Boston Training Week #13

March 24-30

M - AM 5 PM 9, with Luke and Charlie

T - AM 7 PM 6, gym

W - PM, track, 14: 4 by 3,200 with 400 rest (~2 min) at GRC workout with Patrick. Cold and very windy. 11:00, 10:54, 10:49, 10:44.

Th - AM 10 PM 5, gym

F - 12, with Capitol Hill Distance Project

S - 11, on towpath in the rain with Patrick, Breezy, and Justin.

S - 27: AM 3 WU, 17-mile tempo, 2 CD. PM 5 with Luke in the rain and the snow.

Total - 106

There was a part of the workout Sunday where I was thinking of pulling the plug on it: not because I was feeling bad or having a hard time, but because the weather - as Charlie's story about the Reston Marathon attests - was really frustrating and limiting. 

Emily planned to join me on a bike so I would have some company and could practice fueling and drinking. We chose a start time of 10 a.m., allowing time for good rest, breakfast, and so she could get her own run in. For the route, the plan was out-and-backing it along the Anacostia River bike trail.

During the warm-up it seemed like maybe we were sneaking it in at a good time. As we got rolling with the workout, though, it started raining really hard. The path was water-soaked and the wind chilled us to the bone; I thought of my buddy Patrick Reaves winning the City of Oaks Marathon back in 2009 in conditions described on the GRC blog as a "cold, wet hell."

In the opening mile I stopped to tiptoe over a fallen tree limb. When I saw the grass around the big puddles was no better, I just splashed through them instead. As we crossed over the bridge into Anacostia River Park, the wind stonewalled us and I made an on-the-fly detour to get around some ankle-deep water. Emily, I could tell, was frozen; I had to get her back home, and I slowed for a little while so we could discuss our options. We turned around, and I got her back to the RFK parking lot, a spot she knew how to get back to our place from. (No gels or water were consumed at any time during this run.)

While my venue was a bust, it was my only option. Turning into Northeast and its stoplights and all that would have been much worse. So, I ran literally as hard as I could across the RFK parking lot, sprinting against the wind, bound for more cold, wet hell. I was like 9 miles into the tempo, thought of pulling the plug, but decided just to accept the conditions and continue running hard.

It was strange. I never got tired, exactly - but it was kind of frustrating to be gunning it and keep seeing high 5s or, when the wind was really bad, low 6s. Not wanting to end with a 6-plus-minute mile, I ran an extra in 5:56 to close out 17 with a 5:58 average. I don't like the mystery. I do like, on the other hand, that I ran hard for 1:41.

Boston Training Weeks 11 & 12

March 10 - 23

M - AM 5 PM 5, gym

T - 11, with 6 by 3 min on, 2 min off on Mall

W - 14

Th - AM 7 PM 5

F - 9, strides

S - 18 - DC Half Marathon, 1:14:40, 16th place: In the few minutes before the race went off, I realized, up until that very moment, I hadn't really thought about my own race. My thoughts, up until that point, had been race day logistics: Emily was running her first marathon and our parents were visiting, including my Dad who was running the half.

The one thought I had about it was that I wanted to give it a hard run - faster than goal marathon pace - 1:12s, say - but I could tell early in the week that the race might end up being more of a goal MP run. The last few weeks, as I have rebounded from the tendon strain, I have entered what I believe is a very positive marathon grind - the kind in which I am tired, but not too, too tired. Warming up, I felt very sluggish, and what I experienced in the race was the feeling of very good fitness paired with turnover that perhaps just isn't any better than it needs to be. This is the purest marathon shape I have been in in many years, and I am excited to ride it out to Boston to run rested and fearlessly. Watch splits show I was decent on the flats but not grinding through the hills very well.

But what an awesome weekend. Dad, 58, was 6th in his age group, and Emily, well, she just hit it out of the park.

As a coach, she made it very simple for me. We decided early on - based on her previous half marathons, the time she could commit to training, and the type of experience she wanted to have - that sub-four-hours was a good goal. Early in her training, I discovered that sub-four pace, under 9 minutes per mile, was more or less her training pace. That eliminated any need for speed work, so we just settled into a solid Monday to Saturday routine and gradually lengthened her Sundays (she worked up to about 22 in 3:15).

Our plan to take the guess-work out of the pacing and run with the 3:55 pace group was foiled before the race even started. She seeded herself at 4:00, and the 3:55 team was two corrals ahead. So she did it alone, getting out a bit quicker than planned and running tough in the 20s. I saw her at mile 12, outside of our place, and she was just cruising along, smiling. Then we all went over to see her at 19, where I ran with her for a couple minutes until she was about to cross the bridge to Anacostia. She was really focused and tough; I knew then she would get it done.

3:56:49.
 

 

 














S - AM 10 PM 8

Total - 92

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M - AM 8 PM 6

T - 11 - 7 easy. Changed shoes and did 6 by 600 in neighborhood - up a hill, down a hill - with 90 seconds rest.

W - 15, steady

Th - AM 8 PM 5, gym

F - 12, with Capitol Hill Distance Project.

S - 20. Met up with Patrick at The Line. We did 10 in about 72 minutes, changed shoes, and did a 10-mile tempo on Beach Drive on the same course we on Feb. 15: 4.3 out from the Line to the Pierce Mill gate and 4.3 back, then add on.

February 15: 5:54, 40, 46, 46, 46, 6:00, 5:51, 6:05, 6:03, 6:04 - 58:55
March 22: 5:46, 5:37, 5:41, 5:36, 5:42, 6:02, 5:52, 6:12, 6:05, 6:11 - 58:41

It felt a lot different than the last time, when my legs were fresh but I was breathing hard. On Saturday I felt really controlled cardiovascularly but my legs were heavy, and I had a hard time getting them to move the last few miles after Patrick turned off. Afterward, the only thing I am scrutinizing is footwear, as I didn't seem to be getting the support I needed for my foot in the adidas adizero flats: they're either too worn down and need to be replaced ... or I need a little more in the heel. Good to learn this now rather than a month from now.

S - 15 - Ran with Charlie and Beth at Burke Lake. I planned to stop at 10 if I was tired, but felt fine and continued on.

Total - 100

Boston Training Week #10

March 3 - 9

M - 8, snow wiped out afternoon run

T - AM 8 PM gym, 6

W - AM 6 PM 10 Track: 2 by 2k in 6:23, 6:20; 2 by 1k in 3:03, 3:08. Skipped last 2 by 1k. Rusty with these paces, but got what I needed.

Th - 9, no real signs of fatigue from track workout. PM Celebrated Emily's successful dissertation defense.

F - 12, Capitol Hill Distance Project

S - 11, drove out to Pierce Mill with Luke, who was doing a workout. Ran with him for awhile and linked up with Jake and Tex, too. Out and back and such on Beach; beautiful day. Did 10 by 20 seconds on/40 seconds off during last two miles. PM 6 with Luke and Hilary in the neighborhood, out to Kingman Island.

S - 18, back to Poolesville: Sycamore Landing. Steady hilly run with Jake, Tex, and Kieran. Felt great, though my foot acted up the last few miles when I wanted to push, much like last week. There continues to be a line. 

Total - 94

Boston Training Week #9

February 24 - March 2

M - AM 6, around Lincoln Park. PM gym, 6 on treadmill

T - 10

W - PM 15, with Patrick, Matty, Kerry

Th - AM 5 ... had a PM run planned but had to skip it

F - 13, with Capitol Hill Distance Project

S - 14.5 Tempo. Started at The Line in Rock Creek Park with Charlie and we ran the 4.3 miles down to the Pierce Mill gate, where we met Evan and Balmer. Plan was a six-mile tempo, out and back on Beach, at 5:25 pace, with a little bit of an incline early and downhill late.

 After about a mile and a half we started to split up, with Charlie gapping us. By the turnaround, we were all about even, but on the way back we started to spread out: Balmer, Charlie, Evan, me. I wasn't able to hit the hoped-for pace but ran pretty steady and was happy with the workout.

5:37, 5:41, 5:36, 5:41, 5:33, 5:41 - ~33:45

S - 21 - I returned to the Line and ran with Luke, Jake, and Outlaw. Did Stefan's loop, where, starting from the Line, you head up to Georgetown Branch, go down the CCT, back up the Rock Creek Parkway trail, pass the Pierce Mill gate, and continue up Beach. When feeling good, I like to approach marathon pace after I pass the Pierce Mill gate. And I did feel good, energy-wise, but my foot started rebelling, sort of recoiling every 6 to 10 steps. I iced it afterward and it felt fine today. I guess I just asked a bit too much of it this weekend. I will do this route one more time before Boston and make it 22.

Total - 90