Faster

I love stats. Which is probably why I love speed workouts. So many repeats to measure and compare!

ITEM 1. The last three speed workouts (one a week) have been 6 x 1200, 7 x 800 and 3 x 1600. Varying distances. Varying aggregate lengths. What's unusual is that my pace on all three has been 7:52/mile.

ITEM 2. Today's 3 x 1600s resulted in my fastest 1600 of the year: 7:44.5 in the second interval - that with a bowl of chewed up Cheerios and fruit bouncing around in my belly.

ITEM 3. Evidence above indicates I am getting faster every week. Today's 1600s were 12 seconds faster on average than my last 1600s. In fact, my last 800s were 6 seconds faster than the time before.

I was annoyed this morning when I didn't have a balanced trio of times. The fastest was nine seconds faster than my slowest. I was also mad I didn't close with my fastest time (I was thinking Flipperhead throughout but couldn't quite get there).

I am feeling as though I am peaking for thise race next week. I have the speed. I am more confident about the distance. I am not so sure about negative splits but that will come down to race strategy.

West Point story. Older son T was in Manhattan this weekend seeing a young lady. Walking along Broadway. Upper west side. Old man walks out of a storefront, loses his balance and falls. Head smashes against a bus shelter wall before it bounces on sidewalk. Before he stopped moving T was in action mode, sprinting to nearest store to call 9-1-1. Asks for telephone. Clerk looks quizzically at him as if he doesn't understand the language. T assesses clerk to be Arab. T says "telephone" in Arabic, the foreign language he chose to study this year. Ahhh! Yes! Emergency responders arrive. Man taken care of. Girl friend duly impressed with hero model who acted on instinct, forged on the battlefield and in military training. Hoo-ah! Go Army. Beat Air Force. Beat Navy.

MCM: 27 miles ahead

Friday was such an accomplishment day. I skipped work. That was a big accomplishment. Then I fixed the sprinkler system that would have cost me $500 if I had bought into what that estimator yahoo told me last Friday. I went to the bank. I bought an external wireless adapter so I could get my laptop back connected to you guys (the internal card went out on me). I changed some lightbulbs. Cleaned the pool. Took the car for a wash. Got all my nagging chores done that I never get to on weekends!

Then around 5 o'clock I went over to Mrs. T's museum office and whisked her off to Park Avenue for a sidewalk cafe cocktail and appetizer while the world whizzed by. That was followed by a stroll looking in shops which resulted in a skirt in a shopping bag that was not for me.

Dinner followed in the college dining hall we spent a lot of time in 35 years ago, although it's a new building now. I can remember strutting on the tables back then in the Mr. Legs competition. I won, of course. I think I have a picture somewhere to prove it too.

For my indulgence on this evening, we took in a soccer game won by the hometown boys in the last 90 seconds on a penalty kick.

Running. So many people I saw Friday night asked how I was doing and how my running was going. Mrs. T was quick to tell them I was running 15 miles Saturday morning which I had not committed to do - in my head. I was thinking more Sunday when I'd see the usual crowd. I had no "date" for Saturday.

When I got up today I thought of Flipperhead racing in Hartford so wistfully imagined I might catch some of her good vibes. I was not really mentally psyched to go but I did anyway. Breakfast was quick. I read Dianna's blog and the WTIC Hartford radio web page. With my cooler packed, I headed out the door. It was about 10 miles later that I realized I forgot to Body Glide my nipples. Ouch.

My goal was to try throttling down my pace, as if it were the first 15 miles of the marathon. After last week, I knew I was going too fast. I was concentrating on keeping my shoulders low and my left arm to be more the leader arm moving forward instead of the one that veered across my chest.

I caught myself dragging rubber too often and picked up my feet more. Then I caught myself running in the yellow zone, above the green (that's tachometer talk right there). The left arm was hitching too high and inwards. I basically examined my mechanics for a good portion of the run. My goal was about 2:30 for the 15 miles.

I pulled in at 2:26 which was faster than everything I have done to this point in long runs which may explain why I am stiff and dragging today. I did not finish in a flurry but I was certain I had some left. It may not have been at a satisfactory pace but I am pretty sure I could have gone 26.2 if necessary.

I realize I am not in peak shape like coach jeff would have me if I was his client but I am in better shape than I had me back in January. This marathon training is like anything else. A little experience can make a world of difference in the training and mental approach.

Next tasks to tackle: enduring the taper, estimating the weather conditions for DC at the end of October, packing right and eating right.

Training is habit forming

The running routine is medicinal or addictive. I haven't decided which. Maybe that's what Runner Susan lacks: the strong addiction.

Tuesday was, as always, a delightful speed work day. I popped out seven 800s at a 10 second per mile pace better than the last time I did 800s; around 3:50 each. After doing the 23 on Sunday I thought I'd be stressed and unable to go. How wrong. I was raring to go.

This morning I only had a measly four miles to run at tempo pace so I just zoomed through that in short order. It was the second fastest tempo pace of the year for me.

I remember in January when I was less than three weeks out from running Miami and I had so many issues. This time around I am just feeling great with no sore spots, health, equipment or life issues.

The Friday night get together with RBF Washington is coming together thanks to Bex. My hosts are cued in and ready to have some fun, even join us for dinner. Another old college acquaintance will come over to see me. Susie and David are coming up from F-burg.

This is going to be fun so long as the Marines don't shoot me for wearing my West Point-Army shirt.

Glad to get that behind me

Thursday was a 5-mile tempo run. I smoked it in a top 3 time.

Today I approached my last long run as if it were race day by wearing the same outfit I'll race in. I blew the breakfast part when I had cereal instead of a bagel with my secret blueberry jam. No matter. I loaded up the cooler with water and Powerade; planting it behind the wall where I usually stash it.

The plan was to run eight miles at 515, solo in the dark , but by the light of a Grove Dock full moon. I ran in reverse direction for the similar leg scheduled at 700. I flew around the town, only seeing two groups out early. My pace turned out to be a too fast 9:15.

Back near home I rehydrated and headed for downtown. I realized I would be too early, given as how I'd gone out too fast, so I put an extra mile on the run, getting me up to 11 before meeting up with the Sunday crowd.

I had never seen so many show up on a Sunday. There were ten of us! I urged them to start up so that I could keep the juices flowing. It did not take long before I was ahead of them all with Tim by my side. He's running NY and had been out two weeks with the flu.. This was his first day back and he was only going 12.

We covered the six miles he needed to finish his 12 at a 9:30 pace. From there on I was on my own. I kept at the Gu and drinks along the route. When I hit 17-18 miles my legs started to tire. My pace downshifted. I had to deal with it mentally as if it were MCM and not Miami. None of my muscles was ripping although I had occasional cramps in my feet. They subsided as I pushed on back downtown. Finally there, I had another 10 in the books.

Could I make it home for another two miles? Well yes but it wasn't pretty. I realized that stopping is a bad idea. When I did, for water late in the run, I figured a way to get back up to running without hurting myself.

The first 20.9 miles was 3:24.22. With the last of it I was home in 3:46.37. Average pace of 9:56. Michelle - I went out too fast. We need to save ourselves for the end. Okay?

Addicted, loose and injury free

Speed
Tuesday I woke up before 500 and was ready to run. I am getting addicted to this stuff. I keep waking up early, wanting to run. I had some breakfast - I do not skip those anymore - and jogged up to the track for some 6 x 1200s.
The Marathonfesters were there in full force doing 8-10 x 800s. Many of them are ready to taper for Chicago or are close to peak conditioning for another fall race. The moonless dark scene was full of anxiety, speed, limping, sweating, gossiping and comradery.
They're not my crowd but I know some of them. One fellow who's son runs cross country asked if I wanted to join him with his buddy for some 800s. He said they were pacing at 4:15. I knew he was training for his first marathon with some trepidation so I opted to decline because I was running 1200s. I refrained from telling him I like to do my 800s in 3:50 or less.
Still, he jazzed me up. My first 1200 went down in 5:39. Geez, I had five to go.
They got progressively slower and I averaged 5:53 for the six pack, topping at 6:04.
Sherlene
By the end of the day it was time to go for a massage. I had added this one into my schedule because I was so cramped up and sore two weeks ago. To my credit I stretched it all out and nothing really hurt when Sherlene layed into me. I have to say, though, I was ready. Everything she did was like a Christmas present I always wanted. Every touch made me relax and go "mmmmmmm."
She told me I was in pretty good condition, well hydrated and had only one spot to be concerned about, where the quad connects to the knee on my left side. If I stretch right I'll be right.
Tempo
Thursday was a 5-miler with a few Florida hills (not much higher than speed bumps). I warmed up slowly, listening to all my joints crack - something that happens to me after a massage. I am too loose. By the end I was cruising. I covered it in less than 44 minutes which I never did late in my training last January.
Back then I was fighting through all kinds of muscle issues and barely winning the training war. I won that one but lost the marathon. I expect better in DC. Hoo-ah.