monday, 14 miles . . .
. . . 2 mile warm up
. . . 10 mile at tempo (5:35)
. . . 2 mile cool down
tuesday (am), 8 miles . . .
tuesday (pm), 6 miles . . .
. . . 3 mile warm up
. . . 2 X .3 miles @ 6:39, .3 miles @ 6:00, .3 miles @ 5:20, .3 miles @ 6:39
wednesday, 8 miles . . .
thursday, 10.5 miles . . .
friday, 20 miles . . .
. . . 4 mile warm up
. . . 40 min. @ 5:36
. . . 4:45 @ 5:20
. . . 30 min. @ 5:36
. . . 4:45 @ 5:20
. . . 1.6 mile cool down
saturday, 5.5 miles . . .
. . . 2.5 miles easy
. . . 6 X strides with full recovery
. . . continuing to learn to just sit back in the pocket of the pace, to relax in it, through all my muscles and breathing. to not push when i don't need to push. to treat these rest days like they are rest days. not only for body but for mind as well.
so sleepy, so tired, so exhausted. baby gracie kept waking up last night. there is no sleep for me. another cold, frigid, yet beautiful morning. i will embrace these days. the cold is infinitely better than the rain. i hit up a classic route today over by the middle school. i use to run this loop at least twice a week. what happened to it? i guess i tend to get stuck in ruts. the mountains where big and clear. the morning sun shooting orange rays everywhere. mmmmm.
this run felt great, in control, perfect. and the best part, i had runner's high for nearly the entire day. i don't know how that happened with one little 8 miler, but i'll take it.
. . . for some reason, i was so pumped for this run. i can't give a reason, but i was just excited. i went in with no fear, no reserve, and just ready to destroy it. another cold but clear morning. shivering through my warm up. at about one mile into it one person came to the track, then two, then four. before i knew it the track was overrun (no pun intended). i don't get annoyed by this. i love the extra company, the community of runners, all pushing our bodies towards our goals, even if we are not running beside each other. they were spread across the different lanes but left mine alone.
the first mile was a bit awkward, trying to find my pace, speeding up, slowing down, settling in. finally hit 5:36 and kept it there for a few laps. i thought i would try to speed things up a bit and get right on my target pace of 5:35. i looked down a lap later and had shot down to 5:33 nearly effortlessly. i focused on slowing things down a bit, nothing happened. i stayed at this pace. this was nearing mile 4. and then just as suddenly i shot up to 5:37. and i couldn't get it back. by the time i was at mile 5 and was turning around to go the other way around the track, doubt begin to creep in. watch still read 5:37 and i was wondering if i could even keep that pace.
and then something miraculous happened. something shifted. not in my thinking but in my body. the pace came easy. and i knew that i was going to finish this at the right tempo. my confidence came quickly back as all of those other runners left the track. and now it was just me and an older man sprinting on the football field. the sun had warmed things up, but not enough for me to shed my hat.
and then there was another shift. i took one deep breath. this is when i discovered that my breathing was coming easily. i didn't need to take those quick, shallow breaths. i started filling my lungs, belly breathing, less breaths per step. i wasn't working hard. there was some burn in my calves, but that was it. how did this happen? i remember just last years training cycle near the very end of the training for the marathon that i completed a 10 mile run at 5:55's. i looked back at my training log and it said "beautifully hard run." and here is one that is 20 seconds faster, easier, and in the middle of my marathon cycle. i will only build on this.
eugene, i'm coming for you.
i called upon my images only on the last 2 miles but i didn't have to dig all that deep. it was more for the practice of thinking about these for races.
. . . went up to nike today to test the new shox (which i am not a fan of). i did some speed stuff in them which made them even feel clunkier, heavier, as though i had snow shoes of concrete nailed to my feet. but i got a pass to the employee store, a gift card, and a pair of lunar racers out of it, so i'm not complaining. plus i did my warm up around the campus on the mulch path, hit up the track, ran over bridges, it was awesome.
the morning's 8 miles was a nice relaxed easy run. i thought it would have been a lot tougher from yesterday's tempo run, but my muscles felt great and i just locked easily into that pace. flirting with the idea of bumping up all of my paces?
the rain started today and is supposed to last until sunday. i got in my early run before the showers started but the overcast oregon grey was spread like a blanket as far as i could see. except for two tiny slivers of light far in the east towards the foothills. farewell sun.
. . . had a bit of trouble for the first couple miles of this run. it could be because of the hills in the first part of this loop. or the wind. or the speed stuff so late in the afternoon. or the pain in my shin and calf from those shox yesterday. whatever the case, it all came together for the end and again i just settled right into my 6:39 pace.
thought a lot about my life on this run. i had a strange dream last night, that has forced me to become super introspective and depressive (not the greatest of combinations). thinking of my past and my future and what i have made of my life and what it is all about. strange how a dream can do this. more on this if i figure things out.
. . . why the half of mile? well on my way to do the 13 planned, i began to think back over this week, adding miles in my head, thinking of tomorrow's long run. that's when i realized that i was quickly approaching my 80 miles for this week. i love when the miles just slip right by without problem. so i cut the loop short, tacking on a huge hill, i might add. this is actually great because it will make for a super short run on saturday. next week is looking like a big week. add a camp that i'm speaking at and this is a recipe for disaster. i need all the rest i can get.
missed the rain today (not missed in the sense of i wish it would have been running in it, but rather the got in my run during a break in the run). the sun actually came out and it was quite nice. had to push just a bit at the beginning of the run and up that monster hill but other than that i'm feeling really good.
. . . wow, i could not have picked a worse day to do this long run. though as i think back to all of my marathon pace long runs for this training cycle, they have all been this same kind of day. weaving through puddles on the track, rain still coming down, bitterly cold made worse for the wind, experiencing at least mild hypothermia, take all morning to warm up. but on the positive side, i am getting mentally tougher. if i can run through this, i can run through anything, anything.
i'm nearly tempted to change the title of this week because i just couldn't find the pocket in these runs at all. it was a constant pushing and pulling for all these miles. i was tempted so many time to call it a day and not run my prescribed amount. thinking of things to blame like the weather, or lack of sleep, or increase of miles, or whatever. i had to keep reminding myself that i felt good and running is a blessing, so let's make this workout count.
there were a few moments of absolute clarity, a perfection of pace, an ease, but this was the exception. what always amazes me about these workouts, is just when i think i have nothing left, when i just feel like i can't go another minute at my marathon pace, and then i have to kick it up 16 seconds per mile faster, i somehow find another gear, some mental power to push. in retrospect it is awesome to consider. perhaps that is what i love about running, pushing that body, to death and beyond, yet still going farther.
the key song, the key thought throughout most of the time was arcade fire's 'my body is a cage . . . set my spirit free.' this seemed to hit right where i was feeling. it was very motivating. of course when things got really tough i went to my five faithful images corresponding to songs, elements, and my kids: air, child, gracie . . . water, dancing, maile . . . light, fighting, tobey . . . earth, beast, kinzi . . . and then the final one, resurrection, myself. i will have to talk about this more later. perhaps as the marathon gets closer to form it fully in my mind.
after the 40 minutes at marathon and the pickup tempo, i changed directions on the track. it was here that i felt a pain in my left knee. i knew this pain all too well. i.t. band. it only was sharp for a moment, later became an on and off dull ache. it became swollen and tender throughout the day. painful to bend the knee. i worked on it a ton with thestick and the tp tools. let's hope this doesn't get out of hand. i don't think i can afford another week off.
. . . a beautiful day. warm, sun, no wind, no rain. i wish that i would have checked the weather and switched days. loads of runners out. mainly women. felt good to do these strides. kicking it fast. wearing my new lunar racer's that i got at nike earlier this week. trying something different in my training. on saturdays and tuesdays, i'm going to wear a minimalistic shoe. not only for the strides that i do on this day, but just to get my feet use to a shoe that is less cushioned.
i.t. band still giving me problems, still considerably tight. wasn't painful during my run though. continuing to work it out.
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