'm no less motivated or determined to improve than I was last January, but this time around my optimism is also tinged with a healthy dose of reality. In running as in eating airport sushi, there are no guarantees, and I know I need to appreciate exactly where I'm at right now while at the same time striving to get back to--and eventually surpass--where I've been. I can only take it one week at a time.

Despite that heartwarming sentiment, it would be disingenuous of me to claim that the first 19 days of this new year have been all midgets and peanut butter. (Although there was a midget working the water stop at my New Year's Day race. But I digress.) It started out on a promising note, with the aforementioned four-miler on January 1st that took place on our familiar training roads here in Salem. Despite frigid, windy weather (first time I've ever raced in thermal tights, and I was never in any danger of overheating) I managed a halfway respectable 5:50 pace. So you're saying there's a chance! But the first snowstorm of the year roared in less than 24 hours later, ushering in the now-legendary polar vortex, which meant I spent much of the following week trying to convince myself that five and five on the YMCA treadmill was a perfectly acceptable double. Suffice it to say my momentum came to a sputtering halt.

But this week has been better. The air is thawed, the snow banks melted, the black ice practically a distant memory. I got in a few solid runs on a business trip to Pittsburgh, including a 12x1 minute workout that I was way more proud of than could ever possibly be warranted. (One of the ancillary benefits of easing into training again: excessive boosts of pride and self-esteem instantly gained by clearing the lowest of hurdles. Courageously soldiered on for six entire treadmill miles instead of stopping at a lowly five? Brilliant! Only hit the snooze button once this morning? YOU ARE AN UNSTOPPABLE FORCE.) On Saturday I took to one of my favorite training grounds (the Marblehead Neck) in some of my least favorite conditions (36 degrees, windy, raining), and surprised myself with a very comfortable uptempo effort on the unrelenting hilly terrain. In another exciting development, I was greeted upon returning from my trip this week by a care package from Nuun, welcoming me as an official member of their 2014 racing team. Rarely is a Nuun bottle far from my grasp whether I'm running, working, traveling or just lounging around pantsless drinking wine and updating my blog (gotta stay hydrated!), so needless to say I'm thrilled to make our relationship official.

Just a small sampling of my goodies from @nuunhydration

Will this trend of positivity continue? All signs point to yes...but, realistically, not next week. I'll be spending Monday night through Sunday in Salt Lake City at the Outdoor Retailer Winter Market, our biggest trade show of the entire year, and it's a doozy. The week entails a punishing schedule that includes four long days on the expo floor (not including an additional day of setup and a half day of breakdown) consisting of one presentation after another after another. I'll be eating like crap, drinking too much, sleeping too little and thoroughly exhausting myself by having to be unfailingly nice to people the whole damn time. I will also, ineluctably, end up with a cold. This will be my third year in attendance and the first time I'm aspiring to maintain some semblance of training throughout the whole endeavor. (Two years ago it was the week after the Trials, and last year I was darn proud of myself for getting up every morning to slog through six miles on the hotel treadmill.) Best case scenario, I'll get in a few miles of altitude training and not return home sick or morbidly obese. Stay tuned!

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Winter Weather Workout(s): Part Two

See Part One here
PM: 1/2 mile w/u
Target: 10 miles @6-6:10 pace
Actual: 15k @58:30 (6:15 pace)
My route
1/2 mile c/d
Total: 11 miles
Daily total: 20 miles

When I last left you, I was eating a donut and drinking chocolate milk in bed with my cat whilst wearing compression socks, all in an effort to recover from Part One of today's workout. Part Two, a 10-mile steady tempo, would take place later in the afternoon...but where? It was still sub-freezing with ridiculous gusting winds outside and no improvement on the horizon. Upon returning home from his road trip in the early afternoon, Jordan once again floated the idea of hitting the YMCA treadmill...but I just couldn't do it. I was already convinced I wouldn't be able to maintain the pace, which meant the workout would be doomed before it even began. My next strategy was to gauge the direction of the wind (WSW) and try to devise a point-to-point course which would allow me to run more or less with the wind at my back on easily navigable roads...all before the ridiculous 4:30pm sunset would plunge everything into total darkness. Simple enough, right?

Coach Jordan was skeptical, but agreed to let me give it a try. We settled on a route that would start in Danvers, run past our office complex, through downtown Beverly and into Salem, through downtown Salem and past Salem State, down the long hill to the Marblehead Rail Trail, then finish up with ~3 miles on the soft surface path before being dumped out near my boss's house on Seaview Ave just over the Marblehead/Swampscott line. If all went to plan, I would pass through a total of five towns in an hour's time. There were a few sections where the streets might be busy and a couple questionable intersections where I would almost surely have to stop, but once I made it through Salem the second half would likely be free of interruption. If only the weather would cooperate, this just might work.

The ride into Danvers was a solemn one, as I tried to ignore the wind whipping tree branches and debris across the road. I kept trying to reassure myself with the reminder that the wind would actually be helping me for most of the run, which worked until I almost couldn't force Jordan's car door open due to a particularly strong blast. He instructed me on the use of his Garmin, promised to pop in at a few spots along the course, and then sent me on my way. I jogged a few minutes easy and navigated a tricky intersection before launching into the uptempo portion. I actually couldn't remember where my exact starting location was supposed to be based on our prior Google mapping--as it turns out, I didn't start out far enough, which explains why the end result was closer to 9.5 miles instead of 10--so at some arbitrary point I just clicked the watch and started rolling.

The pace was difficult to gauge, unsurprisingly. I wanted to run by feel instead of looking at the Garmin every five minutes, but I found it increasingly difficult to establish a consistent rhythm. My legs were a little fatigued from the morning's effort but felt fairly decent, so I was confident they wouldn't hinder my completion of the workout. The one true variable was the wind, which seemed to swirl at random. During the course of running several minutes in a straight line, it might be aggressively pushing me forward one second and then slapping me in the face shortly after. Somewhere on Rantoul Street in Beverly, just before I would see Jordan for the first time, I actually had to stop for a moment when a wayward tree branch made a beeline in the direction of my face. The worst of it came on the Beverly Bridge, when the violent crosswinds literally had me scared that I might get blown over into the harbor. In hindsight, crossing the bridge might not have been the safest or smartest move--not to mention my pace (and form!) slowed to a veritable crawl--but I had honestly underestimated how tough and exposed it would be.

Understandably, the pace fluctuated. But overall I knew I should be averaging well under 3:50 per kilometer, and instead I was hovering in the 3:58-4:00 range. I was growing flustered and frustrated, and biding my time until I thought it would be acceptable to drop out. I suspected I would see Jordan again at the bottom of Lafayette Street, just over halfway and just before entering the rail trail, and I made up my mind that I would call it a day there. What was the point?! Sure enough, I spotted him, stopped my watch, slowed to a stop and commenced whining. "I'm not even close to the pace!" I moaned despairingly, hoping he would tell me to stop. "Just keep pushing," he responded. "Settle in on the trail." 

But darkness was falling, and quickly. The trail is exceptionally well groomed, so footing wasn't an issue, but I still wanted to make it through to the other side before the lighting completely waned. Once I rounded the turn by the middle school I found myself running directly into the wind, but inexplicably the average pace was finally inching down into the low 3:50s. Perhaps I wasn't completely screwing this up after all.

Once I popped out on Seaview, I knew the course would be short. I was just under 14k and now running in complete darkness. Jordan was waiting in his car near my boss's house, and he started driving just ahead to light my way. I decided then that finishing out 15k would be respectable enough. It was cold and dark and seemed rather pointless to continue. My breathing was controlled and my legs felt as though they could continue at that pace and effort level indefinitely, but I was just incapable of going any faster. Whatever the ultimate objective was, the conditions simply weren't going to allow for a different outcome. I've never been happier to jump in a warm car at the conclusion of a run!

Overall, I'm disappointed that I wasn't able to execute this workout as well as I did last year, but in spite of that it actually does provide a boost of confidence. More than the result itself, I'm proud of myself for staying mentally tough--did I mention I ran 50 laps indoors this morning?!--and troubleshooting the conditions instead of writing this off before even giving myself a chance. If I can do the same in two weeks' time, I just might have a shot at pulling off a respectable marathon.

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Winter Weather Workout(s): Part One

AM: 2 mile w/u + strides
Target: 10k tempo @ 35:45-36:30
Actual: 36:21 (5:51 pace); 18:18/18:03
1 mile c/d
Total: 9 miles

Last year, two and a half weeks out from Philly, I executed arguably my most difficult (and most impressive) workout(s) ever, consisting of a morning 10k tempo followed by an evening 10-miler at MP. Jordan, fresh off an injury, joined me for both efforts--and I dropped him on both. Having never outrun Jordan once in my life, much less twice in one day, this workout served as a huge confidence booster and solidified my fitness for what would be a breakthrough marathon performance a few weeks later.

With only 14 days separating me from my next 26.2 endeavor, it was time to attempt this workout again. Unfortunately, the weather had other plans.
 

Picture perfect conditions on tap for Sunday morning

I saw this abysmal forecast less than 24 hours before the first part of this workout was to begin and promptly started freaking out. I called Jordan, who was on the road, and we started running through our options. Unfortunately, delaying the workout wasn't one of them, as we'd be flying out for Thanksgiving on Monday evening, and anything after that would be much too close to the race. Could we try a treadmill? Certainly more favorable, but I unequivocally suck at treadmills and highly doubted I could run sub-6 pace for more than three consecutive minutes. I floated the scenario by Carly and Terry, who came up with the perfect solution (at least for Part One): the Harvard indoor track! Why didn't I think of that?? Oh wait, maybe because it meant I would be running 50 laps?!? But still, it was by far my best option. The next step was trying to recruit someone crazy enough to do this with me. I put out some feelers to the BAA with no success, and by Saturday night I'd all but tucked myself in on Sarah's futon (she lives so close to Harvard!) and resigned myself to doing this solo. Then, around 9:30pm, I received an email from a GBTC member named Charly Allan who'd heard of my plight and offered to help as part of his long run. Needless to say, I jumped at the offer and prayed he would actually show up the next morning.

Sure enough, just before 8am, my new BFF arrived as I was in the midst of my warmup jog counterclockwise along the perimeter of the eerily quiet facility. The weather prediction had been spot on, and as the gusts of wind howled around the outside of the building I knew I'd made the right decision. Before long, Charly and I were toeing the imaginary start line. The plan was simply to take it out conservatively, tuck in behind him and gradually crank the pace down during the second half--all without losing count of our laps. I was just as intimidated by the mental challenge as I was the physical one, and was beyond relieved that someone else was there to do the heavy lifting for me. I just needed to relax, zone out, fall into a rhythm behind Charly and trust that the pace would come naturally.

The first few laps felt clunky and awkward, both of us adjusting as strangers in a strange land. After the first mile or so I settled in, feeling comfortable and eager and trying not to clip his heels. The pace seemed slow, a little too easy, and I was unsurprised when we came through 5k a touch off the target. "Let's hold this until four, then gradually pick it up for the last two miles," I requested. He was happy to oblige, and before I knew it the invisible lap counter was down to single digits. We dug deeper (or at least I did) for the final mile, and I felt like I was working for the first time in 30 minutes. As we crossed the finish line to the applause of exactly no one, I was ecstatic--not just that the workout had felt relatively easy, but that I hadn't allowed the adverse weather conditions to thwart my carefully laid plans.

Actual weather at go time. Meanwhile, inside was pleasant and wind-free!

 At least, not yet. There was still an afternoon tempo to contend with, and the frigid winds showed no signs of abating. Time to go home, recover, and plot my next move... 

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3x20 Minute Success

AM: 5k shakeout
PM: 5k w/u + strides
Target: 3x20 mins. (10 mins. hard, 10 mins. @6:00 pace) w/4 mins. rest
Actual: 20 mins @5:53 pace (3k @10:58, 5k @18:20), 20 mins @5:54 pace (3k @11:00, 5k @18:23), 20 mins @5:53 pace (3k @11:00, 5k @18:22)
2k c/d
Garmin splits
Total: 15 miles
Daily total: 18 miles

There may be hope for me yet.

As a reference, I did this exact workout at the exact same time (three weeks out) in December '11 prior to the January '12 Trials. At the time, I would say I was objectively in 2:40-low shape, but ended up running just slightly off that at 2:41:06. I ran this particular workout quite well, and ended up splitting between 18:35-18:45 through each 5k. (See my recap (in astonishingly small font) here and Jordan's more detailed splits here.)

Today, as you can see above, I was consistently 15-20 seconds (a full 80-90 meters) faster through 5k on each interval, and with shorter rest. Granted, some of my "hard" sections weren't as fast as last time--in '11 I snuck a 3:32 in there, while today's quickest was 3:35--but I was able to consistently maintain a much faster clip on the marathon-paced second halves. I wouldn't exactly say the whole thing was a walk in the park--the third kilometer, which in theory is meant to be one of the fastest, is in reality almost entirely uphill--I ran strong throughout and there were sections where I truly felt like I was jogging.

Too little too late, or finally coming around at just the right time? We'll see in three weeks.

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Wave Tempo

AM: 3 mile w/u
Target: 13k/8 mile wave tempo alternating 3:35/4:00 per k (~5:45/6:25 per mile); 4 min. rest/jog; 3k @11:00
Actual: 3:41, 4:02, 3:31, 4:01, 3:33, 3:57, 3:35, 4:00, 3:35, 3:59, 3:33, 3:58, 3:32; 3k @10:50
1 mile c/d
Total: 14 miles
PM: 3 miles easy
Daily total: 17 miles

I did this exact same workout at the same relative time (~six weeks out) before Philly last year, to great success. On that occasion I was actually supposed to be alternating half miles, but I was running solo and as a timepiece novice was clearly outsmarted by technology. So I adjusted on the fly, switched to alternating kilometers, and absolutely crushed it.

Today, with my queenmaker (and Garmin expert) leading the charge, I was confident I would at least get the general workout configuration right. In comparing to last year's data, this time around I was able to hit roughly the same pace for the "on" segments (with the exception of an outlying 3:23 last time, holy moly) but struggled more with maintaining a respectable clip on the recovery portion. Though I intentionally tried to push thoughts of last time out of my head during the workout--there's nothing more discouraging than the realization that present day you is getting her ass kicked by younger, faster you--the one split I did remember quite clearly was that I'd run 11:00 on the nose for the final "bonus" 3k, and I was determined to finish faster today. I did just that, clocking a strong 10:50, immediately after which Jordan exclaimed, "That was the best part of the whole workout!" Perhaps that says more about the preceding 13k than the final 3k, but I will choose to take it as a compliment.

Still lots of work to be done, still grinding away. Making progress one day at a time.

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Tempo Tuesday

AM: 5k w/u + strides
Target: 5k road @18:00, jog to track, 4-5x400m @75 w/2 mins. rest
Actual: 18:00, 75, 75, 75, 74
2k c/d
Total: 9 miles
PM: 5 miles easy
Total: 14 miles

Monday night, Jordan and I hatched a somewhat elaborate plan for this workout that involved driving to Beverly, parking at Dane Beach, running the road tempo in (what we thought would be) a quiet section of neighborhoods close to the high school and then finishing up with some shape-cutting on the high school track. Incidentally, this plan would also involve us driving straight to work afterward, which had the unintended result of me not showering or changing clothes for the entire day. Oops.

The only part of our plan we hadn't really considered was the weather. Sure, we knew it was cool when we went to bed the night before, but both of us were surprised to walk downstairs in our warmups and find ourselves smacked in the face by fall. Unfortunately we were both too lazy to go back upstairs but fortunately I had some gloves in my purse, so at least one of us was able to adapt to the 40-degree temperature.

Okay, I lied; there was a second part of our plan we hadn't completely nailed down: the 5k course. We had a loose idea of where we wanted to go based on runs and races we've done in the area, but none of those had hinged on having us finish at the track. Because of this, my trusty queenmaker decided to wing it and make up the route on the fly. This worked out about as well as could be hoped save for the fact that there were way too many sharp turns--at least a dozen--in the 18-minute run. I found myself moving fastest and most comfortably on the rare long, straight sections and struggling to catch up every time he darted this way or that at an intersection. Still, I executed the tempo down to the second and felt like I had plenty left in my legs for the 400s...

...until I actually started running them. Perhaps due to the much-needed deep tissue massage I'd gotten a mere 12 hours prior--not ideal timing, but sometimes you have to work with the options you've got--or maybe the cooler weather, or maybe the fact that I'm just not all that fit, my legs felt sluggish and tired each time I tried to pick up the pace around the 200-meter mark. In fact, I felt much better a few weeks ago when I was closing at the same pace after 12 repeats on a triple run day. Whatever the reason, I was happy to call it a day at four reps. Workouts like this can be difficult for me because they require switching pace and focus, but with the help of my trusty queenmaker I was able to squeak a few more coins into the fitness bank.

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Uptempo Long Run

Target: 16-18 miles incl. some uptempo
Actual: 18 miles in 2:00 w/4+ @6:09 pace

After a litany of emails back and forth throughout the week among myself, Hilary Dionne and Sarah Bard (two speedy BAA ladies), Sarah agreed to come up to Salem for a Saturday morning long run. (Hilary had to start early and I was dying to sleep past 7am, but I'm sure our paths will cross another day.) Sarah had never been to the North Shore before, but I promised ocean views, ample bathroom opportunities and post-run refreshments at Life Alive--what more could you want?!

Despite my excitement for the run and for hosting Sarah, I was also a bit hesitant about how this would go. My run on Thursday morning after Wednesday night's speed workout was a death march. I haven't felt that terrible in months. Clearly I was exhausted, because that night I went to bed--I'm talking lights out, head on the pillow--at 7:45. Now don't get me wrong, I've seen my fair share of 8:30 bedtimes and I'm rarely up past 10 on a weeknight, but even for me this was a new low. It worked wonders, however; 11 hours later I was up and at 'em and feeling like a new person on my Friday morning run. Perhaps Saturday wouldn't be so bad after all.

Except, from the outset, I felt horrible. Even as we jogged into the early miles on the soft surface of the Marblehead rail trail, my legs felt heavy and sluggish. Sarah's plan called for 8-12 miles uptempo, anywhere from 6:20 to 6:05 pace, and here I was struggling to feel comfortable running a minute slower than that. But gradually I settled in, and as we approached the one hour mark our pace naturally progressed down into the 6:30s. After a quick stop for water and bathrooms at Devereaux Beach, it was time to crank down the pace and take on the rolling hills of the Marblehead Neck. My legs still felt terrible--worse, actually--on the challenging terrain, and I couldn't have been more relieved when Sarah suggested we back the pace off again after one loop around. The remaining miles hovered in the 6:35-6:45 range, undoubtedly the most comfortable of the day, and by the time we finished in front of my building (just as the clock clicked over the two-hour mark; couldn't have planned it better) I felt like I could've easily gone another handful of miles. Go figure.

Overall, I'm pleased with the end result of this run despite not feeling too chipper throughout. I have to believe that my general state of fatigue means my body is absorbing all the quality work I've thrown at it over the past few weeks and preparing for a major breakthrough! Whatever the case, it was fun to take a new friend on one of my favorite local running routes...and the Life Alive smoothies weren't too bad either.

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3x3 Miles on the WSH, or "Sarah is Fit and I am Not"

~4 mile w/u
Target: 3x3 miles; first set @6:05, second @5:50-55; third TBD
Actual: first set @5:53 pace; 5:45 mile + 2 mile jog; 11:50 two-mile + 1 mile jog
3 mile c/d
Total: ~17 miles

I'm in NYC this weekend for a few days of fun, relaxation and US Open spectating with my mom. Of course, having a chance to run with friends someplace other than my standard Salem loops is a huge plus. I enjoyed an easy mid-morning run with Jay and Josh yesterday and was looking forward to (while simultaneously dreading) a beast of a workout with Sarah this morning. Simply put, as this post's title suggests, she is in phenomenal shape right now and I am just beginning to attempt some legitimate marathon-specific training. Plus--and with Sarah being one of my favorite people and a close friend, I think she will respect my honesty here--she can be a bit difficult to workout with. It's not her fault; she's so speedy that it's hard to force herself to slow to the pedestrian-by-comparison pace I'm often striving to hit. So, despite what Terry had written as the suggested paces for the workout, I was expecting her to go much faster and doubting I'd be able to hang on beyond one or two sets. Jordan's take? "Yeah, that's probably a bit much for you right now," he said with an uncharacteristic amount of tact, "but if you feel good, go for it." Not exactly a ringing endorsement, but he wasn't completely counting me out, either.

Stunning morning view of the Queensboro Bridge from our hotel on the East Side.

At 8am sharp, the air crisp and pleasantly mild, I met Sarah and Katie at Columbus Circle for an easy warmup down to Chelsea Piers. We'd chosen the bike path as opposed to Central Park for obvious reasons; it's much flatter and hopefully wouldn't be as crowded (although this part would prove to be wishful thinking a few miles later). After a few easy miles with Katie and a quick bathroom/water stop, we parted ways. Not a small part of me was wishing I could continue on a normal run with her, but at the same time I was excited to see what my legs could do for a longer, marathon-paced effort. "We'll definitely start at 6:05," Sarah assured me as we toed the imaginary starting line.

A few seconds later we were off to the races, or so it seemed. Between dodging cyclists and pedestrians and at one point nearly hurdling a veritable conga line of Asian tourists disembarking one of the cruise ships (thank goodness their suitcases weren't very tall), I found myself out of my comfort zone almost immediately. If this is 6:05 pace, I remember thinking histrionically, I'm never running another step for the rest of my life. So, it was with a mixture of relief and frustration that I received the news of our 5:53 average pace at the end of the first interval; relief because I wasn't trying that hard and still running slower than marathon pace, but frustration because I knew I was more tired than I should be, and much more fatigued than Sarah, and light years away from where I'd been when I crushed a similar 3x5k workout on tired legs before Philly last year. I know it's silly to make comparisons at this stage in the game--to Sarah, or even to my former self--but it's hard not to.

"Just being honest," I told Sarah when I caught my breath as we jogged between intervals, "at that pace I can only do one more set." At the moment, that was a course of action I was fine with. "Well, let's slow this one down," she replied. "I need to practice running marathon pace anyway, so let's just flip the paces and run this one slower since we ran the other one too fast?" Perfect, I thought, but there's no way that will actually happen. Sure enough, from the first few minutes of the second interval I felt like I was sprinting. If this is 6:05 pace, I thought as an eery feeling of deja vu swept over me, I'm never running another step for the rest of my life. Already a few steps behind Sarah, I split 5:45 for the first mile and was spent. I stopped to catch my breath while she trotted briskly into the distance, free to pick up the pace even more now that her dead weight had been jettisoned.

The rest of the "workout" merits no elaboration, at least from my perspective. I jogged along dejectedly until I ran into Sarah, who had simply crushed the remainder of the second set, and then nodded vigorously while not believing a single word as she swore she was going to pump the brakes on the final set. She proceeded to demolish the remaining miles while I flailed around for a bit before stopping to walk for a few minutes (the Ethiopians we'd passed during the first interval looked vaguely less impressed as they blew past me now) and then jogging until I met up with Sarah again.

And then, after all that, there was still the matter of getting home. First we trudged uphill from the WSH back to Columbus Circle, at which point I jokingly-but-seriously threatened to invade Sarah's apartment and force her to give me a few bones so I could catch a taxi back to my hotel. It was less than two miles away, but I was beyond ready to be done. (For the record, I remained bipedal.) If nothing else, this delightful little session showed me I'm still light years away from where I need to be...but I'm determined to put in the work to get there. Watching Sarah hammer this from beginning to end was definitely inspiring (and also slightly soul-crushing), as hackneyed as that sounds. Without a doubt, her effort was just as solid, if not more so, than anything I did before running 2:39 at Philly. I can't wait to see her big PR at Twin Cities next month!

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(Down) Week in Review

81-82 miles
3 doubles
15-mile long run
2 AFDs

Nothing to see here. Cut it back due to work constraints and the general need for a break in mileage, but ended up with a little bit more than expected without realizing it. Hey, if it felt like enough of a reprieve, then it was! My Friday-Sunday mileage is probably what bumped up the totals due to Jon G. being in town. Jordan and I accompanied him on a Friday morning tempo + evening double, then dragged him around the Neck with Emily for his prescribed 15-miler on Sunday. 

Now that it's finally/already September, it's time for me to get serious. I might actually, you know, start doing some workouts and perhaps try to get in shape. I'll kick things off with a 7k race on Labor Day (guaranteed to be a PR, since I'm pretty sure I've never heard of, much less participated in, a 7k) before hitting the track for some light intervals on Wednesday and then teaming up with Sarah for something frisky in Central Park on Saturday. Let's get after it!

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Botched Workout Redemption

2.75 mile w/u
Target: 3x2 miles @11:20, 11:15, 11:10 w/4 mins. jog; 4x400 @82, 81, 80, 79 w/1 min. jog
Actual: 11:20, 11:18, 2k @6:59; 4x400 @79, 81, 79, 78
1.5 mile c/d
Total: 12 miles

I planned to do this workout on the Topsfield bike path after work on Wednesday, but for one reason or another it simply didn't happen. I made it through a whopping 1k, relatively on pace but breathing like I'd just raced a 5k, before bagging it. I was frustrated, disappointed and not exactly filled with confidence about my ability to fare any better 12 hours later, but I had no choice except to try.

Fortunately, come Thursday morning I more or less executed what was planned. It felt hard--harder than it should have, and harder than I would've liked--but nonetheless I was proud of my ability to execute on the heels of a dismal failure the night before. After the second two-mile interval my coach/domestique made the call to maintain the pace but cut the third repeat at 2k, a recommendation with which I was more than happy to comply.

There are days when a workout feels effortless, when the paces come like clockwork and you have to hold back your sprightly legs from running out from under you. Today emphatically was not one of those days, but I welcome the grind and the strength it builds, mentally and physically.

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Black Cat 10 Miler

3 mile w/u
Target: 10 mile tempo @60-61 mins.
Actual: 60:48; first place female
Results
3 mile c/d
Total: 16 miles

Late last week I discovered that a 10- and 20-mile race would be taking place today in Salem, with the same start/finish and most of the same course as the half-marathon I ran last fall. I wasn't necessarily looking for a true race-level effort, but I knew that lacing 'em up in a competitive environment would result in a much higher quality workout than I was likely to undertake on my own. Not only did Jordan feel the same way, but he apparently decided that he wouldn't truly get his money's worth without tackling the 20-miler. To each his own.

After running from my house to the race start (which is the best setup ever), I met my BAA friend Liz for the remainder of the warmup. As we stripped down our outer layers and tossed them in the back of her friend's car, she mentioned that there was a $150 purse for first place. While not a staggering amount (I won $300 at the half-marathon, which was put on by the same company), it was noteworthy information simply because I hadn't seen anything about cash prizes on the web site or race collateral. If my original game plan was to run a hard tempo, my new objective was to run a hard enough tempo to win the darn thing.

As we stood for a ridiculously long time on the starting line, I had a few minutes to catch up with running friends from the BAA and the Salem Wicked group. Kevin, an Irish BAA transplant and Craft aficionado, is training for Boston and was hoping for an honest but controlled workout today. From the gun, I took off with him and vowed to hang on as long as possible. The first few miles were comfortable and conversational as we ran through downtown Salem toward Marblehead, but even early on I could tell my legs were still tired from Thursday's 800s. The turnaround point came in the Devereux Beach parking lot around 4.5, and by that point I was already eager to be finished. I was pleased to see that Jordan wasn't too far in front of us (never mind the fact that he would be running twice as far), but I was a bit surprised to discover how seemingly close Liz and our friend Caroline were behind me. Liz was running the longest race of her life and Caroline had put in eight miles beforehand, and they were both crushing it! Meanwhile Kevin and I split five miles in 29:45, but I was faltering on the first noticeable uphill section and I could tell he was itching to drop the pace. I waved him onward, disappointed that my legs were so tired but resolving to maintain the same effort or risk getting caught. I was running scared. Fortunately, around mile 8 I found my second wind (possibly coinciding with cresting the final hill) and was able to finish strong, with Caroline and Liz not far behind despite accidentally missing a turn in the final mile. Jordan placed second in the 20-miler, an effort I will let him regale you with whenever he updates his blog. All in all, a solid day.

Oh, and my big prize? A pint glass.  

Just after the start: Jordan up front, Kevin in the yellow singlet next to me, with Caroline (yellow) and Liz (blue) at far right. Photo credit Thomas Cole.

 

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Half-Marathoon Boot Camp: Workout #4

2.5-3 mile w/u
Target: 13k wave alternating every k between 3:30/4:00 (5:37/6:25 mile pace)
Actual: 3:54, 3:31, 3:56, 3:32, 4:00, 3:29, 3:58, 3:29, 4:03, 3:34, 4:03, 3:32, 3:56 = 49:02
(6:04 mile pace for 8.1 miles)
1 mile c/d
Total: 12 miles

While not nearly as fast as a similar (actually, harder) workout I did pre-Philly, I was still relatively pleased with this session. In fact, had I chosen to start and finish with an "on" segment instead of a "recovery" one, the overall time and resultant average pace would've been much closer to that previous effort. But with temperatures not even cracking the 20-degree mark this morning, Jordan and I agreed it made sense to ease into a rhythm rather than attempting to hit 10k pace right from the gun.

Overall, I'd deem this solid but not extraordinary. My body is understandably tired from the (self-prescribed, self-imposed) boot camp, which makes workouts like this just seem like a grind. I have to remind myself that a month ago I wasn't doing much more than jogging around, and here I am finishing my fourth workout of the past week. Quality and quantity have both taken a big leap, and I'm pleased that my body is holding up well, if not necessarily setting any new speed records. Yet. 

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Half-Marathon Boot Camp: Workout #3, or "30k For Emily's 30th"

Target: 30 min. easy, 30 min. tempo, 30 min. steady, 10x30 secs. hard for 30k total
Actual: 35 min. easy, 30 min. tempo @6 min. pace, 30 min. jogging around looking for Terry, 30 min. steady @~6:20 pace, 5 min. easy for 30k total

For her 30th birthday, Emily wanted to do something epic. Or, at minimum, epically symbolic. So after her initial plan of running the entire Boston course was scrapped due to, well, common sense, we enlisted Jordan to come up with something long and challenging but still fun and manageable, all in honor of the milestone of entering one's 30th year of life on this earth. He came up with the target workout above, which looked daunting enough on paper (especially considering it would be my longest run since Philly and my third workout in six days). Fortunately, Emily recruited others to join and help dissipate the suffering, including her former college teammate Christina and a rare joint appearance of Carly and Terry (made possible by Emily's mom, in town for the b-day celebration, virtually leaping at the chance to play surrogate grandmother for a few hours).

The group assembled at Emily's just after 9am, eager to get the run underway and even more eager to finish it up so we could return to a brunch feast that Emily's husband Matt had been slaving away over all morning. In fact, the toughest part of the run was forcing ourselves out the door with the tantalizing scent of fresh coffee and rising frittata wafting down the hallway behind us. Once out the door, however, we fell into a relaxed rhythm on the bike path in the direction of the arboretum. I'd never run there before, and in hindsight I'm glad that was the case, because if I'd known in advance how hilly it was I probably never would've agreed to run the entire tempo portion there. But from a logistical perspective it made perfect sense, since we could all work out at our own appropriate paces and still start and finish together. We prepared to pick it up, agreeing to meet back at our starting point 30 minutes later, and then set off to tackle what would be the toughest part of the run (even more difficult than leaving the kitchen behind, as it turned out). Almost immediately our group split into three natural pairings: myself and Jordan, Emily and Carly, Terry and Christina. As the two most unfamiliar with the territory, Jordan and I made a few wrong turns and came to a few dead ends before settling into a reliable loop, and as a result somehow ended up running the opposite direction as everyone else. This actually ended up being helpful for me, as I knew that every few minutes I would pass Carly and Emily, then Terry and Christina, and no matter how badly I was hurting I couldn't allow myself to get completely dropped at the risk of embarrassing myself in front of them. (That said, my increasingly pained facial expressions couldn't have done much in the way of making a good impression). Our pace fluctuated wildly, dictated by the undulating terrain, and every time we trudged up one particularly grueling hill I felt sure that  mile couldn't be faster than eight minutes. These are the times when I'm glad I don't wear a Garmin. Sometimes it's better not to know.

Somehow, I kept it together for 30 minutes, and shortly after finishing we were rejoined by Carly and Emily. Certain that Terry and Christina were close behind--after all, I'd just seen them less than 10 minutes prior--we dawdled around a bit near our meeting point, finally starting to jog in the direction from which we'd come after standing around became unbearably cold. Fully expecting to see them approaching at any minute, none of us were initially alarmed, but as the minutes ticked by it became clear that they simply weren't there. While I wasn't necessarily worried, I was definitely perplexed. If I know one truth to be constant, it is that Terry never, ever deviates from a plan. If we said to meet back in 30 minutes, he'd be there at 29:55 with a detailed mile-by-mile itinerary for the rest of our run. And yet, inexplicably, he wasn't there.

After another few miles of jogging around the arboretum, we agreed that the only logical explanation was that they'd somehow, for some reason, decided to forego the meeting and head back to Emily's. (Perhaps they were hoping to get a jump on the brunch buffet.) We'd already been on our feet for over 90 minutes and were growing more chilled with each step, so the only logical course of action was for us to do the same. Carly, clearly worried, began to pick up the pace. ("I hope he didn't have a heart attack," she said at one point, only half joking. I resisted the urge to respond with, "Don't worry; we would've heard the ambulance." Somehow I doubted that would provide much comfort.) Before I knew it, we'd crested the two-hour mark and were running uncomfortably close to my previous tempo pace--fortunately on a flat bike path this time, but my legs didn't seem to register much appreciation of this nuance.

Finally, mercifully, the run came to an end, and with it the discovery of nothing but good news: 30k was surpassed, Terry was fine (and somehow hadn't even heard the original "meet back in 30 minutes" plan), none of us received a parking ticket and at long last it was time to eat our collective body weight in brunch. Happy birthday, Emily!  

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Half-Marathon Boot Camp: Workout #1

AM: 5.5 miles easy
PM: 3.5 mile w/u
Target: 4x400m strides; 5k tempo, 5x2 mins. hard
Actual: 84, 84, 80, 83; 1.8k @3:33/k (5:42/mile) pace, bathroom break, 6 min. jog/break; 4k @3:33, 3:35, 3:35, 3:33 (5:45/mile pace avg.)
1.5 mile c/d
Total: 10.5 miles
Daily total: 15 miles

Monday night snow meant slick streets on Tuesday morning which morphed into a mushy, gloppy mess by Tuesday evening. Definitely not ideal workout conditions. Due to reasoning I can no longer recall, we decided to take to the 'ol Marblehead neck for this effort instead of traversing our normal Salem loop. This meant the tempo would be considerably more rolling than would facilitate fast splits, but seeing as my upcoming half-marathon is just as hilly I suppose it's fitting.

In a nutshell, this was hard. Whether it had to do with the late hour, the chilly temps, the slushy and unusually busy roads or some combination of the above, at any rate I felt like I was sprinting pretty much the entire time. The situation was nothing if not worsened by an urgent bathroom detour, which had the potential to derail the entire workout. Fortunately Jordan redirected on the fly and punished me with a relentless pace on the hilliest section of the route. I was wheezing and gasping to an embarrassing extent for much of the final 4k section, but I held strong and somehow managed not to get dropped.

Time for a quick recovery and even quicker turnaround. Bootcamp workout #2 happens Thursday! 

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"Yeah, That Was Just Okay."

AM: 8k easy
PM: 2.5 mile w/u
Target: 8k tempo @5:45-5:50 mile pace (3:35-3:40/k); then 5x200m on/off strides around the Triangle
Actual: 8k @29:19 (3:40, 3:40, 3:41, 3:43, 3:39, 3:37, 3:40); 5x200m on/of
1.5 mile c/d
Daily total: 15+ miles

The title is a direct quote from Coach Jordan, always ready with a Hallmark-worthy sentiment where my running is concerned. But tact aside, his comments are always truthful and accurate, which I respect. Tonight was no different; the workout was just okay. But, as he also accurately states in his own recap (thank goodness he's running (and blogging!) again so I can lazily link to his posts when I don't feel like doing my own), the one impressive/redeeming aspect was that even after feeling inexplicably horrific from the gun, I stayed calm and positive and gradually settled somewhat comfortably into the pace--even agreeing to finish out the final two kilometers when he offered me a rare out.

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Week in Review, or "That Time I Ate a Donut in the Middle of a Long Run"

85 miles
3 doubles
3 runs in Boston
3 runs with Emily

This post could've just as easily been titled "That Time I Ran 386 Laps Around the Harvard Parking Lot with the BAA," or "That Time Emily and I Found Out We Aren't As Out of Shape as We Thought." All three of these monikers are equally accurate, and all three effectively comprise the main takeaways from this week's key runs:

Sunday morning: 15-15.5 miles easy on the Boston Marathon course from Cleveland Circle with the BAA ladies (plus Jordan). About an hour into the run, the group had splintered into a handful of different groups, leaving Jordan and Emily and I standing in front of a Dunkin' Donuts somewhere in Newton. What can I say? Nature took its course, and the next thing I know the three of us were passing around a dense, gooey, double chocolatey frostedy donut while still running. It may have gotten a little messy, but no worse than when I clumsily try to rip open a gel packet during a race (and far tastier). Heartbreak Hill didn't stand a chance thanks to the ensuing sugar rush.

Saturday morning: ~13 mile progression run with a huge BAA crew around...the Harvard parking lot. Or, technically, the "Sheatock loop," so named for (or by, or both) the BAA's fearless leaders Carly and Terry. Given that the river path wasn't remotely frozen I'm still unclear as to why we insisted on spinning like an army of deranged hamsters around a 1200-meter loop, but at any rate the company was worth it.

Wednesday night:   
2 mile w/u
Target: 6x1000 w/1:30 jog @3:35 (5:45/mile pace); 4x500 @faster w/1:30 jog
Actual: 6x1000 @3:33, 3:31, 3:25, 3:26, 3:24, 3:21; 4x500 @1:39, 1:41, 1:38, 1:39
1.5 mile c/d
Total: 8.5 miles

Jordan pulled Emily and I through this workout on the Sheatock loop, and I think it's safe to say all of us were pleasantly surprised at how well it went considering we were basically dodging cars in the dark in the middle of a glorified parking lot. Excluding a baby fartlek last week I haven't worked out in over a month, and as per usual Emily claimed to be "terribly out of shape" after an extended trip home for the holidays. Fortunately we were able to average 5:30-5:40 pace on the 1000's with relative ease; only when I transitioned into the 500's at the end did I feel the telltale ragged breathing and burning legs that signify a dip into uncomfortably difficult territory. During one of our recovery jogs, Emily made me vow to hold her accountable and guilt her into working out for the remainder of the winter. It's always worth it once we're out here, she added. Tonight was a great start.     

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Outpacing the Nor'easter

2.5 mile w/u
Target: 2x5k @MP (~18:45) w/full rest; 5x30 secs. hard
Actual: 18:30, 4 min. jog, 18:20; 5x30 secs. hard
0.5 mile c/d
Total: ~10 miles

I should've done this yesterday. Less than 24 hours ago it was ideal workout weather; cold, but not frigid, with virtually no wind. Instead, still recovering from a hard 20 on Sunday, I opted to wait until this morning and was punished by a biting, blustery 20+ mph direct headwind for the first half of each interval. Fortunately I was able to tuck in behind Jordan and fortunately he's tipping the scales a few pounds overweight right now, but even despite his ample girth the gusts forced us to slow to what seemed like a crawl. (Mercifully we'll never know, since Jordan forgot to charge his Garmin, so other than the overall time we only had estimates for splits.)

There's not much else to add as this session was pretty unremarkable, but it is noteworthy to compare to an almost identical workout I did 10 days out from the Trials in January. Today was faster with commensurate effort, as it should be. If I don't run a PR at Philly it won't be for lack of fitness.

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All Tricks and No Treats: My Biggest Workout(s) Ever

AM: 2 mile w/u
Target: 10k @5:45 pace (35:45-35:50)
Actual: 35:46
1/2 mile c/d
Total: 8.5-9 miles

PM: 1 mile w/u
Target: 8-10 miles @6:10 down to 6:00 pace
Actual: 10 miles @61:00
1/2 mile c/d
Total: 11.5-12 miles

I don't have much time to blog, because I (finally) made it back to Boston and we are (finally) headed to NYC for the marathon weekend that almost never was (not racing, obviously, just here for work/birthday shenanigans/spectating/revelry and merriment). 

So let me just say this: on paper, executing these two relatively difficult workouts individually looked tough. To do them both on the same day is something that I would've found impossible a year ago if not a month ago. Heck, as recently as Saturday I felt flat and sluggish maintaining marathon pace for half the distance. So, needless to say, nailing both of these segments is a big, huge, gigantic confidence boost as I begin counting down the days until Philly. After having not run together for over a month due to his various injuries, Jordan rallied today and emerged from retirement to play queenmaker. He couldn't have picked a better time, as his presence was invaluable. (In that light, it would be poor form for me to mention that I dropped him near the end of both of these workouts. But, since that has happened only one other time in my life and may never happen again, I'm still going to put it out there.)

Today, I know for sure: I'm ready.

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