CIM Training – Week 14

The week started pretty rough.  I was so exhausted after my interval workout on Monday that I stayed home from work to get some rest.  I focused on running my easy days very easy and took a lot of speed off my tempo run on Wednesday.  I think it helped because I’m feeling pretty good right now.  Just in time for the New York City Marathon tomorrow!

The Details

The schedule called for speed work on Monday (6 x 1 mile @ goal half marathon pace w/400m recoveries, a tempo run on Wednesday (16 miles w/10 miles @ goal marathon pace), and a long run on Saturday (20 miles w/the last 4 miles @ goal marathon pace).  However, since I was planning to run the New York City Marathon the next Sunday, I skipped the long run out for another easy run day.

Intervals (6 x 1 mile @ goal half marathon pace w/400m recoveries).  [Log Details]

I hadn’t slept well the night before – I fell asleep on the couch, woke up at 11pm, watched The Walking Dead (because from Facebook I could tell something major happened), and didn’t get back to sleep until 1pm.

My pace was a little slower than usual during the warm up but I didn’t think much about it.  My legs felt pretty good during the first repetition.  I actually slowed myself down at the end of it because I was really under goal pace.  The second and third rep played out the same way.  On the fourth rep, I headed north and suddenly realized why I was running so so fast – I had a tail wind for the first three intervals and now had a head wind.  Plus, the fourth rep featured a little hill by the Washington Sailing Marina.  By the last two reps, I was running all out and felt very tired.  I rested and then did my cool down home at a very slow pace.

I showered and ate breakfast, but I didn’t think I felt well enough to get through a work day.  So, I decided to stay home from work and get some extra rest.

Goal half marathon pace splits: 7:18, 7:16, 7:20, 7:33, 7:38, 7:36.  Average=7:24 pace.

Tempo Run (16 miles w/10 miles @ goal marathon pace).
[Log Details]

I woke up in the morning feeling pretty good.  I ran yesterday’s easy run super slow and got a good night’s sleep the night before.  But, from past experience, I know how I feel in the morning isn’t always an indication of how the workout would go.  This workout was no exception.

After last week’s tempo run, my knee hurt pretty bad.  I decided to wear my heavier Mizuno Wave Rider 18s today instead of the Brooks Pure Flows.

The warm up went well but my legs felt pretty heavy from the start.  Still, the first couple of miles weren’t terrible and I thought my legs might feel better after a few more miles.  During mile 3, I started heading north toward the city and into the wind.  I encountered a mini-hill that slowed me down but the wind didn’t feel as bad as I expected it would.  I had a brief period of running strong on the south side of the airport, but then hit the wind and another mini-hill in mile 5.  By the time I reached the back side of the airport and Gravelly Point, I knew my body wasn’t up for running hard today.  My mantra for this training cycle has been, “Believe!”  At some point during this stretch, I thought to myself, “I believe that I am tired!”  Still, I plowed on despite the strong winds on the 14th Street bridge.  Hains Point, which can be terrible on a windy day, actually wasn’t that bad.

Thankfully, my knee didn’t hurt after the run.  I wouldn’t want to run tempos in the Wave Riders regularly, but I think the extra cushioning made my knee happy.

Goal marathon pace miles: 7:41, 7:44, 7:49, 7:53, 7:54, 8:08, 8:15, 8:03, 8:08, 7:56.  Average=7:57 pace.  

Other Running-Related Activities

Future Races. On my day off, I worked on logistics for the New York City and California International marathons.  One of the things I did for CIM, was to see if I could find some race reports so I could get a better idea of what to expect.  I’m following Teal Burrell on Twitter, but through Google found her race report on her website Miles to the Trials.  It’s a great read.  I need to go back and read more about her story.  I didn’t read anything unusual or unexpected, but a few blogs confirmed that although CIM is a net downhill, I should expect some hills at points.

Marine Corps Marathon.  For a few years now, I’ve cheered for runners at the Marine Corps Marathon.  (The exception being last year when I ran it).  I planted myself just after the 24 mile mark.  It’s a pretty desolate spot and I remember it being a low point for me last year when I ran the race.  I had mini water bottles and Snicker bars to hand out.  I clapped and rang my cow bell for about 2.5 hours.  It was very cool watch the lead pack come through, seeing some of my running friends, and providing support for all the other runners.

Gear.  The Saucony Breakthrus that I bought arrived on Saturday.  I decided to go ahead and do my shake out run in them.  I didn’t think they had enough “umph” in them for a marathon shoe but I should wear them a few more times before making up my mind on them.  (I’ll be wearing the Saucony Kinvaras for NYCM tomorrow.)

Media of the Week.  

Song.  “New York Groove,” by Ace Frehley.

And because my musical interest are varied.  “Empire State of Mind,” by Jay Z and Alicia Keys.

The Week Ahead

Tomorrow, I’m running the New York City Marathon!  I’m planning on training through it and do a speed workout on Tuesday (5 x 1 mile @ 10K pace w/800m jog rest), and a tempo workout on Thursday (16 miles w/10 miles @ goal marathon pace).  But, I’m telling myself I need to respect the marathon and see how I feel after it.  I haven’t decided if I’ll try to run long on Saturday (20 miles) or, if I’ll use this opportunity to sync my long runs with my goal race and run it on Sunday instead.

Inspiration.  “Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence.” – Vince Lombardi