Now is the time to believe in what I am doing.
I finished 98th at US XC Nationals. 12k. 43:11. Not a great time -- that's a 5:44 avg -- but it put me in a respectable part of the field. Some really good runners were in the 41s and 42s and if I had a little more the last 4k maybe I could have been there.
It was a rolling 2k loop with a slippery downhill where many runners wiped out. No comfortable spots. Finished with a long muddy hill. It was the kind of race in which you had to leave a little something in the tank; going to far into oxygen debt meant a kind of death.
Meb K., 2004 Olympic Silver medalist in the marathon, a national champ at various distances, held off Tim Russell at the line.
Video taken by Georgetown Running Company: http://vimeo.com/3146164?pg=embed&sec=3146164
The next morning I got out with some Georgetown Running Company guys for a 17-miler in hilly Rock Creek Park. Monday and Tuesday I felt post-Marathon sore. I did nothing but easy running and strides until Saturday, when I raced a 10k in Alexandria, the last good area race before the National Half Marathon March 21.
It was a prize money race with a couple of the best D.C. runners and some Ethiopians. I let the top five go and ran with the chase pack.
Weather was ideal and I felt smooth running 5:20s. The course ended up being long, 6.4, and I wound up finishing 6th in 34:10, which means about 33:10 for 10k. An encouraging effort.
I am in the second week of a month-long block of 100 MPW. The fifth week will be a down week and then I will do four more 100-mile weeks. Then it will be time to taper for the Frederick Marathon, May 3.
Training Week of Feb 2
Monday - AM 6 PM 4
Tuesday - 8 with strides
Monday - 10
Th - 6
F - 6 with strides
S - 3 WU, 12k race, 3 CD - 13
S - 17
Total - 70
Week of Feb 9
Monday - AM 6 PM 6
T - 12 with 5 by 30 seconds
W - 15
Th - AM 12 PM 5
F - 13
S - 3 WU, 10k race, 4 CD - 13
S - 19 in Greenbelt Park (wish I could call it 20)
Total - 99
No comments:
Post a Comment