In one week it will be over......

So I sit here one week from Boston and begin the despicable process of dissecting my prior training weeks looking for where I might have done more. Were there opportunities for better training runs, more gut-wrenching LTs, more mileage? The answer to all is "YES." But this winter was as bad as I've had in all my running years here in Chicago. We did the best we could (which meant running inside or nearly breaking our backs slipping on the icy lakefront).

I'm just looking forward to running this bear of a marathon. I heard Bill talking about "savoring the moment and enjoying" the race on Monday. Hogwash! I want to have my mind focused on nothing short of the task. I want to have unbearable pain and exhaustion as I head into Hereford St and down the long straightaway to the finish. My time will not break a world record, but I just hope to post another PR or at least something I won't be embarrassed to repeat in public in the next few months.

I'm still left with my last marathon experience of a DNF (many factors outside of my ability to finish factored into that one) in Chicago in October. I just want this one to be memorable for the right reasons.

So with this, I make a humble request to Mother Nature for Monday:

Give us no rain, a light cloud cover (or even some gentle sunlight), may there be no headwind--- rather, give us a tailwind from the west at about 12-14 mph.

Let's all make it to Monday injury-free so that we can have a good shot at making this run what we all have trained to make it.

FAST WORKOUT

20x400 @ 77-79 sec each. 1 lap jog between each. total with warm up and cool down 13 miles

SHORT LT

11 miler today, including 5 at the track at LT pace. The total was 28:40 for the 5 miles, which is a 5:44 pace... I'm happy with that for now.

change of strategy

I was feeling a bit burned out today, and really not in the mood to run. After speaking with chris on the phone, he had talked some sense into me. So I scrapped the sluggish 20 plus miler i had planned and replaced it with an up tempo 10 miler. I was not exactly flying, but the wind was brutal. So I did about 6:45 - 6:30's into the wind and slightly under 6 on the return. This was not really LT pace, and when I got home I was happy to see my HR never got beyond 75% of max, even when I clocked under 6.

Maybe the idea of tapering is not so bad...

Two weeks to go.....

Well, I guess the mild taper begins this week, then full-scale taper next week. Again, I hit the road for the hot spots of Philly, Dayton/Cincy, and Atlanta this week. No potential for running tomorrow with early AM and late evening flights. So.... a double today with 14 in the AM and 10.5 this evening. Per usual, the evening run was much more enjoyable and spry than the AM run. Chris was pounding out the speed, likely in the mid to low 6s, while Bosco and I trudged along in the low 7s. Just felt a bit tired this AM. This evening, the same speed was markedly easier.

So I have 25 of my 60 already in the pocket. Wooo hooo! More speed with Eduardo in town this weekend. Good for the final stretch... I'm gonna need it in Beantown.

Counting the days

For Ed, my allotment of 75 for the week would be a vacation. However, for my quads that are hurting a lot right now from the speed workouts, this is still a relatively tough week. Did 4 sets of 200s/hills this AM with Chris and then a Leach workout. Headed to St Louis this afternoon and just picked up a late night 8 miler after dinner (yes, Ed, after dinner) in Forest Park. Good hills, but more of a recovery run than anything else. It's due to rain tomorrow AM, so we'll see what it gives me.

Just a few more days and we head to Beantown. I'm ready for this to be over!!!

LAST 100

Now I know coach Leach is not a big fan of the taper... but this last 100 mile week is lasting too long.

Attempted a 10 mile LT but I was derailed by the D word. It rhymes with gonorrhea, but its much worse from a running stand point.

So after 8 miles (including a serious slow down on the last one) I headed for a public rest room, end of the line.

The first 3 miles were on a slight uphill, battling 20 mph head winds. Of course the next 5 were with a tail wind...

6:41
6:33
6:34
6:10
5:41
5:42
5:50
5:55

That 5:55 I felt pretty sick. I think I could have kept a solid 5:45 pace for a few more if disaster had not struck. oh well, I still feel pretty fit.

WINDY LUBBOCK

Lots of hot air here. This morning I presented at the conference - expectations were high, and i delivered... low.

Later, I headed to the Texas Tech outdoor track for my 90 minute LT.... (at least that was my original intention). I noticed there was a solid 20 MPH wind on one of the straight aways and suspected keeping pace was going to suck rocks. I decided for a slower pace to make my already depressed state have to endure less suffering. i could not even keep a 6 min pace though... and I did not get to 15 miles. The splits for 13. I followed up with some slow miles. Total was 20.:


6:05 6:02 6:04 6:00 5:59 6:03 6:04 6:06 6:12 6:05 6:10 6:12 6:12

Now 4 cities, 4 days.... UGH

So now I update my travels with an additional day on the road, which screams "how can you possibly get in 90 miles with all this going on?" Answer, no sleep and running in the dark (Ed, I know you run in the dark even when it's light out). So I had the luxury this morning of running St Louis' Forest Park, where I used to run in a bi-annual Turkey Trot race as a youngster. I probably was much better and faster back then, but that's another entry altogether. I was short on time, so I didn't get in my 75 minute LT, but rather a 45 minute one instead. I had a set of splits in the mid 6's, which is consistent with prior workouts. Was windy and hilly, but much fun (if an LT can be called such). I have arrived in Minneapolis, so I will test the GI fortitude I exhibit by going up to the concierge floor and shoveling in some appetizers and then put in another 7 or so this evening.

Off to Cincinnati tomorrow evening and then Philly the following. Can't wait to get back to the lakeshore for some uninterrupted running.

blah

Lackluster 8 mile LT with little motivation this morning. That was about 45 minutes, so I still have the 90 min LT and the R-E work out to do when I get to Lubbock (Tuesday - Sun).

AM 14 miles, 8 at tempo - 6:28 6:05 6:06 5:26 (probably GPS glitch) 5:49 5:55 5:59
5:55

PM 7 easy

nothing to see here...