Beat the Heat

Saturday, June 20
a.m. RACE: Grandmas Marathon, 21st place

time:	2:35:56
pace:	5:57
10k:	35:08
13.1:	1:14:22
20 mile:	1:54:37
25 mile:	2:27:05
last 10k:	41:19
chip time:	2:35:55

Well, in absolute terms the race didn't go very well, but in relative terms I fared better than most and came away pleased that I gutted it out Saturday. Sometimes that is all you can do.

On the starting line I knew 2:25-2:26 was not a reasonable go. Warm temperature and high humidity made me feel sticky even at 7:00 a.m. Looking at the cloudless sky indicated that it would probably get worse, not better as we got closer to Duluth. I adjusted my goal to hit halfway in 1:15 and I came in just a under that.

I had some rough patches from 13M to 16.5M and if Katie had been at 16M like she planned I probably would have stepped off the course. I was getting that woozy feeling that precedes a big crash. I was worried that if I went to much further down the course I might do some real damage and have to carted off.

But I rallied going into mile 17 and had a resurgence until 19 miles. On the gradual climbs to miles 20 and 21 I slipped to 6:00 miles and Lemondrop hill put the final nail in the coffin. From there I struggled with 6:30 pace, then 7:00 pace, and so on. The death march was on by mile 23. On the bright side - no walking. Small victory.

I finished up in 21st place, which is more a testament to the effect of the heat on the elite field than anything. The sub-2:30 on Grandma's course still eludes me.

I would like to be back again next year. It will require coming back after the US 100k champs April 10 - a 10 week stretch. Not impossible, but difficult.

As for this year, I still feel fresh mentally and I think my legs will bounce back quickly. There wasn't a whole lot of high-quality work in this training cycle, so I think I have more improvement to come.

This week will be a zero for sure and then I'll ease back into it over the next 2-3 weeks. I think I'll be gunning for a marathon/ultra double this fall. The other option is to run the US 50 mile champs October 3. I have to see what I feel like when I get back into organized running.

Avoiding Disaster

Monday, June 8
a.m. 68 min Road
10.0M (10.0)

Tuesday, June 9
a.m. 30 min Road
4.5M (14.5)

p.m. 3x2M, 430m recovery, 2M wu/cd
5:10.8, 5:08.2
5:11.5, 5:14.0
5:11.5, 4:54.3
10M (24.5)

Wednesday, June 10
a.m. 44:30 Road
6.5M (31.0)

Thursday, June 11
a.m. 31 min Road
4.5M (35.5)

p.m. 5x1k, 2min rec, 3M wu/2M cd
2:59.02, 2:58.0, 2:55.7, 2:54.3, 2:49.9 (2:55.2 avg)
8M (43.5)

Friday, June 12
a.m. 44 min Road
6.5M (50.0)

Saturday, June 13
a.m. 1:37, 8M @MP +60, 6M@ MP, 2M @MP+60
8M: 51:31
6M: 32:47 - 5:32.0, 5:34.5, 5:16.2, 5:28.2, 5:29.6, 5:27.3 (5:28.0 avg)
2M: 12:52
16.0 (66.0)

Sunday, June 14
Off

Total Miles Week: 66.0
Total Miles Year: 1883.3

The week was pretty standard taper for the most part. I was a little sluggish for the first couple days after back-to-back hard days on the weekend. I finished strong on the tempo runs Tuesday, but I didn't feel that great throughout the workout. I had intended on doing four repeats, but I back out using the excuse that my taper had started and when in doubt I should drop the volume.

Thursday I went to the track to run some speedwork and I it seems now that I narrowly averted disaster. I decided to do some strides on the football field before undertaking the planned 5x1k. I don't know what I did, but on the last stride my left knee/lower IT band got aggravated somehow. It didn't bother me too much at the time so OF COURSE I went ahead and did the workout, which OF COURSE went well and had me feeling confident, and OF COURSE heading out for an easy run on Friday I had a stabbing pain in my knee that made running painful.

It looks like the story has a happy ending however. I stretched, iced, and all that jazz Friday. Being in the middle of a taper helped as well since I didn't have a p.m. run to do Friday. Saturday I went ahead with the MP workout even though I was still somewhat sore, knowing I could always take Sunday off, which I was probably going to do anyways. I got through Saturday's workout without too much trouble and the rest on Sunday seems to have alleviated some of the pain. Heading out the door today felt better and its gotten better throughout the day. It only really hurts when I have a high knee lift - like sprinting, for instance - so it shouldn't be too hard to avoid that this week. Fingers crossed it clears up even more by Saturday.

As far as the race pace goes, I'm leaving it open, but I might go out more conservatively than previously planned. I had intended to go out on PR pace (~1:12:30), but something about the last few workouts has me feeling like that might be too aggressive. I know its probably lack of confidence at this point and I just need to get in the race and see how I feel, but I've never had a good race at Grandma's and I feel like this year I just want to get into town around 19-20 and feel like I'm picking up steam instead of fading. I'd settle for holding steady even. So now I think 1:14 might be better at halfway. Of course, if by some chance there is a pack that is running right at that 5:30-5:35/mile pace I might stick my nose in there, but that is usually a very lonely range at Grandma's and probably even more so this year since it looks like everybody is running the 1/2 marathon. But my number is 49 so that means there could be a good chunk of guys ahead of me. Or not. Seed numbers never really the whole story.

Weather looks fair at the moment, but as always, it will change many times between now and 7:30 a.m. Saturday. As long as we avoid SW winds (2006?) it should be alright. Even rain doesn't scare me at this point.

Making Due

Monday, June 1
p.m. 70 min Road
10.7M (10.7)

Tuesday, June 2
a.m. 1:22 Road
12.1M (22.8)

Wednesday, June 3
Off

Thursday, June 4
a.m. 42:30 Road
6.2M (29.0)

p.m. 10x1k, 60 sec rec, 3M wu/2M cd (windy)
3:06.9, 3:09.6, 3:09.2, 3:08.3, 3:08.7, 3:10.3, 3:10.2, 3:08.0, 3:07.3, 3:07.7 (3:08.7 avg)
11.0M (40.0)

Friday, June 5
a.m. 42:30 Road
6.0M (46.0)

p.m. 68 min Road
10.0M (56.0)

Saturday, June 6
a.m. Breakers to Bay 5M (Oskar, MI), 25:53, 1st, 4.5M wu/5.5M cd
5:24.8, 5:26.2, 4:55.7, 5:00.3, 5:07.0
15.0M (71.0)

Sunday, June 7
a.m. 2:07 Road
last 3 miles (5:31.5, 5:14.3, 4:59.1)
20.0M (91.0)

Total Miles Week: 91.0
Total Miles Year: 1817.3

I spent the first three days of this week in Petoskey, MI at a library conference so it became challenging to stay on schedule with training. Actually the running was great in Petoskey, which is situated on the shores of Lake Michigan. Monday I ran the bike trail from Petoskey to Bay City and Tuesday I had a great run out on the country roads. It was of those mornings where the fog lingered close to the road, but it was kind of sunny out. But after sitting in a conference room from 7:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. for a couple days, I wasn't exactly eager to go out and do the planned workout Wednesday morning. In fact I just pulled the covers up and went back to bed. Live to fight another day.

I pushed the workout back to Thursday, and with the exception of ridiculous wind (the theme for this spring) it went very well. I actually felt stronger as the workout progressed and I managed to keep a fairly even pace despite the weather.

Saturday I hopped in a small 5M race that runs from the Lake Superior breakers into the town of Oskar. I had originally thought I would do a 5M tempo before the race and then do the race at about the same pace, but with all the logisitics of doing that with a point to point course and what not, I just decided to run out to the start and add on a bit to the cooldown. For a first year race they did a really good job with organization and the course was fun. As one could surmise from the splits, the first two miles are kind of brutal due to a pretty significant climb, but almost immediately after passing the two mile mark the course drops hard for the next mile. I felt really good during the run - relaxed and smooth. On the cooldown I hardly felt fatigued so I figure I hit this workout just right.

Today was my last long run and really built on the Saturday's race/workout. I ran a particularly hilly course, but I pushed up them with ease it seemed like. When I switched to the faster pace the last three miles, it felt very natural. Of course, I'd say the last 2.5 miles were downhill so that certainly helped!

So with two weeks to go until race day I would say I feeling better than ever. Not necessarily faster, but strong and relaxed. I plan to do tempo runs/intervals Tuesday and Thursday this week and a shorter marathon pace workout Saturday. Then the last workout of 2x2M tempo on the Tuesday before the race. Everything else will be 5-10 miles easy and no doubles except for the workout days.

Building Momentum

Monday, May 25
Race: Brian Kraft 5k, 15:17, 7th?, 3Mwu, 2.5cd
(4:47.2, 4:48.7, 5:05.6, 35.4)
8.0M (8.0)

Tuesday, May 26
a.m. 48 min Road
7.0M (15.0)

p.m. 70 min Trail
9.2M (24.2)

Wednesday, May 27
a.m. 42:30 Road
6.1M (30.3)

p.m. 4x1 mile, 3min rec, 3M wu/cd
4:46.1, 4:47.8, 4:46.8, 4:43.1 (4:45.9 avg)
10.0M (40.3)

Thursday, May 28
a.m. 47:30 Road
7.0M (47.3)

p.m. 43:30 Trail
5.6M (52.9)

Friday, May 29
a.m. 35:30 Road
5.1M (58.0)

p.m. 3x3M, 800 rec, 2M wu/1M cd
5:13.2, 5:14.8, 5:13.5 (15:41.5)
5:15.1, 5:11.0, 5:11.2 (15:37.3)
5:13.4, 5:13.8, 1:34.7 (11:51.9) *2.3M
11.3M (69.3)

Saturday, May 30
a.m. 67min Road
10.0M (79.3)

Sunday, May 31
a.m. 2:21:20, 10M@ MP+60 sec, 10M@ MP, 4M@ MP+60 sec
10M: 63:59
10M: 53:52.1 (5:28.5, 5:27.9, 5:27.5, 5:18.7, 5:22.3, 5:25.6, 5:23.3, 5:20.7, 5:18.0, 5:19.4) 5:23.2 avg
4M: 23:26.6 (6:02.8, 5:48.0, 5:49.4, 5:46.4)
24.0M (103.3)

Total Miles Week: 103.3
Total Miles Year: 1726.3

After reviewing my results from previous years at Brian Kraft I realized that maybe this years result wasn't so far off. 15:15, 14:36, 15:25, 15:02 - up and down. I still don't quite know what happened the last mile. It just seems like I should be strong, but not necessarily fast. Did I overextend myself the first two miles? It didn't feel like it, but time to move on.

I did manage to come back with a pretty solid week of workouts and volume. The mile repeats were uncomfortable, but I still managed to finish strong. I cut the workout short on Friday because I was going over the edge a bit. Also I kind of did a stupid thing the week before. Katie is on a softball team and I jumped in to play, realizing I needed to be careful that I didn't hurt myself. I was managing pretty well, but I stepped funny while rounding a base and my foot came up sore. Its right in the arch/ball area, but its starting to get better - no harm done. But it was still bothering a bit during the 3x3 so I figured I had enough work in.

Sunday I turned in a really strong marathon pace workout - actually a bit faster than marathon pace. We finally had a day up here that wasn't gale force winds so the effort felt more even. The most surprising part of the workout was how comfortable I felt during the 4 mile "cooldown". I was really easing up, but still running ~5:50/mile. A great way to end the week.

This was the easiest feeling 100 mile week I've done yet so I'm hopeful that I've timed my fitness right for Grandmas. 3 weeks to go.

Like Reading Tea Leaves

Monday, May 18
Off

Tuesday, May 19
a.m. 45 min Road
6.5M (6.5)

p.m. 69 min Road + 6xHill Sprints
10.3M (16.8)

Wednesday, May 20
a.m. 34:30 Road
5.0M (23.8)

p.m. 2x1M, 3 min rec, 3M wu/2M cd
4:51.2, 4:58.9
7.0M (30.8)

Thursday, May 21
a.m. 49 min Road
7.3M (38.1)

p.m. 69 min Trail
9.0M (47.1)

Friday, May 22
a.m. 45 min Road
6.5M (53.6)

p.m. 16x400, 30 sec rec, 3M wu/cd
70.6 avg, 62.7 last
10.0M (63.6)

Saturday, May 23
a.m. 62 min Road
10.0M (73.6)

Sunday, May 24
a.m. 36 min Road + 6xstrides
5.5M (79.1)

Total Miles Week: 79.1
Total Miles Year: 1623.0

The week turned out to be rough "psyche" wise culminating with a sub par race this past Monday. On Wednesday I experienced pretty much what every runner in the upper midwest did - heat and wind. I did my morning run in 37 degrees wearing pants, a long sleeve and a winter hat. When I went out to do 5x1 mile in the afternoon it was 90 degrees and 20-30mph winds out of the south. Then I compounded my mistake by overcompensating and running 2:19 for the first 800m of the first interval - pretty much putting me in the hurt locker for good. Fail.

I came back Friday and had a solid, if unspectacular workout. I had a hard time finding a good rhythm as the pace jumped around a bit - 73 one interval, 70 the next. It felt good to finish in 62 though.

Of course I thought with that fast finish and a couple easy days of running in Minneapolis I would come into Monday's Brian Kraft 5k ready for a solid race. I thought 14:50-15:00 was reasonable given my recent workouts and just generally how I've been feeling. I even felt, given the right conditions and competition (i.e. some people to suck off of) I could go faster. What I got was a very disappointing 15:17 that saw me split 4:46:XX, 4:48:XX, 5:10:ughhhhhhhhh.....

I've always been the "long guy" dropping down to the 5k and have had some reasonable success (14:36 PR). Over the years most of my 5ks have played out the same - 1st mile = shock, 2nd mile = slightly less shock, 3rd mile = get in the groove and pass people. This time around it played out very differently. I led most of the first 1.5 miles feeling very strong and smooth. Then, as we crossed Cedar Ave the second time, things started to get a little rough. No worries I thought, I'll just hang on to the back of this lead pack (running 8 strong at that point, very fast this year) and get pulled in. Maybe I won't pass anyone, but I'll hang around. Well, that plan went up in smoke as the pack steadily pulled away over the last mile and I found myself floundering. Once I lost contact, I have to admit the mental struggle overtook me and I became focused on "just finishing". Weak sauce as Andy would say.

I'm oscillating between frustration, worry and indifference about my race. Initially I was embarrassed because I got absolutely routed over the last mile after leading early on. Then my thoughts turned to Grandmas and what this "meant", but quickly realized that I have run some fast shorter races just before running slow Grandmas. Obviously the 5k as a predictor of marathon success doesn't work in general. In the end I think the situation came down to a lack of race-readiness. I've only one really balls-out race (Human Race in March) since taking most of last year off. Workouts have been going well, but the mental aspect of racing is impossible to tap into in a workout. So in the end I'm going to put the 2009 Brian Kraft 5k behind me, get back to my marathon workouts and hope for the best (and a NE tailwind) at Grandmas. I feel like I've set the bar pretty low for myself at Grandmas so there is no need to push the envelope at this point.

I also want to put in a plug for Eric's new website: 2012 Olympic Trials Marathon It is a much needed information/networking resource for those of us weekend warriors reaching for glory. Pass the word.

Also - we're pregnant (due November 9). And I got into Grad school. So life will be changing drastically this fall. Of course one of my first thoughts was how will this affecting training (much to the chagrin of my very loving, patient, and supportive wife) and I've come to the conclusion that not much will change. Doubles will mostly become singles, but since I've run 90-100+ miles a week for the past decade, I'm probably pretty peaked out on mileage anyway. I figure if I can get in one long run, one long workout and another shorter workout each week I'll be fine doing 45-75 minutes the other days. Honestly, I could probably benefit from the rest. We'll see how that pans out when sleep deprivation sets in.

The Next Level?

Monday, May 11
a.m. 44 min Road
6.5M (6.5)

p.m. 65 min Road + 6xHill Sprints
10.1M (16.6)

Tuesday, May 12
a.m. 33:30 Road
5.0M (21.6)

p.m. 8x1k, 2 min rec, 3mi wu/3mi cd
3:00.2, 3:02.7, 3:01.9, 3:00.3,
3:01.6, 3:01.1, 2:56.9, 2:50.7 (2:59.4 avg)
11.0M (32.6)

Wednesday, May 13
a.m. 45 min Road
6.5M (39.1)

p.m. 67 min Road + 6xstrides
10.0M (49.1)

Thursday, May 14
a.m. 42 min Road
6.1M (55.2)

p.m. 66:30 Road
10.0M (65.2)

Friday, May 15
a.m. 3x3M, 800m rec, 2.5 wu/cd
15:32.9 (5:09.4, 5:13.0, 5:10.5)
15:29.4 (5:11.0, 5:10.4, 5:08.0)
15:17.2 (5:07.0, 5:07.4, 5:02.8)
14.0 (79.2)

Saturday, May 16
a.m. 70 min Road
10.3M (89.5)

Sunday, May 17
a.m. 2:25, 10M @MP +60sec, 10M @MP, 4M @MP +60 sec
10M: 64:00
10M: 55:47, 5:34.7 avg (5:38.5, 5:30.7, 5:34.5, 5:36.6, 5:35.0, 5:34.7, 5:38.7, 5:34.0, 5:27.8, 5:36.5)
4M: 25:19
24M (113.5)

Total Miles Week: 113.5
Total Miles Year: 1543.9

I'm still scratching my head about Sunday's workout. I averaged 2 seconds per mile slower than I did a couple weeks ago and felt a little worse. I was a little surprised, although maybe I shouldn't have been, after the way the two mid-week workouts went, that 5:30 pace didn't feel easier (or possible for that matter).

The extenuating circumstances would be the wind, as I did this workout from the start line on Grandmas Marathon course and ran into what I thought was a substantial headwind for the whole workout. Weather.com reports said it was only 7-10mph, but it felt stronger to me. So was it my legs or the wind or both, I don't know. I wish I would have been able to gain a little more confidence from this workout, but I'll have to settle with a hard effort.

In retrospect, 5:32-5:34 pace for a marathon puts me right around my PR, so it seems naive to expect more, but once I start to feel good in training I get greedy. Energy levels fluctuate from workout to workout, week to week, so finishing Tuesday's workout with a 2:50 1k doesn't mean a whole lot in the grand scheme of things. One repeat. One workout. One day. The good news is that I'm remaining consistent and things are trending faster. If I come back with a strong workout this week and race well at Brian Kraft a week from today, Sunday's workout will blend in with it all.

After Further Review

Monday, May 4
a.m. 38 min Trail
5.0M (5.0)

p.m. 60 min Trail
8.1M (13.1)

Tuesday, May 5
a.m. 49 min Road
7M (20.1)

p.m. 70 min Road + 5xstrides
10.2M (30.3)

Wednesday, May 6
a.m. 33 min Road
5.0M (35.3)

p.m. 6x1k, 2:00 min rec, 3 mi wu/cd
3:00.3, 3:02.6, 3:03.1, 3:02.0, 3:02.7, 2:57.2 (3:01.3 avg)
10M (45.3)

Thursday, May 7
a.m. 48 min Road
7.0M (52.3)

p.m. 64 min Road + 6xHill Sprints
10.0M (62.3)

Friday, May 8
a.m. 35 min Road
5.1M (67.4)

p.m. 2x3M, 800m rec, 2M wu/2M cd + 4xstrides
15:35.6 (5:11.7, 5:13.7, 5:10.1)
15:20.5 (5:12.1, 5:05.2, 5:03.2)
10.0M (77.4)

Saturday, May 9
a.m. 2:08 Road
20.0M (97.4)

Sunday, May 10
a.m. 66:30 Road
10.0M (107.4)

Total Miles Week: 107.4
Total Miles Year: 1430.4

Monday I got out on trails for the first time this spring. I took it pretty easy for a day after a marathon, but I forgot how tough an hour on trails can be. I'm sure it will just take some time to adjust, but I won't really get after that until post-Grandmas. For now it serves as a nice break here and there.

The legs were a little heavy post-marathon Monday and Tuesday, but by Wednesday I would say I was back and ready to hit the hard stuff again. I intended to do 8x1k, but after getting out at 3:00 for the first repeat, I could not find the correct pace (3:03-3:04). After #5, I had a feeling that attempting 8 repeats would be too much. Still this was an improvement over the workout I did three weeks ago (3:01 avg versus 3:03 avg). Try again next week I suppose.

I was initially happy with Friday's workout, but after reconsidering I came to the conclusion that I felt TOO good and should have backed off a bit on #2 and added a #3. I didn't feel like I was pushing it though, my legs just seemed to slip into the pace. Again, try again next week.

Hometown Run

Monday, April 27
a.m. 47 min Road + 5xstrides
6.6M (6.6)

p.m. 74 min Road + 6xhill sprints
11.0M (17.6)

Tuesday, April 28
a.m. 48:30 Road
7M (24.6)

p.m. 4x1 Mile, 3:15 rec, 3M wu/cd
4:53.5, 4:53.7, 4:50.7, 4:45.0
10M (34.6)

Wednesday, April 29
p.m. 2:12 Road
20.7 (55.3)

Thursday, April 30
a.m. 37:30 Road
5.2M (60.5)

p.m. 69 min Road + 5xstrides
10.3 (70.8)

Friday, May 1
a.m. 35:30 Road
5.1 (75.9)

p.m. 3x2M, 430m Rec, 2M wu/2M cd+4 strides
10:27.6, 10:24.6, 10:22.5 (10:24.9 avg) windy
10M (85.9)

Saturday, May 2
a.m. 39 min Road
5.7M (91.6)

Sunday, May 3
a.m. 2:34:03 marathon/workout, 1st
Eau Claire Marathon
1:19:16/1:14:47
26.2 (117.8)

Total Week Miles: 117.8
Total Year Miles: 1323.0

Another solid week that showed a lot of progress. The mile repeats on Tuesday were hard, but manageable. Its been a year and a half since I've run that kind of pace in workouts. Wednesday was not intended to be that long of a day, but I zigged when I should have zagged out on the country roads so 16 miles turned into 20. And Friday's workout was really encouraging because I remained relaxed during the intervals and recovered very well during the short rests. The pace and effort were just right despite the gale force crosswind I was bucking.

After the workout Friday, Katie and I hopped in the car and drove down to Eau Claire for the weekend. Sunday was the Eau Claire Marathon, the first marathon in EC since the mid-80's. I had originally signed up in November with the intention of peaking for this race after a shorter buildup. At that time I was a little more pessimistic about what kind of shape I could get into by the spring. I thought Eau Claire would be lower key with lower expectations.

As the spring progressed, my workouts revealed that I'm stronger than I anticipated, so in March I decided to go for broke at Grandmas where there would be a faster field - but also more in the way of goals/expectations. However, being from Eau Claire originally, I still wanted to be a part of the marathon this weekend, so I decided to run it as a long run/workout, with pace depending on how I felt. I figured at the Mad City 50k I ran through 26.2 miles right around 2:38 and that had felt pretty easy. Friend, former roommate and coworker, Tony was running as well with approximately the same plan so it felt kind of like a Sunday long run, with water stops.

Of course Tony has never been good at conservative pacing and I acted as enabler for much of the race. The agreed upon 6:10-6:15 pace never materialized as we ran mostly 6:00s, give or take for the first half of the race (1:19:16). The course was set up very well. There were some roads closed to traffic and it was fairly light on the rest. Temps were perfect for about 2 hours, but the last stretch the temps got a little toasty....along with the pace.

Around mile 17 we met back up with the half-marathoners and Tony got a little carried away with the pace. I believe there was a progression from 17-20 of 5:51, 5:42, 5:35, 5:30...and that was just me. By that point Tony was a good 50 meters ahead of me. I wasn't in severe distress, but I was a little wary of going below 5:30/mile as that is what I'm considering the outer fringe of my goal marathon pace. Tony stayed out front until mile 24 when the heavy pace started to take a toll. He hung on much better than I expected given how hard he had been running the last hour. I managed to stay strong until the final hill back into Carson Park, which is just ridiculous for that point in a marathon. Still I managed approximately 6:00 pace up and over and then enjoyed the last ~.2 miles into the finish line.

So many positives came out of the race. I ran a controlled effort, but still managed my goal marathon pace for much of the last 10 miles. I wasn't sore or beat up at all. I think I actually felt a little worse after last Saturday's workout. Even so, I might consider pushing this coming Tuesday's intervals to Wednesday and cut out Thursdays workout. I'll wait and see how I feel. There is still a ways to go until Grandmas.

Down With the Sickness

Monday, April 20
p.m. 66:30 Road
10.1M (10.1)

Tuesday, April 21
a.m. 45 min Treadmill
6.4M (16.5)

Wednesday, April 22
OFF/Sick

Thursday, April 23
a.m. 45 min Road
6.5M (23)

p.m. 16x400 w/ 25 sec rec 3M wu/cd
73.37 avg, 71.9 last (wind)
10M (33)

Friday, April 24
a.m. 46 min Road
6.6M (39.6)

p.m. 68 min Road
10.0M (49.6)

Saturday, April 25
a.m. 10M@ MP+60 sec, 8M@ MP, 4M@ MP+60 sec
10M: 64:39
8M: 5:37, 5:33, 5:34, 5:33, 5:31, 5:30, 5:26, 5:34 (avg 5:32)
4M: 25:48
22.0M (71.6)

Sunday, April 26
a.m. 70 min Road
10M (81.6)

Total Miles: 81.6

The head cold stayed with me most of the week, but I was still able to manage a couple solid workouts. Katie crewed for me during the MP run, handing me water bottles. The pace felt relatively comfortable, I was just hoping it would be few clicks per mile faster. However, it was right in line with the level of fitness I've been showing.

Going Back To Cali, Cali, Cali

Monday, April 13
a.m. 45 min Road
6.7M (6.7)

p.m. 62 min Road incl 6xHill Sprints
9.5M (16.2)

Tuesday, April 14
a.m. 46 min Road
6.7M (22.9)

p.m. 6x1k w/ 2 min rec 3mi wu/3mi cd+4xstrides

3:04, 3:06, 3:07, 3:04, 3:01, 2:57 (3:03.2 avg)

10M (32.9)

Wednesday, April 15
a.m. 1:57 Road

18.5 (51.4)

Thursday, April 16
a.m. 68 min Road

10M (61.4)

Friday, April 17
a.m. 65 min Road + strides

10M (71.4)

Saturday, April 18
a.m. 10M race/workout 53:07, 1st Place

(Santa Barbara Chardonnay 10M, CA)

30min wu/30 min cd

18.8M (90.2)

Sunday, April 19

OFF/Travel

Total Miles: 90.2

Our time in California was a pleasant respite from "spring" in the UP. Now we've been in the midst of a snow/wind storm since Sunday.

Tuesday was my first interval workout in a long, long time. I would have to say that it went about as well as it could have. I was never in severe distress and I felt like I could have gone a couple more at the same pace (3:04-3:07).

Thursday and Friday I had good runs along the ocean in Oxnard, CA. It was surprisingly cool in the morning and I ended up wearing the one long sleeve I packed both days.

Saturday we headed up to Santa Barbara to go to the farmer's market and sight-see. When we were planning the trip I knew it would be hard to find a track (that I would be allowed on) or a safe road route to do a workout on, so I searched around for a road race nearby. The Santa Barbara Chardonnay 10M worked out perfectly as a marathon/tempo pace workout and the course was beautiful. We ran out and back along the ocean with a few hills in the middle miles. I ended up running most of the race with another runner, averaging around 5:22-5:24 for most of the miles - a little faster than the 5:30's I had planned on. But I felt really good and was able to run 5:11-5:20 over the last three miles. I ended up finishing first and winning a $100 gift certificate to Outfooters, a local running store, which I used to buy a new pair of trail running shoes (Adidas Adistar Trail), although I wonder when I'll actually be able wear them up here.

The only downside to the vacation was that I woke up with a sore throat Sunday morning as we were leaving. Its got progressively worse through Monday evening, but I seem to be on the downside now.