Sunday, April 27, 2008

week of 21 April

I went out for a 2-hour run today. Turned around at 59:30 because I didn't want to cross a big puddle and came back a little faster. Total was 1:56:45, 13.5 miles, 8:38 min/mi, 143 bpm average. I was feeling OK, thinking if the weather is like this next week that maybe I have a chance. Even 55 and humid didn't feel great. The winter makes you such a wimp. I haven't had much time to acclimate either, spending last week running in the desert (40 degrees and about 0% humidity). Accuweather predicts Saturday night to be 53 and overcast and marathon Sunday's high to be 73 with times of cloud and sun. Fortunately the race starts at 6:30am, so that might mean <60 and overcast, which I'd take (I really fear the sun as much as the temperature).

I thought about what an absolute bitch the marathon is. It's easy to look at these tables and see what you should be able to run, but you actually have to go out there and run it. You only get a couple of cracks a year and to meet your potential everything has to go your way on that day. I'm not sure I'm up to another 6 months of this, so here's hoping it happens 4 May.

I've also become concerned, some might say obsessed, with those hills from miles 16 to 23. I know the graph distorts things, but that's rolling your way up 200 feet(!) in a couple of miles. Geez. Looking back at last year's elevation profile, it's nothing close. I've got to bank at least a little time before then, I think. How much? I think that section has to be worth *minutes.* I've even entertained the idea of going out with the 3:10 pacer. I think I've settled on just running by heart rate. I really had this down to a science before I started chasing BQs. Running 169/170 bpm early will probably lead to a nice even effort race. 173s will lead to losing 9 minutes in the last 8 miles like at MCM. The trouble is going to be the middle ground. If I'm running 7:25s at 170, do I push the pace a little to bank time or hope for a herculean effort in the second half through the hills? (By the way, I hope I don't read this in a week after 8:00s push me to 170 from the get go! That has happened before.)

Enough anxiety, here's what went down this week:

Mo - 5 easy
Tu - 10.4 - 28 wup, 3 x (9t/2e), 25 cdn
We - 5 easy
Th - 5 easy
Fr - 11.5 - 19 wup, 7x800 w/400m rest, 38 cdn - 800's in 3:09, rests in 2:12-2:19
Sa - 5 easy
Su - 13.5 pretty easy - 8:38/143

Week: 55 miles, 8:30 /mi, 148 bpm

2 comments:

Mindi said...

Yep. I agree with all you said about Ms. Bitch marathon. I hope you have great weather!!!

I strongly recommend AGAINST going out with the 3:10 pacer. My experience is that those guys temd to go out fast to bank some time. Going out at a 3:00 or 3:05 pace could really come back and bite you right around mile 20. You know yourself - trust yourself and just run your race. I predict 3:13 and change.

Greg said...

You're right about the pacers. I barely caught the 3:40 pacer at the first mile mark of this race last year. I was on 3:15 pace at the time.

"Trust yourself and just run your race" is the best advice I've heard. I actually know how to do that :-) I think I will!