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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Week in Review

80 miles
3 doubles
2 successful workouts
2 chiropractic appointments

After two scheduled down weeks--the days before and after Hartford--I'd planned to ramp back up to triple digits beginning this past Monday. Thanks to my hip injury scare, that didn't exactly happen. In fact, I'm actually surprised I hit 80 considering I felt like I did virtually nothing from Wednesday to Friday, and had no long run to speak of unless you count Saturday's workout. Assuming my body continues its quick mending process, I hope to return to full-blown marathon mileage next week. With CIM a mere six weeks away, there's simply no time to waste.
 

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RepliCAITing the Down Ladder (4-3-2-1)

3 mile w/u + strides
Target: Mimic Caitlin's workout of 4mi-3mi-2mi-1mi
4 mile @6-6:05 pace; 3 mile @5:55-6 pace; 2 mile @5:50-5:55 pace; 1 mile faster all w/4 min. jog rest
Actual: 24:01 (6:00 pace); 18:30 for 5k (5:57 pace); 11:00 for 3k (5:52 pace); 5:35 for 1 mile
2k c/d
Total: 16 miles

See what I did there in the title...I wanted to repliCAIT the workout...because her name is Caitlin...anyway.

So, basically this almost went off the rails before it even happened thanks to the hip situation that abruptly developed in between my workout and cooldown on Tuesday. The next two days were spent limping through "easy" runs and trying not to panic despite seeing an entire summer's worth of work flash before my eyes. On Wednesday morning I sent a text to my boss's girlfriend (and our good friend) Anne, who just happens to be a chiropractor, with the general sentiment of: "HELP!" She took one look at me and basically said my entire left side from the knee down was completely out of alignment. After two treatments from her magic hands, I was cautiously optimistic that I actually might not be throwing my hopes of marathon glory into the Beverly High School dumpster. I took Friday super easy, went to bed early, and crossed my fingers that everything would be operational for Saturday's workout.

After a few tentative steps on the warmup, it seemed as though my hip would cooperate. It was functioning at a steady discomfort level of 2 to 2.5, as compared to the 7.5 to 8 of the previous few days, and actually felt even better after a few long strides. However, my hip wouldn't be the only thing working against me. For some reason I've since forgotten, Jordan decided it would be a great idea to do this workout on the Marblehead Neck--one of my favorite places to run, but also one of the hilliest. Since it's surrounded on all sides by water, it also runs the risk of being quite windy, and unfortunately today was even worse than usual. It was going to take an incredibly focused effort and the help of my favorite queenmaker to execute this anywhere near my goal paces.

For the first kilometer, on the flat causeway with the wind at my back, I felt amazing. Then I hit the Neck's first hill and was jolted back to reality. Unlike Caitlin, who according to her blog post was just chit chatting away throughout her own version of this workout, I felt like I was struggling to hang on the entire time. And this is supposed to be marathon pace?! The 3-mile segment actually felt a little bit better--and apparently the last kilometer was going well enough that Jordan decided on the fly to extend to a full 5k, which isn't actually what someone wants to hear 17 minutes through what they think will only be an 18-minute interval--but unfortunately it put us at a bad spot geographically. "There's no way this isn't going to be hard," Jordan said just before the start of the 2-mile-turned-3k, and he was right. From where we were starting, all of our options would send us on a hilly path and finishing into a stiff headwind. The last two minutes headed back on the causeway were particularly brutal, but I also knew that the farther I went in one direction, the more time I could spend with the wind at my back when I turned around for the final one-mile interval. Despite the cumulative fatigue setting in, I was confident I could crush the mile thanks to a tailwind for the first half. It worked, and I felt pretty darn good for a few minutes, except for the fact that I hadn't been able to jog quite far enough in the opposite direction on my cooldown. In a cruel twist of fate, the final 30 seconds of the mile sent me straight up the steepest hill on the entire course. My dream of breaking 5:30 came to a near-standstill, but I was able to hold it together enough to close in a respectable 5:35.

Overall, I wish that hitting my goal paces had felt easier, but given the wind and undulating terrain I'm pleased with the effort. More importantly, my hip seems to be on the mend and a full-blown crisis has been averted. Whew!

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Beverly High School Benchmark, v2.0

3 mile w/u + strides
Target: 10x3 mins. @3:23-3:25/k pace w/1:45 rest
Actual: Above
2k c/d
Total: 10.5 miles

If you read my blog regularly (and who doesn't), you'll know that I frequently do three-minute intervals around the Beverly High School parking lot just a stone's throw away from our office. Working out in a parking lot may sound silly, but it's actually one of my favorite workout venues, as described here. While I've done variations of this workout at least a half dozen times, I've never done 10 intervals and I've always been afforded at least two minutes' rest. The goal this morning was to run the same pace as usual, only for more reps and with less recovery. Given how heavy my legs have been feeling lately (with yesterday morning's "easy" run being particularly lethargic), I was nervous about how this would go. To my overwhelming relief, and with the help of you-know-who, I nailed it. The only potential obstacle in the way of success was the fact that we timed this about 30 minutes too late, which meant the last four intervals were spent dodging school buses and late arriving minivans. To be honest, I didn't really mind, as it distracted me from my increasingly fatigued lower body. 

My legs were so tired, in fact, that as soon as I finished rep #10 I promptly sat down on the adjacent sidewalk to catch my breath. When I got up 90 seconds later to begin jogging the cooldown, I immediately noticed that my left hip/glute area felt distinctly off. My gait was forced and jerky and it felt like something deep inside had been forced out of place. This was quite perplexing, if not too concerning initially, because prior to that instant I had literally zero inklings of anything being amiss, not one twinge or ache at any point during the workout or any run leading up to it. I jogged gingerly back to the office, proactively scrapped my evening double and sent a frantic text to our CEO's girlfriend (and my good friend) who is a local sports chiropractor. I can't afford for anything to go off the rails now, so I've got my fingers crossed that this isn't serious.  

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Week in Review

77 miles
3 doubles
2 days in MI
1 day in WI
2 days in IL

I generally try to be positive in my blog posts. Nobody wants to read about someone else feeling sorry for herself because she missed a few workout splits or had a less than stellar race when that person is clearly dealing with the epitome of first-world problems. And don't get me wrong; there are plenty of times throughout the course of a given week when I feel pretty darn good about myself. But to be completely honest, Dad (and the other nine people who are reading this), I'm fairly discouraged right now with how my training is going and my prospects for CIM. It's totally unfair, but I can't help comparing each workout and race to how I felt and executed similar workouts and races during my Philly buildup last year. I was running so strong and tough, doing the bulk of my workouts solo (due to an injured queenmaker), and yet I was feeling good and crushing all of them. This time around I don't seem to be making much progress, and even when I do run somewhat fast it's a constant struggle. I know that every training cycle is different, and I realize I have three extra weeks this time around--trust me, I'll need every single one of them--but I'm just being realistic: maybe it's time to reevaluate my goals and expectations for the race. 2:37 is looking like a monumental challenge right now, especially when I'm struggling to run faster than marathon pace during shorter races and workouts. We're still too far out to make any definitive goal changes, but a come to Jesus talk with my coach might be imminent in a few weeks' time if I can't turn things around.

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Witch City 5k

AM: 2 mile w/u
Target: win, don't get outkicked by old guy
Actual: 17:46, first female, second overall (to Jordan, not old guy)
Results
1 mile c/d
Total: 6 miles
PM: 5 miles easy
Daily total: 11 miles

The 11th of 12 installments of the YMCA North Shore Race Series took place right here in Salem, starting at the Willows and essentially traversing the Thursday night Wicked 5k course. As per usual, Jordan and I were planning to set up the Karhu tent and also hop in the race. However, this particular event was going to be special because Jordan's dad was in town visiting and would be running his first 5k ever! A few months ago he asked Jordan to structure a run/walk program for him, which he has been following diligently, and when I discovered that this race was taking place the same weekend of his visit, I suggested he sign up. The stars were aligned for his first attempt at the distance.

Setting up our tent near the water, it quickly became apparent that yesterday's calm air had given way to a biting 20mph wind. We would essentially be running the first two-thirds of the course with it directly into our faces, then (theoretically) get a nice little boost for the last mile. On my short warmup with Jordan, my legs felt like bricks. Ever since Thursday they've been heavy and stiff, and I had struggled to maintain 7:30 pace on what should've been an easy 15-miler on the Boston course with Stef the day before. As Jordan took off on a few pickups during our warmup jog, I could only chuckle. At that moment, I honestly felt like running faster than 8-minute pace would be impossible.

We returned to our tent to peel down to our racing costumes and had to laugh as Jordan's dad walked up. Having just arrived from 90-degree Palm Springs 12 hours prior, he was bundled up in not one, but two long-sleeve cotton race shirts plus two other long sleeve tops. Ever the vigilant Craft rep (and embarrassed son), Jordan quickly dug through the inventory in his car and produced a Be Active Extreme baselayer. Gary was sternly advised that he could pick one other piece to put on top of it, not a race shirt (first sign of a noob!), and he was sent toward the starting line much lighter and leaner than he'd originally planned. As we all queued up, it seemed as though Jordan's victory would be all but guaranteed. There were a few younger guys up front who also seemed fit, as well as some familiar faces from previous YMCA races, but I was relieved to realize that I probably wouldn't have to go to the well.

We took off at what felt like a sprint, likely due to a combination of the cold wind, my slight wine hangover and, well, the fact that my legs already felt like crap. Within the first 400 meters it was obvious that Jordan was going to sail away unchallenged, and I found myself eyeing the two younger guys who had started out a few steps ahead. Suddenly, out of nowhere, an older gentleman whom I've seen at other YMCA races popped to the front of the group and easily put a few strides on us. We split the mile in 5:40--not fast, but a near miracle given my dead legs--and I summarily dropped the two younger guys, but my gray-haired nemesis continued to push the pace. For the next 10 minutes I kept expecting him to pull away from me, but instead he seemed content to maintain a five meter gap. With 400 meters to go, I pulled up alongside and then found another gear to put some distance between us. It's embarrassing how relieved I was, but I knew Jordan would never let me live it down if things ended differently.

As soon as I crossed the line, Jordan and I began jogging the course in reverse to find Gary. We spotted him just past the two-mile marker, looking fresh and strong (and not the least bit cold!) while maintaining his run/walk intervals. We trotted along next to him for the final mile until I darted across to the finish to snap this great father-son shot. It was fun for Jordan and I to finish 1-2 overall, but I'm way more proud of Gary for embracing the challenge of his first 5k and then absolutely hitting it out of the park. It's never too late to become a runner!

 

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Fast Finish Mile Repeats

2 mile w/u + 1 lap of stride the straights, jog the curves
Target: 6-8 xmile w/2 min. rest; first 3 laps at 1/2 marathon/marathon pace, last lap @5k pace
Actual: 5:44 (last lap 80), 5:43 (79), 5:44 (79), 5:43 (80), 5:42 (79), 5:40 (80)
1+ mile c/d
Total: 9.5-10 miles

This workout came about somewhat unexpectedly as I was in the midst of an epic Michigan/Wisconsin/Illinois work trip. (I think I was even in Indiana for a few minutes, although I can't be certain.) On Wednesday morning I did a light fartlek as prescribed by Jordan to wake up the legs in preparation for another yet-to-be-determined workout on Friday morning. Since I would be spending the night in Naperville, Illinois (a Chicago burb), I reached out to my new friend Amber, the apparel buyer at Naperville Running Company, to see if she wanted to meet for some easy miles on Thursday morning. She was game for meeting up, but said she was planning on a mile repeat workout, some crash training after her recent wedding and honeymoon in advance of the upcoming Naperville Half-Marathon. Having not worked out or raced in many moons, she was loosely targeting 5:50-6:00 pace with a relatively brief rest.

I wanted to make it work, but wasn't sure how her plan could be adapted into something that would be optimal for me. I conferred with Jordan, and he suggested that I run her pace for three laps and then kick it up a notch for the final 400 meters. That way we could still start and finish together and utilize each other's presence for the bulk of the intervals. Plus, my legs would be slightly fatigued from the fartlek 24 hours prior, making this a good simulation of the latter stages of a race. Amber was game with this plan as well, so it seemed like a stellar arrangement.

Unfortunately, I awoke on Thursday morning to my absolute least favorite workout (and general life) conditions: 45 degrees, windy and raining. Yuck. If Amber weren't picking me up, I would've probably rolled over for a few more minutes and then hit up the hotel treadmill. Instead, we drove into downtown Naperville to her alma mater, North Central College, and met up with one of her coworkers and male training partners (whose name escapes me--good thing he's not reading this). He had just run a marathon the weekend before and was looking to loosen up the legs and help set the pace with us, which seemed ideal. 

Despite the weather (which only worsened as our workout progressed), this went pretty well. Amber ran great for her first track workout in months, and I was semi-successful in dropping the pace on the last lap of each interval. I'd hoped to be able to close in 76-78, but in soggy trainers on race-weary legs I couldn't overcome the invisible governor that hovered around 80. The faster last lap made the rest period seem shorter than it actually was, which meant I had to use the first few laps of the subsequent interval to recover while running marathon pace or faster. If you think (like I did!) that this workout sounds super easy on paper, try it sometime!

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